ART BEYOND SIGHT AWARENESS MONTH: OCTOBER 2008
Calendar of Events
August 21 – October 31
Tohono Chul Park, Tucson, AZ, hosts its third series of touch exhibits, titled “Please touch Again.” The multisensory exhibit is open daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. The exhibit is being held in the park’s Exhibit House. For details, call (520) 742-6455 or visit its Web site: www.tohonochulpark.org. The botanical gardens and Exhibit House are located at 7366 N. Paseo del Norte
September 12 – October 17
Starlight Studio & Art Gallery, Buffalo, NY, is hosting “Clay, Paper, Spindle,” an exhibition of recent works by the artists of Starlight Studio. The gallery is located at 340 Delaware Ave., and is open Mondays through Fridays from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
September 15
The Jewish Museum, New York City, has a free docent-led Verbal Imaging tour of “Action/Abstraction” at 1:15 p.m. Advance registration is required; please contact the museum’s Scheduling Coordinator at (212) 423-3225 or email: access@thejm.org.
September 15 – October 15
Royal Museum of Fine Arts Antwerp, Belgium, is exhibiting an entirely black painting with a one-sentence description in its permanent collection of Modern Art. The purpose is for people who are not visually impaired to confront the daily difficulties of people with vision loss, especially in art museums.
September 15 – December 15
The Museum of Modern Art, Sao Paulo, Brazil, in collaboration with the Museus Acessiveis, offers Monday classes called “Perception and Image,” an inclusive program for people with or without vision on making photographs based on the artwork of Evgen Bavcar. The workshops are held from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.
September 20
Tate Modern, London, has a 2 p.m. British Sign Language (BSL) interpreted tour of the Government Art Collection (GAC) at its central London premises as part of its Open House weekend. Admission is free, but booking is essential. Please call 020 7580 9120 or send an e-mail to gac@culture.gov.uk. Information on the GAC can be found online at: www.gac.culture.gov.uk.
September 27
The National Gallery, London, is holding an Art Through Words event of “All the World’s A Stage: Uccello’s Battle of San Romand,” from 11:30 a.m. to 12:45 p.m., starting at the Sainsbury Wing Information Deck. The event is part of the London’s Open Rehearsal 2008 program. The Gallery is located on Trafalgar Square.
September 28 – October 12
Middletown Arts Center, NY, is exhibiting paintings, sculptures, prints, and mixed-media artworks created by children from the St. Lucy Day School for the Blind and Visually Impaired in Philadelphia and adults from the New Jersey Blind Citizens Association at Camp Happiness in Leonard. Also on display: work by Dennis Gentile (a Connecticut artist who is donating the proceeds from his landscapes to the International Council of Education for People with Visual Impairment and Susan Ferraro, an artist and art instructor. The Arts Center is located at 36 Church Street.
Sept 30, Oct 2-7, 9 (day only), 10, 13-14, 16-21
Chicago Children’s Museum has “Touch Collage” workshops at which children will design a work of art using fabric, glue, buttons, and other textured materials. Workshops start on the hour at 1, 2, 3 and 4 p.m. and are free with museum admission. The museum is located on the Navy Pier, 700 East Grand Avenue. For details, call (312) 527-1000, or visit the museum’s Web site at www.chicagochildrensmuseum.org.
October 1
Albuquerque Museum celebrates Art Beyond Sight Awareness Month from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., with “More than Meets the Eye” (a showcase of music and poetry by children and adults with sight loss), touch tours of the museum’s sculpture garden, and an artist demonstration on woodblock printing. For details, contact Elizabeth Becker at (505) 243-7255. The museum is located at 2000 Mountain Road NW, in Old Town.
Wallace Collection, London, is sponsoring Sensation – a multi-sensory art event suitable for visitors with vision loss. Titled “Sounding Out the 18th Century,” the event will be held from 2 to 4 p.m.; visitors are invited to bring their lunch at 1 p.m. and eat with friends before the program. Free beverages will be provided. The Wallace Collection is located at Hertford House, Manchester Square. For details, call 020 7563 9577 or visit the museum’s Web site at www.wallacecollection.org.October 1-31
Art Gallery of Hamilton, Ontario, offers introductory Touch Tours throughout the month. Access AGH is a new initiative that will be more fully explored in 2009. Touch Tours are available for student and adults groups of up to 15 people. Contact Laurie at (905) 527-6610, ext. 272, or by email at laurie@artgalleryofhamilton.com to make arrangements. The museum is located on 123 King Street West.
