MA Curatorial Practice presents "This Isn't For You," curated by program fellow Becka Jean.

How do people who are blind consider the visual arts and vice versa? How can inclusiveness in the visual arts be achieved for those who cannot see? This exhibition explores ways to engage the community of the blind, which is too rarely considered—in fact, is generally marginalized—in the context of the visual arts and exhibition making.

"This Isn’t for You" communicates through other senses as a way to engage the blind: touch, smell and sound. Erika Diamond's Handshake Collection is molded from a handshake, reproducing an intimate tactile moment for others to experience. In Lou Giansante's sound installation, he describes depth and space in a way that those without sight can imagine. Susan Grabel's figurative work represents the plight of the homeless, concerned with those who society has forgotten. Brandon Lowery's amorphous figures are grotesque revelations of personal insecurities. Both Lowery and Grabel are embodying the underrepresented, whether within themselves or within the world, allowing the audience to (literally) feel their anxieties. Heather Joy Puskarich invites interaction through her own female form, in the process, transferring scent through touch. Through their sensory outreach, these works are intended to address those who do not rely on sight in their experience of the world, while heightening sensory experience for all.

"This Isn’t for You" is catered to include a blind audience, with accessible artwork and QR coded wall texts, yet cannot be navigated purely by those without vision. The conflict between sharing the beauty of art and the limited ways that people with blindness can participate is underlined in this exhibition.

Exhibition

This Isn't For You

Reception