Tactile Art on Display at UCAR

Ann Cunningham is the art instructor for the Colorado Center for the Blind and is a tactile artist.

“What I consider to be tactile art is art where the artist’s intention can be accessed through touch. it can be seen too, but if somebody closes their eyes and touches this piece they’ll be able to figure out what’s happening.” Cunningham says that visually impaired people have largely been excluded from the art world and many aspects of every day life that rely on images. “That’s where we’re trying to level the playing field and make tactile images part of everyday life. ”

ncar-3 — Cunningham’s work is made out of slate which she says lends itself to tactile experience due to the texture and temperature of the material.

A new art exhibit on display as part of the UCAR community art program features the work of Cunningham as well as the work of students from Arapahoe Community College.

The students created ink drawings based on short poems which were then laser cut and accompanied by ceramic models of the same subject. Nathan Abels, art instructor at Arapahoe Community College which is located across the street from the Colorado Center for the Blind, says that it was a learning experience for the students to create artwork for people who cannot see it.

“This project has always been really good for my students to try making things in a new way, solving different problems visually and through touch.”

All the pieces in the exhibit should be experienced through both sight and touch; one must touch it to truly see it. A sign at the entrance invites people to gently touch the artwork.