One of the tactile pieces of art based on the exhibit Spotlight: Latin America, created by Giovana Pèrez Oliveras. (Angela Trajanoski/WUFT News)
The third annual “Access Art: Touch Tours” at the Harn Museum of Art Saturday gave visitors with and without visual impairments the opportunity to experience art through tactile sense rather than sight, along with one-on-one conversation provided by volunteer guides.
The event featured an installation of touchable art created by local artists using materials with textures and consistencies of all kinds. Also featured were guided tours of three touchable works of art based on two of the Harn’s exhibitions: Spotlight: Latin America and Meant To Be Shared: Selections from The Arthur Ross Collection of European Prints.
“I really appreciate events like this for bringing awareness to the importance of accessibility for the blind,” said Maxwell Daugherty, a museum visitor who is visually impaired.
The event brought out both visually impaired individuals and individuals with sight who came together to enjoy the experience of tactile art.
The entrance to the tactile art installation where artists displayed their work and talked to visitors about their inspiration, materials, and process. (Angela Trajanoski/WUFT News)
Some of the tactile art on display, created with a variety of materials such as clay, beads, felt, and shells. (Angela Trajanoski/WUFT News)
Both vision-impaired and individuals with their sight begin to fill the room where the tactile art installation is located. (Angela Trajanoski/WUFT News)
Sara and Abby Penn admire the tactile art works created by guest artist Lenora McGowan, who is blind. (Angela Trajanoski/WUFT News)
Lenora McGowan, a guest artist who is blind, shows off one of her favorite pieces, a seashell basket. (Angela Trajanoski/WUFT News)
One of the tactile pieces of art based on the exhibit Spotlight: Latin America, created by Giovana Pèrez Oliveras. (Angela Trajanoski/WUFT News)
Maxwell Daugherty, a museum visitor who is visually impaired, admires guest artist Marie Hammer’s Wooden Faces Collection. Hammer constructs sculptures from scraps of oak, dry branches and driftwood. She uses wood as a breakaway from two-dimensional art. (Angela Trajanoski/WUFT News)
Michael and Erin Bruce teach their daughter, Evelyn, about Braille, a tactile writing system used by people who are blind or visually impaired. (Angela Trajanoski/WUFT News)