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Connecting with Art: The Tactile Gallery

Connecting with Art: The Tactile Gallery was created for visitors to the Saint Louis University Museum of Art to experience art through touch.

The gallery has two rooms with artworks on display from the SLU art collection and 3D reproductions of important artworks from museums around the world. A braille text panel accompanies a large-print text panel. Both braille and large-print labels are installed on the right side of each artwork. There are nine artworks arranged on and around the walls of the room. Five artworks are installed on pedestals and four on the walls. Pedestals are outlined with a band of textured material on the floor to assist in finding them. Also, the floor in front of each artwork installed on the wall is marked with the same textured material. 

Connecting with Art: The Tactile Gallery was made possible through the support of the Arthur and Helen Baer Foundation and its annual scholarships. These scholarships create opportunities for undergraduate students from different fields of study to engage with art. Kallie Neumer, who studied occupational therapy, received an Arthur and Helen Baer Foundation scholarship during the 2018 academic year. Neumer researched and developed Connecting with Art: The Tactile Gallery under the supervision of her museum mentor.

The Arthur and Helen Baer Foundation also supported the acquisition of two artworks for the Connecting with Art: The Tactile Gallery by artist Ann Cunningham, who makes tactile artworks that specifically engage the blind and visually impaired.

Location

Connecting with Art: The Tactile Gallery is on the second floor of Saint Louis University Museum of Art in galleries 214 and 215.

Visitor Aides

A tactile map to the gallery is installed on the right side of the elevator on the second floor.

Portable tactile maps are available at the front desk. The maps inform visitors about the placement of artworks in the galleries. They must be returned to the front desk at the end of the visit.

Support

Connecting with Art: The Tactile Gallery is made possible in part through the generous support of the Arthur and Helen Baer Charitable Foundation and the support of the following community partners and organizations: 

  • Missouri School for the Blind and Visually Impaired
  • Custom Prototypes, Toronto, Canada
  • Center for Braille and Narration Production
  • Ann Cunningham, tactile artist
  • Saint Louis University Department of Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy