Touching Art – A tactile exploration of Art

liminal supports Touching Art, the new initiative of AMAKA Civil Non-Profit Organization in collaboration with the Basil & Elise Goulandris Foundation. This program aspires to set an example of how museums can be open and genuinely inclusive spaces for everyone.

An abstract painting in shades of purple and blue features thick splashes of paint scattered across the canvas. Two hands gently touch its textured surface. At the top right corner of the photo, white letters read: Touching Art: A tactile exploration of Art. The letter G is represented by the four dots of braille.

A multisensory museum experience

The aim of Touching Art is to enhance accessibility for people with visual disabilities through a multisensory museum experience, while their active participation through alternative means is a key objective of the program. liminal contributes to the design and implementation of Audio Description services and the digital accessibility of the selected artwork.

Program Activities

Touching Art, to be held at the Basil & Elise Goulandris Foundation, includes:

The creation of tactile, multisensory artworks based on the permanent Collection.
The organization of a multisensory temporary exhibition, accessible with a companion, featuring tactile artworks, Audio Description, soundscape tours, and Braille.
The development of a portable educational kit (museum-in-a-box) to facilitate access to materials both inside and outside the Museum.
The conduct of guided tours and creative workshops.
The training of individuals with experience of blindness as guides for the program’s temporary exhibition.
The training of professionals on museum accessibility (curators, educators, researchers, artists, as well as mental health professionals working in psychosocial inclusion programs and professionals working with people with disabilities).

One of the main objectives of Touching Art is to conduct research and focus groups at the Museum, aiming to involve individuals with experience of blindness, artists, and researchers in the design of accessibility services.

If you are interested in participating in the focus groups, sign up here.

The dedicated project team consists of visual artists, art therapists and psychologists, experienced in approaching art as a tool for inclusion, empowerment, and communication.

The new museum of the Basil & Elise Goulandris Foundation

The new museum, named after its founders, the “Basil & Elise Goulandris Foundation”, was built in the center of Athens with the primary purpose of housing the founders’ art collection and making it accessible to the public.

The Collection includes rare artworks from the 19th and 20th centuries, featuring artists such as Cézanne, van Gogh, Gauguin, Monet, Degas, Rodin, Toulouse-Lautrec, Picasso, Miró, Klee, Pollock, as well as important modern and contemporary Greek artists, including Parthenis, Bouzianis, Vassiliou, Hadjikyriakos-Ghikas, Tsarouchis, Moralis, Tetsis, Stamos, Takis, Chryssa and others.

The Basil & Elise Goulandris Foundation also hosts temporary exhibitions, educational programs and cultural events, making use of contemporary museum practices in the field of modern and contemporary art.

The Touching Art program is implemented under the framework of the “Creative Greece — Promoting Universal Accessibility of Persons with Disabilities in Culture” program, with funding and under the auspices of the Ministry of Culture & Sports.