[accessibleimage] Speaking of Touching Artwork...

ART BEYOND SIGHT AWARENESS WEEK 2004


On Sunday, October 10, Art Education for the Blind (AEB) will hold a press =
conference in NYC to provide background to the national press on AEB's Art =
Beyond Sight Awareness Week 2004, which officially begins on Monday, =
October 11, and runs through October 25 (actually, two weeks to allow time =
for the many activities planned for this second annual event). All press =
attending will be given the complete list of participating institutions =
and their programs, as well as detailed information on the telephone =
conference, scheduled for October 18. (These materials will also be =
available on artbeyondsight.org after September 1.)

On Monday, October 11, museums, libraries, schools and other community =
institutions around the world will host a variety of public events to =
kick-off Art Beyond Sight Awareness Week 2004 (October 11-25). The theme =
for Awareness Week 2004 is:  "More to Art than Meets the Eye."

First, National Federation of Blind members will host tables in the =
lobbies of museums throughout the United States, where they will share =
information on blindness, Braille, assistive technology and NFB's =
programs. (AEB brochures on Awareness Week will be at these tables, along =
with materials inviting the public to contribute to the museum's education =
department and to NFB.) NFB members participating in this program will be =
familiar with the museum's programs for people who are blind or have low =
vision, so that they can describe them from a personal perspective.

In the case of a museum that does not currently offer a program for blind =
people, this will be an opportunity for docents, educators, and curators =
to meet and have open discussions with the representative of the local NFB =
chapters. We hope that museums and cultural centers will use this =
opportunity to welcome people who are blind as part of their community.

(October is the National Federation of the Blind's Meet the Blind Month. =
NFB is kicking off a series of entertaining and fun events that will =
create opportunities for people to meet their blind neighbors. These =
enjoyable meetings will show people that the blind are just like everyone =
else-that the real problem of blindness is not a lack of eyesight, but =
misconceptions and a lack of information.)

Other first-day activities in the United States and abroad will include =
special touch and verbal-description tours of museum collections, exhibits =
of art by blind and visually impaired artists, lectures and panel =
discussions led by artists who are blind or have low vision, art-making =
classes for blind adults and children, telephone conferences for shut-ins =
on art history, Art Beyond Sight crash courses, and special showings of =
the recently released Art Beyond Sight video.

Throughout the following two weeks, museums and other community institution=
s, in conjunction with the National Federation of the Blind (NFB), will =
continue to host programs that stress the importance of art and culture in =
the lives of people who are blind or have limited vision. Some will be =
geared to increase public awareness of the currently available programs =
for blind people and/or the need to expand these programs. Others will =
focus on education for the participating institution's staff, covering =
such subjects as how to develop diverse programs for blind and visually =
impaired people, and how to improve and/or expand current programming.=20

(Insert your museum's name), a member of AEB's Art Beyond Sight Across the =
World collaborative, is kicking off Awareness Week 2004 with (insert =
description of your October 11 programs).  In addition, (list other =
activities during the following weeks).

On Monday, October 18, Art Beyond Sight will host a free, twelve-session =
telephone conference crash course. The course will begin at 9 a.m. Eastern =
Standard Time, with hourly topics addressed by a variety of experts. =
Topics include, but are not limited to, Meet Your Community (locating the =
blind people in your community, the groups that work with them, and tips =
for increasing awareness of your own programs); Techniques for Teaching =
Art (available tools, programs, benefits of art education); Theory and =
Research (practical implications of cognitive research findings); Learning =
Tools (touch and tactile experiences, verbal descriptions, audio guides, =
sound and drama); Art-Making Programs; Education (practical advice for =
developing art programs for all ages); Museum Programming; Universal =
Design and Art Beyond Sight Resources.

In keeping with this year's "More to Art than Meets the Eye" theme, AEB, =
which coordinates the many activities of Art Beyond Sight, has asked =
national celebrities from the worlds of theater, art, music, education and =
journalism, to (a) experience a well-known work of art through touch and =
hearing, rather than sight; (b) write a verbal description of their =
favorite work or art or architecture; or (c) wear special glasses that =
simulate visual impairment for two hours, either by themselves or =
accompanied by a blind person in their profession, who will assist them in =
using other senses to complete daily tasks. The celebrities will then =
share their experience with AEB staff and the press. These activities are =
taking place this summer; the celebrities' statements will be incorporated =
into future press releases.

Many museums are inviting business leaders and celebrities in their =
communities to participate in similar ways during Awareness Week. For =
instance, some museums are inviting community leaders and their membership =
to participate in accessible programs together with blind visitors; others =
museums will challenge blindfolded members and community leaders to =
identify specific works of art through touch and sound. Still others are =
asking area artists to wear blindfolds and create pictures for publication =
in the October 11 issue of their local newspaper.

Elisabeth Axel, founder of AEB, notes that this second annual Art Beyond =
Sight Awareness Week will have all the excitement of last year's, and is =
expected to garner much more media attention. "When the museums, the =
libraries, the educational and community service groups all work together =
to increase awareness, good things happen. There is so much more to art =
than meets the eye, and we are thankful for the many institutions that =
work with us so diligently in developing and expanding access to art and =
culture for all people. We hope that Awareness Week will broaden this base =
and generate more public funds for these institutions' programs."=20

Details of last year's Awareness Week are posted at artbeyondsight.org. =
Museums looking for program ideas will find many of them outlined on that =
site. By August 1, the site will also include programs and plans for AEB's =
Art Beyond Sight Awareness Week 2004.

For more information call: (212) 334-8720

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