Tact is the ability to describe others the way they see themselves
Abraham Lincoln
Is there such thing as a museum for all? In Venice, the Palazzo Venier dei Leoni is opening its doors to make the museum’s art accessible to a wider audience. It is understood of course that works of art are not to be touched. At the Peggy Guggenheim Collection, however, this is not entirely so, thanks to the innovative program Double Meaning: A tactile journey through the Peggy Guggenheim Collection. Dedicated to a public that is blind or with impaired sight, this program makes masterpieces collected by the American patroness accessible with the aid of relief panels in resin. Four encounters are planned at the Peggy Guggenheim Collection, for October 31, November 14, December 12 and January 9, 2016, at 2 pm, 2.45 pm, 3.30 pm. Blind and visually impaired visitors, as well as the “seeing” public, are invited to enjoy works in the permanent collection (Portrait of Frau P. in the South by Paul Klee, Upward by Vasily Kandinsky) and two paintings in the exhibition V.S. Gaitonde. Painting as Process, Painting as Life by means of bas-relief simulations.
The experience has two parts. Visitors first enjoy a gallery tour, led by Valeria Bottalico, creator and curator of the project. This is followed by workshops conducted by blind artist Felice Tagliaferri. The selected works have been rendered in bas-relief simulations, and are accompanied by descriptive texts, printed both in Braille and in large print. These texts are available for download as audio files, specifically accessible therefore to the visually impaired, on the museum’s website. The project includes the training of staff members in visitor services, in the museum shop, as well as in educational programs and publications.
This experimental program, both new and unique, promotes the social and educational role of the museum as a place of dialogue and inclusiveness. It enhances the value of the Peggy Guggenheim Collection as cultural heritage, expanding its accessibility. This is a goal central to the Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation’s mission—that of promoting the understanding and diffusion of modern and contemporary art. The initiative raises awareness of the sense of touch as a vehicle for self-discovery and fulfillment, as well as an alternative form of cognitive experience. It fits within the framework of article 30 of the UN Convention on the rights of persons with disabilities: “States recognize the right of persons with disabilities to take part on an equal basis with others in cultural life […]”
In conjunction with the four guided visits and workshops, children between the ages of 6 and 12 also have the opportunity to participate in four workshops at the PGC. These are the Sunday Kids Day events and are also conducted by Felice Tagliaferri (November 1, 15, December 13, January 10 2016, from 3pm-4.30pm).
All programs are free and take place at the Peggy Guggenheim Collection (Dorsoduro 701, Venice), which can be reached by vaporetto, lines 1 and 2, Accademia stop. For more information, e-mail doppiosenso@guggenheim-venice.it. For reservations call 041.2405402/444. Reservations can be made beginning on the Monday preceding each event.
Double Meaning: A tactile journey through the Peggy Guggenheim Collection was realized and designed in collaboration with the Istituto Ciechi of Milan, which generated the 3D reproductions of the paintings by Klee and Kandinsky, provided expert consultancy for the creation of the new accessible page of the PGC website, and translated texts into Braille. The Unione Italiana dei Ciechi e degli Ipovedenti–Onlus promoted the project, which has been endorsed by ICOM Italia (International Council of Museums Italy). The program has been made possible by a grant from the Gordon and Llura Gund Foundation.
Valeria Bottalico is a researcher and professional in the field of wider museum accessibility. She is a member of ICOM and a member of the “Education and Mediation” and “Museum Accessibility” Commissions. She has worked with numerous museums and other cultural and scholastic institutions for which she designs and coordinates educational programs and activities with a focus on the themes of accessibility. For 5 years she has conducted research on the mediation between and the development of cultural heritage programs, in view of servicing and fulfilling a mission of inclusion for the non-seeing public.
Felice Tagliaferri is a blind, fine arts sculptor of international renown, as well as founder of the fine arts school “Chiesa dell’Arte”. His artistic creations are considered and described as “un-seen” sculptures, that are first conceived in the mind’s eye and then given form through the manipulation and control of thought and touch, all epitomized by his unique understanding of the tactile language. He works and teaches using a variety of techniques and materials, from clay and marble to wood and stone. His work is defined as “social art” in recognition of his commitment to social change, characteristic of all his exhibitions.