Art Gallery of Western Australia, Perth, has Touch Tours available not just throughout Awareness Month, but all year. The gallery is open daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. For exhibition details, call its Infoline: +61 8 949 266 22, or visit its Web site: www.artgallery.wa.gov.au.
Belgian Braille League at the Koninklijk Museum Voor Schone Kunsten (Royal Museum of Fine Arts), Antwerp, is confronting visitors with the daily difficulties of people with visual impairments, particularly in museums, via the exhibition of a painting that is totally black except for a description of the representation on it. The museum is located at Plaatsnijdersstraat 2. For museum hours, visit its Web site: www.kmska.be.Center for the Visually Impaired, Atlanta, GA, has added the innovative “Blind/Sight: Conversations With the Visually Inspired,” by photographer Billy Howard and graphic designer Laurie Shock, to its permanent exhibition. “Blind/Sight” combines large-format photography, image manipulation and audio to convey the experience of blindness from the perspectives of 12 portrait subjects. It can be visited during the Center’s regular hours: Mondays through Fridays, from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. The center is located at 739 West Peachtree Street, NW.
Chicago Children’s Museum is exhibiting the work of Jamie Landolt, an artist who creates paintings that are meant to be touched. The museum Is located at Navy Pier, 700 E. Grand Avenue. For museum hours and exhibit details, visit the museum’s Website – www.chicagochildrensmuseum.org – or call (312) 464-7719.
Iziko South African National Gallery, Cape Town, is hosting a “Voices of the Ancestors” exhibition, comprising more than 100 musical instruments that have been selected from the museum’s collections to celebrate the rich diversity of traditional instruments from Southern, Eastern, and Central Africa. Visitors will be able to listen to recordings in the Chill Room, as well as participate in music and art workshops; visitors with disabilities will have opportunities to explore the instruments. For details, visit: www.org.za. Running concurrently with “Voices of the Ancestors” is an exhibition of photographs by Stephen Shore.
Koninklijk Museum voor Schone Kunsten, Antwerp, has verbal description available for groups throughout Awareness Month. Subjects include Story-telling Works of Art, Peter Paul Rubens, Tasteful and Delicious Art!, Leading Ladies, Abstract!, and Art and Blindness. Advance reservations are required; to book, call the museum at: 242 04 16. The museum is located at Plaatsnijdersstraat 2. For details on the museum, visit it’s Web site: www.kmska.be.
The Miami Art Museum has free Touch Tours of public art surrounding the museum (weather permitting) or audio-description tours in the galleries throughout the month of October. Tours may be scheduled Tuesdays through Fridays by calling the education department at (305) 375-4073. The Museum is located at 101 West Flagler Street; for directions and exhibition information, please visit www.miamiartmuseum.org.
Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), New York City, has Touch Tours for blind and partially sighted visitors, allowing them to experience a selection of sculptures and design objects from the collection. These tours take place in the Museum’s galleries and Sculpture Garden, and are available to individuals or groups by appointment. To schedule a touch tour, contact Group Services at (212) 708-9685 (voice), (212) 247-1230 (TTY), or email groupservices@moma.org. The museum is located in Manhattan at 11 West 53rd Street.
National Archeological Museum, Athens, Greece, offers special guiding tours this month, between the hours of 9 a.m. and 2 p.m. The tours are available on demand to groups of children and adults, blind or visually impaired, on selected exhibits of the new Egyptian Collection, as well as hands-on sessions with replicas of ancient Egyptian exhibits. The museum is located at Patission str. 44.
National Gallery of Australia, Canberra, has touch and draw workshops and touch tours for kindergarten to 12th grade students in the Australian Capital Territory throughout the month. The programs provide opportunities for sighted and non-sighted visitors to draw together in response to works of art. For details, call the museum at 02-6240-6632.
