Curator’s note
“Art stimulates perception, thought, feeling, physicality, spirit” - Meredith Monk
Meredith Monk, having worked as a composer, performer, filmmaker, and interdisciplinary artist, sums up the importance of the arts in our day-to-day life when she says that art has the power to move us. Art makes us feel, it makes us think and it gives life to our innermost thoughts. However, when it comes to experiencing the arts, the art world in general and the visual arts, in particular, have for long presupposed the ability of their audiences. Cultural spaces are often constructed in a manner that takes for granted the physical ability of the visitors. It can be exclusionary when there is hardly sufficient thought given to accessibility in these places for the differently-abled. In a country like ours, it has been particularly difficult to have proper measures in place for people with different abilities to just drop by and visit a museum or gallery of their choice. While that is slowly changing, there’s still much to be done.
An interesting conversation between gender theorist Judith Butler and disability activist Sunaura Taylor brings up the question of access in an urban city and the avenues for normalizing an appeal for help when out and about. On a walk around San Francisco, the two engage in a conversation about the exclusionary nature of public spaces. Their discussion points out how accessibility for the disabled isn’t so much about physical abilities, but rather it is a social construct that has led to our public spaces being designed without paying heed to accessibility for everyone. At a time when we advocate for equal rights for one and all, it is also necessary that we challenge the norms in society that make access exclusionary on the basis of one’s physical abilities.
This issue of Art in India’s newsletter tries to delve deeper into the questions of accessibility when it comes to the arts. We highlight some of the measures being taken around the country when it comes to making the arts accessible to one and all, regardless of the physical abilities of the audience. We do this in the hope that it will urge people involved in the domain to ask questions like: How can we introduce measures to be more accessible to people with disabilities? What policy changes can we make to introduce inclusive hiring? How can we challenge the existing notions about the nature of work and the fetishization of able-bodied workers? Dive into some of the coolest initiatives being taken on the disability front in the art world below!
Access for ALL
One person who has been vocal about the need for change when it comes to access for all in visual arts institutions has been Siddhant Shah, who runs the consultancy Access for ALL. It is a one-of-a-kind organization that works with people of different abilities to make sure that art institutions around the country have proper arrangements to welcome one and all. Shah had seen first-hand the personal struggle his mother had to go through at home and outdoors after she became partially sighted. Inspired by the tactile art museums in the city of Athens he visited, Shah questioned the lack of similar initiatives in Indian art institutions and started working for disability rights in art and cultural organizations. Thanks to his efforts, several initiatives for inclusive visits to museums and art galleries have been made possible across India. Watch his TED Talk here:
With the campaign #AcessforALL, Shah works towards bridging the gap when it comes to experiencing cultural heritage with disabilities. Access For ALL “aims at pushing the boundaries of physical, intellectual, and social access through innovative, indigenous design and advocacy while fostering an INCLUSIVE experiential culture”. The organization has been involved in offering consultation services to some of the biggest arts institutions across the country today, including the National Museum in Delhi, in order to make way for accessibility within these spaces. Apart from consultation, they also offer a range of assistive products and educational workshops, making their work truly unique when it comes to access for everyone.
As part of the Connections Through Culture: India – Wales festival hosted by the British Council, Access for ALL launched MAAF (Manifesto for Accessible Arts Festival) between September and October 2021, which was an all-inclusive festival hosted by representatives from both the host nations. The event was held with the goal of increasing representation in the arts, to give voice to the needs of artists with disabilities, and to make way for diverse audiences to participate in the arts through accessible space planning. Launching an open call for participants, the MAAF culminated in a two-week digital artist residency that offered participants the chance to be a part of a virtual intensive and collaborative workshop with participants representing both the host nations. An accessible residency program for artists was perhaps a first, but given the work Access for ALL has been involved in, we have hope for greater measures being taken to make way for participation from diverse audiences and artists.
