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Growth in Dallas Brings Art To More People With Visual Impairments
By Holly Herring • Mar 30, 2023
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“The staff at the Nasher Sculpture Center felt like people who are blind or have visual impairments were missing out, which we really were,” said Blake Lindsay, Envision Dallas Outreach Manager.
Nasher reached out to Blake seven years ago about making their sculpture center accessible to people who are blind or visually impaired. In the years since then, Envision Dallas and the Nasher Center have forged a strong relationship as Blake has written 40 scripts for the Center. These descriptions have created an audio-assisted tour of the sculptures.
“If you have a smartphone, you just download an app, and you’ll see each of those two-and-a-half minute descriptions about the artist, their motivation, and what the sculpture looks like. There’s a lot in there,” noted Blake.
Nasher remains committed to helping people who are blind or visually impaired access, enjoy and appreciate art. They work with Envision Dallas to provide transportation to people who need it. And – along with the audio tour - several popular sculptures have been recreated into smaller models so that people can experience the piece by touching it.
A group of young adults hosted by Envision Dallas was honored to visit the Nasher Sculpture Center recently to learn about and experience amazing works of art by Mark Di Suvero, Maren Hassinger and Henry Moore. The Nasher team did a tremendous job of not only sharing in detail verbal descriptions of each piece but also providing hands-on activities that were inspired by the works of art.
“They want to eliminate barriers,” said Blake. “They really just want to open it up for people who are blind to enjoy art as much as people who are sighted or anybody else.”
At Envision Dallas, art opportunities are exploding thanks to the popular sculpting class held on the first Friday of every month. World-renowned Dallas-based artist and teacher Tomas Bustos runs the program with his partner Jacinta. Along with heading up the class, he’s transformed several classic paintings into tactile bronze sculptures.
“We are having a blast making what we want with two great volunteer coaches who delight in observing our improvement each month,” said Blake. The next sculpting class at Envision Dallas is set for April 7. In addition, Mr. Bustos will also be exhibiting his artwork, along with the Envision Dallas sculpting students, at the Envision Arts Gallery in Wichita this May.
To learn more about the Envision Dallas sculpting class, call 214-420-9411 or email blake.lindsay@envisionus.com. To learn more about the upcoming exhibition in Wichita, click here.