Tate Modern, London, has touch tours available daily, although they ask that people phone or email to book a tour. Send your email to Marcus.DickeyHJorley@tate.org.uk or call +44 20 74015000
October 3
Tate Modern, London, has a 7 p.m. tour of the Surrealists, looking at Psychology, Sexuality and Politics. The tour will be interpreted into SBL by Robert Skinner. The event is free, with no booking required; meet at the level three concourse. Gallery stools and notes will be provided.
Walker Art Center, Minneapolis, has a 2 p.m. Touch Tour of its permanent collection. In the hour-long tours visitors will explore works of art with a tour guide through touch and visual description. Touch tours are open to the public; however, space is limited to 12 participants. Tours are free with admission. The Walker is located at 1750 Hennepin Avenue. For details, visit the Walker’s Web site at www.walkerart.org.
October 4
Biggs Museum of American Art, Dover, DE, hosts Percussion Puppets – a workshop for children ages 5-10 -- from 10 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. The program will allow children to create group songs, instruments and puppets to be used for a performance at the end of the session. This program is free to the public but requires advance registration by calling 302-674-2111 ext. 101.
Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, has a tour of European Art from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. The session will include a tactile examination of architecture and other objects without gloves, and an examination of original works of art with gloves. The program is free to people with vision loss. For details, or to register for a sighted guide, please contact Valerie Burrows at (611) 369-3302, or by email at vburrows@mfa.org.
The National Gallery, Trafalgar Square, London, has British Sign Language-interpreted events the first Saturday of every month. Contact the museum of details: phone, 020 7747 5855; fax, 020 7747 2431.
October 4 & 5
Chicago Children’s Museum has touchable painting workshops at 1, 2, 3, and 4 p.m. The workshops are led by artist Jamie Landolt and are designed for children ages four and older and their caregivers. Classes are free with museum admission; free passes are available at the Kraft Artabounds Studio door one hour before each workshop. The museum is located at Navy Pier, 700 East Grant Avenue. For more information, visit its Web site – www.chicagochildrensmuseum.org – or call (312) 464-7719.
October 5 – 25
St. Augustine Art Association, FL, is hosting its seventh annual Tactile Art show in its main gallery. The exhibit is sponsored by The Eye Center, the Uptown Civitan Club of Jacksonville and the Tourist Development Council. It features work by area artists that is specifically designed for people who are visually impaired, although will be enjoyed by all. All art can be touched, as can the labels: Braille identification cards created by students from the Florida School for the Deaf and Blind. To schedule a school field trip, please contact Jean Light Willis at (904) 794-4564. For more information on the exhibit or the Association, visit its Web site, www.staaa.org, or call (904) 824-2310.
October 6
Guggenheim Museum, NYC, offer 6-8 p.m. tours for visitors with vision loss and for deaf visitors (presented in American Sign Language) of “Catherine Opie: American Photographer.” The tours are free, but space is limited so visitors are asked to register in advance by phone, (212) 360-43455, or email, access@guggenheim.org. The museum is located at 1071 Fifth Avenue (at 89th Street) in Manhattan.
The Jewish Museum, NYC, has a docent-led verbal imaging tour of its permanent collection – covering 4,000 years of art and Jewish culture – from 1:15 to 2:15 p.m. The program is free, but space is limited, so advance registration is required. Please contact the Scheduling and Access Coordinator at (212) 423-3225, or email access@thejm.org to register. Additional information about access programs can be found at www.thejewishmuseum.org/AccessPrograms. The Museum is located at 1109 Fifth Avenue.
October 8
Iziko South African National Gallery, Cape Town, is hosting a 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. MAP 2008 (Meaningful Access Program) for the Mary Hardin School for the Intellectually Impaired School Leavers.
The Rubin Museum of Art, NYC, has a verbal imaging and touch tour of its permanent and rotating exhibition of Himalayan art beginning at noon. The one-hour tour is free, but advance registration is required; please call Group Visits at (212) 620-5000, ext. 345, or send an email to reservations@rmanyc.org. The museum is located at 150 West 17th Street in Manhattan.
Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art, Edinburgh, has a Visual Impairment Workshop for Adults on the exhibition Tracey Emin. There will be descriptive tours and a practical workshop led by artists Juliana Capes and Jennie temple. To book a free place and join the VI mailing list, please contact Mary Kilpatrick, community Education Officer, at 0131 624 6428. The gallery is located at 75 Belford Road. For hours and exhibit details, visit its Web site: www.nationalgalleries.org
October 10 – November 15
Indianapolis Art Center’s “Day of the Dead” exhibition will feature an altar created by students at the Indiana School for The Blind and Visually Impaired. A Day of the Dead Festival will be held on November 1, from 3 to 8 p.m. The art Center is located at 820 East 67thStreet.
October 11
Leigh Yawkey Woodson Art Museum, Wausau, WI, offers a docent-led accessible arts activities from 1 to 3 p.m. Options for participants include a touch tour of the Museum’s sculpture garden, exploration of tactiles (raised-line drawings of artworks), and the opportunity to make art. All visitors are welcome! The museum is located at 700 North 12th Street.
The Metropolitan Museum of Art, NYC, has a drawing class for adults who are blind or partially sighted from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Titled Seeing Through Drawing, the class meets once a month on Saturday. Participants draw from works of art in the galleries and in the Touch Collection. The program is free; however, places are limited, so reservations are required. Please call (212) 879-5500, ext. 3561, or e-mail access@metmuseum.org. The Metropolitan Museum of Art is located on Fifth Avenue at 82nd Street; the Education enter entrance at 81st Street is accessible.
Walters Art Museum, Baltimore, in partnership with the Maryland State Library for the Blind, has an 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Touch Tour of sculptures and Verbal Description Tour of paintings. Admission is free, but registration is required and limited to 20. To register, please call (410) 230-2453 by Friday, October 3, and leave a message and your phone number, and the museum will call and confirm. Accommodations for individuals with special requests can be made by calling eight business days in advance.
October 12
Art Gallery of Hamilton, Ontario, celebrates Tour Day and Family Fund Day. At 2 p.m., museum visitors are invited for a sampling of a Touch Tour activity. For details, contact Laurie at (905) 527-6610, ext. 272, or laurie@artgalleryofhamilton.com.
Grounds For Sculpture, Hamilton, NJ, features the opening of Visions of the Mind exhibiting artwork by Michael Naranjo, a blind artist from Sante Fe, NM. In conjunction with the exhibition, Touch Tours for the blind and visually impaired will take place at 11 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. The group maximum is 10 people; reservations may be made by calling 609 586-0616 ext. 10. At 2 pm, Michael Naranjo will give a lecture, titled “Touching Beauty.” The exhibition will be on view October 12 through April 26, 2009. Grounds For Sculpture, located at 18 Fairgrounds Road, is open Tuesdays through Sundays, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Please see the www.groundsforsculpture.org for more information.
October 13 – November 5
Indianapolis Art Center will feature artworks by students at the Indiana School for the Blind. The exhibit will be held in the Art Center’s Frank & Katrina Basile East Lobby. For details, visit http://www.indplsartcenter.org/Classes/Special_Porgrams/School_for_the_Blind/
October 13
Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, is hosting its annual Fall Open House. Join the 10:30 a.m. MFA Teen Arts Council and Feeling For Form Guides for a multi-sensory tour of the Museum’s Ancient Near East collection. Following the tour, at noon, there will be a Middle Eastern music concert in the Remis Auditorium. Admission to the museum and all Open House programs is free to all. No pre-registration is required.
October 14
American Folk Art Museum, NYC, a Noon program at which visitors will explore folk art through the museum’s touch collection, and then take a descriptive tour through the galleries to discover the stories behind the folk art. The museum is located in Manhattan at 45 West 53rd Street. The museum is wheelchair accessible and has two wheelchairs available on site. Private touch/descriptive tours are offered for groups throughout the year; reservations for them may be made through Jennifer Kalter, phone: (212) 265-1040, ext. 148; email, jkalter@folkartmuseum.org.
Tate Britain, London, features a “morning of art appreciation” for people who are visually impaired, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. The event will include an audio-described tour of works by 20th-century artists who were interested in paint and how texture and color can inform the image. To book, call 020 7887 8888, or online at: www.tate.org.uk. (Participants are asked to use the Manton entrance on Atterbury Street, and to meet in the Manton Studio.)