The Alt Museum
Schbang for Good, the social impact arm of Schbang, launched a campaign on World Photography Day this year as an attempt to build the first alternative museum for the visual arts. When it comes to easy access to visual art archives, social media and the internet has played a crucial role. However, it can also be exclusionary in the sense that these web resources are only available for viewing for a particular category of audiences. The Alt Museum makes use of tech to ensure social media can be a more accessible place for one and all. Check out the Instagram handle @thealtmuseum and you shall find a page dedicated to building an online museum for people with visual disabilities. This page urges people to make use of the alt-text feature to provide a description of the artwork or photograph one uploads on the platform. Being a community-based project, it urges art organizations and pages dedicated to photography to contribute to the repository of alternate visual archives for creating a page completely dedicated to accessible experience of the arts. It is a step towards ensuring inclusive showcasing of the visual arts.
Anubhuti by Sahapedia
Another organization working actively to make accessibility a part of their heritage programs is Sahapedia and its heritage outreach arm Sahapedia Experiences. One such initiative that makes for alternative experiences of heritage spaces is Anubhuti. Aiming to make culture more accessible, it is special in the sense that it brings together specially curated experiences that facilitate the interaction of persons with disabilities and from disadvantaged backgrounds with the heritage around them. The Anubhuti program is designed in a manner that aims to develop an integrated learning system for each participant, making way for a unique approach that allows the participants to enjoy heritage spaces.
To date, more than 200 in-person events have been organized under this initiative and diverse facets of culture have been made accessible to people with different and specific needs with the help of experienced guides. Given the lack of appropriate awareness and sensitivity when it comes to curating experiences for people with different abilities, the Anubhuti programs also serve as capacity-building exercises for heritage enthusiasts and walk leaders who get a chance to collaborate with experts and develop skills to smoothly conduct heritage walks for those with special needs. With the belief that heritage is for all, and must be accessible to all, Anubhuti provides for a unique experience of the arts and culture around and it is a step forward in meaningful engagement with our heritage.
Museum of Art and Photography (MAP), Bangalore
The Museum of Art and Photography in Bangalore aims to make art accessible to diverse audiences and as such has taken a range of measures to inculcate inclusivity in their culture and values. From being inclusive in its hiring policy and opening up positions that are specifically for disabled candidates, to having an accessible and inclusive website, MAP has taken accessibility seriously since the beginning. A recent virtual exhibition launched on their website and the accessibility features for viewing the same makes for a rich experience for one and all. Writer and mentor Payal Kapoor pens down her experiences of delving into the virtual exhibition “Stories on a Banana Leaf” in a personal essay titled “A Visual Feast Sans Sight”. She narrates what it was like to experience the exhibition without sight, made possible due to the accessibility features available for viewing the exhibition.
Having lost her sight a long time back, Kapoor talks about how she felt unable to go back to museums and galleries of her choice and enjoy the colours, shapes, and textures available for viewing. She laments the lack of more such inclusive initiatives for the differently-abled and cites the example of Western countries, which have dedicated resources for inclusive art experiences at museums and cultural spaces. Her account of experiencing an accessible virtual exhibition makes for an enriching read and offers the reader an alternative manner of experiencing visual arts. Her article can be read here.
Other Resources & Recommendations
Collaging Color: The Artwork of Stephen Proski
Collaging Color takes us through the journey of a visually-impaired artist, Stephen Proski, as he talks about his voyage as an artist and his artworks. Proski was the winner of the prestigious VSA award that honors artists with disabilities every year. In this video, Proski not only gives us a glimpse of his artworks using bold colours and shapes, but we also get to hear some of the music he has produced over the years.
Listen to His Hands
Pursuing an inclusive approach to rap music, artist Sean Forbes has a unique practice for his performances – he makes use of sign language when he raps. While this might come across as a surprise for someone not used to this form of expression, it is a step by Forbes to reach out to the members in the audience who might have a hearing or speech impairment and would miss out on experiencing his performances otherwise. For him, it is a way to give these members of the audience something to look forward to when it comes to music.
Dedicated to bringing the latest news and events from the art front from across the country, we at Art in India are invested in making this a more accessible platform and as such are always looking for more ways to make it more inclusive. As such, we are always open to suggestions on how to improve our newsletter and would love to hear from you if you’ve got something. Drop us a line over email at artinindiaco@gmail.com or DM!