SHAPE 2017 TateExchange Book FINAL Draft - Flipbook - Page 11
It’s crucial to provide a framework for blind and partially sighted people to
have the chance to speak, and for arts professionals to accept that ways of
interacting and connecting with art may be different. I hope that the articles
in this publication, and the Tate Exchange ‘Ways of Seeing Art’ events led by
Shape Arts provide a forum for blind and partially sighted people to be able
to speak, and that we begin to provide an environment where no one has to
hide their sight loss. It should not be seen as a person lacking in something,
more like having an opportunity to engage differently.
In my work, I have been fortunate to meet many curators and professionals
in heritage and contemporary art. Craig Ashley is one of these professionals
(currently Director of New Art West Midlands, the contemporary Visual Arts
Network for the region). He has said:
“The barriers for me are around capacity – particularly time and
expertise and resources – the affordability of expertise and the means
to enable change and adopt new practices/technologies.”
Craig is an advocate for creative audio description, and both Craig and I feel
that partnerships are the most important part of change happening – and
that the facilitating and mediating of this, supporting progress and change, is
in the hands of us all.
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