October 15
Bellevue Arts Museum, WA, offers a 3:30 to 5 p.m. descriptive tour that involves opportunities to experience the exhibition through touch. Space is limited, so visitors are asked to RSVP with Guest Services at (425) 519-0770 or via email at admissions@bellevuearts.org. The tour is free with admission.
Bellevue Arts Museum, Washington, offers a docent-led Touch Tour for visitors who are visually impaired and their companions from 3:30 to 5 p.m. The tour is free with admission. Space is limited, so visitors are asked to RSVP with Guest Services at (425) 519-0770, or by email with admissions@bellevuearts.org. The museum is located at 510 Bellevue Way NE.
Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, has an inclusive, two-hour guided tour of its “Imperishable Beauty: Art Nouveau Jewelry” exhibit. The tour begins at 10:30 a.m. Participants should meet in the West Wing lobby on Museum Road, which is perpendicular to Huntington Avenue. For details or to register for a sighted guide, please contact Valerie Burrows at (611) 369-3302, or by email at vburrows@mfa.org.
The State Museum of Contemporary Art, Thessaloniki, Greece, in collaboration with the Panhellenic Association of the Blind-RUCM and the Institute for the Blind of Northern Greece HELIOS, has a special program for visual and non-visual students featuring touchable reproductions of artworks, information on mobility and accessibility issues, and a joint art-making project. For details, visit the museum’s web site, www.greekstatemuseum.com, or call its information number: +30 2310 589152.
October 16-21
Chicago Children’s Museum has “Touch Collage” workshops at which children will design a work of art using fabric, glue, buttons, and other textured materials. Workshops start on the hour at 1, 2, 3 and 4 p.m. and are free with museum admission. The museum is located on the Navy Pier, 700 East Grand Avenue. For details, call (312) 527-1000, or visit the museum’s Web site at www.chicagochildrensmuseum.org.
October 16
The Dallas Museum of Art has a gallery program, See Three, for visitors with visual impairment. This is not a tour—it’s a new kind of Museum experience. Inspired by the new Center for Creative Connections, join Dallas Museum of Art staff to push the boundaries of how you see art through dynamic conversation and playful experiments. See Three will begin at 7:00 p.m. at the Visitor Center for Creative Connections. Free; no registration required. For information about visiting the DMA, please call 214-922-1803 or go to www.DallasMuseumofArt.org.
Iziko South African National Gallery, Cape Town, is hosting a 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. MAP 2008 (Meaningful Access Program) for the Pioneer School for the Visually Impaired.
The Metropolitan Museum of Art, NYC, offers monthly Picture This! Workshops for adults with vision loss. These workshops make works of art accessible through detailed descriptions, touch and other activities to awaken the senses. The October 2 to 4 p.m. workshop will focus on the special exhibition “Design without end: The essential art of African textiles.” This program is free but places are limited, so reservations are required. Please call (212) 879-5500, ext. 3561, or e-mail access@metmuseum.org. The Metropolitan Museum of Art is located on Fifth Avenue at 82nd Street. The Education Center entrance at 81st Street is accessible.
October 17 – 18
Envision Low Vision Rehabilitation Center, Wichita, KS, is hosting an art exhibit at City Arts, 334 North Mead. The project, by blind and visually impaired youth, will be on exhibit on the 17th from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. and on the 18th from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. For more about the Center and its program, visit www.envisionus.com.
October 17
Arizona State Museum, Tucson, is offering a free Touch Tour of its newest exhibit, “The Pottery Project.” The curator-led tour will include audio descriptions of some of the museum’s finest prehistoric and contemporary Native Southwest pottery, followed by hands-on pottery exploration activities in the exhibit gallery. The tour is free and open to individuals with vision loss and their companions; participation is limited to 30. Please contact Beth DeWitt by email (dewitt@email.arizona.edu) or phone (520-626-9172) for details or reservations. The museum is located on the University of Arizona Campus, at 1013 E. University Blvd.
October 18 - 25
Barcelona Voluntaria, Spain, with the support of the youth in action program of the European Commission and some local blind organizations, is offering a training course titled “Different Views of Culture” for 20 young people from seven countries. For details, contact comunicacio@barcelonavoluntaria.org.
