Any visitor to a museum or gallery expects to see a familiar placard. PLEASE DO NOT TOUCH, or another iteration of keep your hands to yourself is often posted next to an exhibit or on a nearby wall. This reminder that contact with the art is forbidden frustrates those of us who want a multisensory connection with artworks. Many works positively beckon the viewer to touch, to feel the textures of their surfaces, to assess their heft or loft.
Museum visitors with vision impairments might have the opportunity to hear a recorded message describing the art in a gallery, or read a Braille text explaining the work and exhibition. However, complete tactile contact with the artworks is rarely encouraged or allowed, limiting a visually impaired persons interaction with the art, the artist(s) and the exhibition.
Visitors to the Fully Tactile Art Exhibition will find no message admonishing them not to touch. This event is hosted by Jettison Creative in San Francisco, California, and runs from Wednesday, July 24th through Sunday, July 28th. Admission to the Fully Tactile Art Exhibition is free, and the exhibition is open the following hours:
Wednesday July 24th: 3PM to 8PM
Thursday July 25th: 3PM to 8PM
Friday July 26th: 3PM to 8PM
Saturday July 27th: 12PM to 4PM
Sunday July 28th: 12PM to 4PM
I’m honored to have my project, “The Pain Forms,” included in the Fully Tactile Art Exhibition. These small handmade objects are representative of physical pain as experienced by their creators. Injury is translated into texture, pattern, shape, and color via polymer clay. Collectively, the pain forms constitute a multisensory experiment in empathy, compassion, and community.
I will offer a mini-lecture on the pain forms and their creation on Friday evening, July 26th, at 7PM. The address for the Fully Tactile Art Exhibition is 47 Jeff Adachi Way, San Francisco, California. I hope to see you there!
