An enquiry into passive inclusion and unreachable artworks at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York: three case studies of verbal imaging teachers describing artworks in galleries and classrooms

Hayhoe, Simon (2015) An enquiry into passive inclusion and unreachable artworks at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York: three case studies of verbal imaging teachers describing artworks in galleries and classrooms. In: Blind Creations conference, 2015-06-28 - 2015-06-30, Egham, United Kingdom, GBR. (Submitted)

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Abstract

Three case studies of teachers at the Metropolitan Museum of Art are discussed in the context of a larger grounded theory parent study of blind and visually impaired visitors, teachers and systems of instruction. The fieldwork focused on verbal imaging techniques to describe unreachable artworks. The analysis focuses on the traditional understanding that artworks in the museum are deciphered primarily from the perspective of visual perception, that museums are simple vessels of art, as contended by Ernst Gombrich and Pierre Bourdieu, and that inclusion is active. The enquiry also examines whether there is a bridge between sensing an object and understanding it that is partially beyond perception. The article has three conclusions. The first is that the three teachers devised methods to passively rather than actively include students in their descriptions of unreachable artworks, by discussing and developing bespoke modes of communication which were tailored to the viewer’s background and impairment. The second is that visitors often develop symbolic, intellectual and emotional connections with artworks and the museum through verbal descriptions and being in their presence. The third is that previous literature has focused too heavily on the understanding that active inclusion in the museum is premised primarily on touch.

Item Type:	Conference or Workshop Item (Other)
Official URL:	https://www.royalholloway.ac.uk/mllc/events/events...
Additional Information:	© 2015 The Author
Divisions:	CPNSS
Subjects:	H Social Sciences > H Social Sciences (General) N Fine Arts > NX Arts in general
Date Deposited:	05 May 2015 15:06
Last Modified:	13 Sep 2024 14:13
URI:	http://eprints.lse.ac.uk/id/eprint/61796

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