October 18
Colorado Ballet, Denver, has Audio Description available for its 2 p.m. performance of “Swan Lake”; headsets are provided at the coat check at the Ellie Caulkins Opera House. Also available upon request (with ticket): pre-performance backstage “sensory tours,” so patrons of all ages may explore sets, costumes and choreography hands-on, as well as learn more about the production. To arrange the tour, contact Anne at (303) 339-1632, or email education@coloradoballet.org. (Other audio-described performances and back-stage tours will be held on December 19, for “The Nutcracker,” and March 7, 2009, for “A Midsummer Night’s Dream.” For details, visit www.coloradoballet.org.)
The New York Historical Society, NYC, has a 1 p.m. docent-led verbal description tour of its “Drawn by New York: Six Centuries of Watercolors and Drawings” exhibit, and a 2 p.m. verbal description tour of the permanent collection objects on display in the Luce Center. The museum is located at 170 Central Park West.
October 20
The Currier Museum of Art, Manchester, NH, is partnering with the New Hampshire State Library Talking Book Services on a 2 to 4 p.m. verbal description tour of the special exhibit titled Andy Warhol: Pop Politics. For more information on the museum, visit its Web site: www.curier.org.
The Rubin Museum of Art, NYC, has a verbal imaging and touch tour of its permanent and rotating exhibition of Himalayan art beginning at 1:30 p.m.. The one-hour tour is free, but advance registration is required; please call Group Visits at (212) 620-5000, ext. 345, or send an email to reservations@rmanyc.org. The museum is located at 150 West 17th Street in Manhattan.
October 20-31
Edu-art, Milan, Italy, is presenting “Inside the box of the emotions.” From 2 to 6 p.m., the public is invited to see and explore the sculpture under construction, “The Way,” by entering into the box through all the five senses and different languages. Visitors will be asked to remove their shoes and wear a discovery dress. Edu-art Association is located at 16 via Orti. For details, contact Edu-art at 39 3472709741, or by email at eduart16@libero.it.
October 21
Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, has a 10:30 a.m. to 23:30 p.m. session focusing on American Art in the museum’s collection. This program, which will include a tactile examination of architecture and other objects, is free to visitors who are blind or visually impaired. No pre-registration is required. However, if you wish a sighted guide, please register with Valerie Burrows, Accessibility Coordinator, at (617) 369-3302 or, email, vburrows@mfa.org.
The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), New York City, offers Art inSight, Focus: Picasso and Sculpture from 2 to 4 p.m. Art insight, a program for blind and partially sighted adults, is held monthly in the museum galleries. Specially trained museum lecturers highlight specific themes, artists and exhibitions, engaging participants through extensive verbal descriptions. The museum is located in Manhattan, at 11 East 53rd Street. For details or to RSVP, please call (212) 408-6347, or visit the museum’s Website at http://moma.org.
October 22
Albright-Knox Art Gallery, Buffalo, NY, is hosting “Matter at Hand – Art Sense-Ations: For Adults Who Are Blind or Partially Sighted” from 2 to 4 p.m. The program includes a verbal description tour followed by a hands-on art activity; the program is free, but advance registration is required. For details and registrations, call (716) 270-8249. The gallery is located at 1285 Elmwood Avenue.
October 23
California School for the Blind, Fremont, is hosting an Open Studio from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. During the event, visitors have opportunities to learn about the school’s unique arts program and observe students engaged in making art. The school is located near the Fremont BART station and is accessible through public transit. For more information, call (510) 794-3800, ext. 235, or send an email to mtayam@csb-cde.ca.gov.
Iziko South African National Gallery, Cape Town, is hosting a 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. MAP 2008 (Meaningful Access Program) for the Lighthouse Club for the Blind and the Beacon Club for the Blind.
The National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa, hosts Perspectives on Drawing: Celebrating Art Beyond Sight Awareness Month, from 6 to 7:30p.m.Stimulating the Senses will explore drawing without sight. Visitors will learn about the development of visual perspective, and how recent research has proven that we can also learn to understand perspective through touch. Participants will have an opportunity to draw while attempting to perceive the world around them, using senses other then sight. Registration deadline: 16 October. To register please call(613) 990-1985 (voice) or (613) 990-0777 (TDD). For details about the museum’s programs, visit its Web site: www.national.gallery.ca The National Gallery of Canada is located at 380 Sussex Drive.
