Most art exhibitions ask attendees to keep a healthy distance from the pieces, but a new display in Fredericton is encouraging people to get up close and feel all the nooks and crannies of the works.
Touch: A Tactile Exhibition launched at the George Fry Gallery last Tuesday. Built in collaboration with Craft NB and the CNIB Foundation, the exhibition aims to let people with varying degrees of vision experience art in a new way.
“In most galleries, we are taught not to touch anything, something I often repeat in other exhibitions I coordinate,” said curator Bianca Mozer in a written statement on the Craft NB website. “But Touch invites us to break that rule in a way that feels intentional, welcoming, and even emotional.
“As a curator, this project has shifted the way I think about experiencing art, challenging traditional gallery expectations and setup by centering accessibility and inclusion, and inviting visitors to engage with the work not only through sight, but through touch and sensation.”
Christina Foster, executive director of Craft NB, said she was inspired to work on the exhibition after attending a CNIB event with her family. CNIB, founded in 1918, is a non-profit organization that advocates for people impacted by blindness.
“I was really amazed with their ability to put on an event and open doors to experiences,” Foster said. “They made things possible that I assumed were impossible.
“It got me thinking about gallery-style exhibitions and how they’re inaccessible to people who can’t see.”
Foster contacted CNIB about putting on the tactile exhibition, wanting to make sure they were involved throughout the process. Twelve professional craft artists came onboard, submitting pieces with feedback from CNIB.
“They told us to keep in mind high-contrast colours,” Foster said. “It’s a different way of interpreting your work.”
Seeing the completed exhibition, Foster is excited to see how people interact with it.
“I love it. It’s totally up my alley,” she said. “It extends to people who need to interpret art through touch. A lot of people need that tactile input to appreciate something.
“I think everyone will come to it very respectfully. You are socially conditioned not to touch (art). It’ll be interesting to see if people can do it.”
The exhibition will be open until July 29.
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