October 24
Tohono Chul Park, Tucson, AZ, is holding a special reception for its “Please Touch Again” exhibition of multisensory art from 5 to 8 p.m. The reception is being held at the Park After Dark. For details, call (520) 742-6455 or visit its Web site: www.tohonochulpark.org.
October 24 & 25
Kentucky School for the Blind’s Outreach Department, Louisville, is hosting a statewide conference for families of children and youth who are blind and visually impaired. The purpose of the conference is to make families aware of the services, resources, and products that improve the life of individuals who are blind or visually impaired. www.ksb.k12.ky.us.October 25
Bellevue Arts Museum, WA, offers a 2 to 3 p.m. descriptive tour that involves opportunities to experience the exhibition through touch. Space is limited, so visitors are asked to RSVP with Guest Services at (425) 519-0770 or via email at admissions@bellevuearts.org. The tour is free with admission.
Bellevue Arts Museum, Washington, has a Touch Tour for visitors who are visually impaired and their companions from 2 to 3 p.m. The tour is free with admission. Space is limited, so visitors are asked to RSVP with Guest Services at (425) 519-0770, or by email with admissions@bellevuearts.org. The museum is located at 510 Bellevue Way NE.
The National Gallery, Trafalgar Square, London, is hosting “Art Through Words: Lute and Song with Holbein’s Ambassadors” from 11:30 a.m. to 12:45 p.m.; participants should meet at the Sainsbury Wing Information Desk. During this session, Linda Bolton will give an animated and detailed verbal description session using Holbein’s Ambassadors, and singer/broadcaster Lucie Skeaping will perform songs from the Tudor Court and tavern.
Walker Art Center, Minneapolis, has a 2 p.m. Touch Tour of its permanent collection. In the hour-long tours visitors will explore works of art with a tour guide through touch and visual description. Touch tours are open to the public; however, space is limited to 12 participants. Tours are free with admission. The Walker is located at 1750 Hennepin Avenue. For details, visit the Walker’s Web site at www.walkerart.org.
October 27
Art Education for the Blind, NYC, is hosting its annual Telephone Conference Crash Course from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time. For details, go to: www.artbeyondsight.org/change/aw-crashcourse.shtml
October 28
American Folk Art Museum, NYC, has a Noon program at which visitors will explore folk art through the museum’s touch collection, and then take a descriptive tour through the galleries. Private touch/descriptive tours for groups are available throughout the year; reservations for them are necessary, however, and can be made with Jennifer Kalter, phone: (212) 265-1040, ext. 148; email, jkalter@folkartmuseum.org. The museum is located in Manhattan at 45 West 53rd Street.
October 29
Koninklijk Museum voor Schone Kunsten Antwerpen (the Royal Museum of Fine Arts Antwerp), Belgium, has a 3 p.m. guided tour for visitors who are blind or visually impaired concerning “Abstract Art.” Entrance to the museum is free on this day, as is the tour, but space is limited, so advance registration is required. (Note: the museum offers guided tours for people with vision loss the last Wednesday of every month at 3 p.m.) For details, visit the museum’s Website: www.kmska.be.
The Koninklijk Museum voor Schone Kunsten, Antwerp, offers guided tours for people with vision loss on the last Wednesday of every month. Space, however, is limited, so visitors are asked to register in advance by calling 242 04 16.
October 30
Iziko South African National Gallery, Cape Town, is hosting a 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. MAP 2008 (Meaningful Access Program) for the Helen Keller Hostel and Blind Bowlers Association.
Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, has an inclusive, two-hour guided tour of its “Imperishable Beauty: Art Nouveau Jewelry” exhibit. The tour begins at 10:30 a.m. For details or to register for a sighted guide, please contact Valerie Burrows at (611) 369-3302, or by email at vburrows@mfa.org. Participants should meet in the West Wing lobby on Museum Road, which is perpendicular to Huntington Avenue.
November 13
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York City, offers its monthly Picture This! Workshop for adults with vision loss. The title of November’s 2 to 4 p.m. workshop is “The Philippe de Montebello Years: Curators Celebrate Three Decades of Acquisitions.” The program is free, but places are limited, so reservations are required; please call (212) 879-5500, ext. 3561, or e-mail access@metmuseum.org.
