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The Mosesian Center for the Arts in Watertown, MA seeks two and three-dimensional art in all mediums for our upcoming tactile art exhibition titled “Please Touch the Art”. The exhibit includes a companion Humanities Exhibit and accompanying panel discussion led by renowned blind disability studies scholar and author Georgina Kleege.
“Please Touch the Art” will invite sighted and visually impaired visitors to go beyond looking at artwork and encourage them to use their sense of touch to experience each piece. Artists are encouraged to submit work that has interesting tactile features. The exhibit will address issues about the nature of aesthetic appreciation and perception of art. Is exhibiting art meant to be perceived through the sense of touch in conjunction with and/or instead of the sense of sight?
The Humanities Exhibit will cover the history of accessibility in arts programming providing historical context on how arts programming has evolved through the inclusion of objects, technology and supporting documentation.
Georgina Kleege will guest curate the exhibition and will lead a panel discussion that includes artists, as well as art and accessibility experts. The audience will be invited to participate in the discussion. Periodic guided tours of the exhibit will be offered.
The exhibit will take place indoors in our galleries and outdoors on the Arsenal on the Charles campus. We are able to accommodate small to very large-scale art. Artists are required to provide a complete verbal description including information about the tactile elements; dimensions and installation considerations; pricing information if applicable; and images for each submission.
“Please Touch the Art” is funded in part by Mass Humanities, which receives support from the Massachusetts Cultural Council and is an affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities.
Image credit: Adrienne Sloane
Deadline to Submit: March 1, 2019
Jury Selection Notification: April 1, 2019
Art Drop Off: May 11, 2019
Exhibit Opens: May 23, 2019
Public Opening Reception: June 6, 2019, 5:30-8:30pm
Exhibit Closes: September 6, 2019
Art Pick Up: September 7, 2019
Please note that the Mosesian Center for the Arts reserves the right to make minor adjustments to the exhibition timeline. Artists will be notified of final dates in their acceptance letters.
- You may submit up to 10 pieces. You may submit 2 images per entry. Image minimum length on the longest side is 960px. Image maximum length on the longest side is 4600px.
- Artists will be asked to submit a detailed tactile description along with information on their work (title, dimensions, medium, and price). This is required of all submissions, as it will inform the jurying process of the work.
Artists regardless of location are welcome to apply, including international artists. Local artists will be provided drop off time and date details upon acceptance. Non-local selected artists work must be received at the Mosesian Center for the Arts, 321 Arsenal Street, Watertown, MA 02472 c/o exhibitions by March 17, 2018. Non-local artists are responsible for shipping costs both to and from the MCA, unless other arrangements are made, and are responsible for insuring their work while in transit. If shipping work, each artist must provide a pre-paid, UPS or FedEx return shipping label including insurance. Please pack your work in sturdy reusable packaging. The Mosesian Center for the Arts carries appropriate insurance to cover all artwork in the show for the duration of the exhibition, including the time frame of drop-off, installation, de-installation and pick-up.
$10 per submission. Limit 10 submissions per artist. Artwork must be submitted online at: http://mca-pleasetouchtheart.artcall.org
Artists receive 60% commission and The Mosesian Center for the Arts receives 40% for art sold during the exhibition. The Artist reserves all copyrights and reproduction rights on the artwork in the exhibition. The Mosesian Center for the Arts may duplicate and reproduce images of work for purposes of public relations and exhibition announcements directly related to the exhibition.
Georgina Kleege teaches creative writing and disability studies at the University of California, Berkeley. Her recent books include: Sight Unseen (1999) and Blind Rage: Letters to Helen Keller (2006). Kleege’s latest book, More than Meets the Eye: What Blindness Brings to Art, (2018) is concerned with blindness and visual art: how blindness is represented in art, how blindness affects the lives of visual artists, how museums can make visual art accessible to people who are blind and visually impaired. She has lectured and served as consultant to art institutions around the world.
Learn more:
“Haptic Encounters” at the Contemporary Jewish Museum, San Francisco: https://folktales.thecjm.org/haptic-encounters
PBS Brief But Spectacular: https://www.pbs.org/newshour/brief/221004/georgina-kleege
Mass Humanities conducts and supports programs that use history, literature, philosophy, and the other humanities disciplines to enhance and improve civic life in Massachusetts. Massachusetts Foundation for Humanities and Public Policy, now simply known as Mass Humanities, was established in 1974 as the state-based affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH), and is an independent programming and grant-making organization that receives support from the NEH and the Massachusetts Cultural Council as well as private sources.
Learn more: http://www.masshumanities.org
Located in just six miles from Downtown Boston, The Dorothy and Charles Mosesian Center for the Arts is a vibrant multi-disciplinary community arts venue located in Watertown, Massachusetts. This 30,000 sq. ft. former US Army arsenal is home to the 380-seat Main Stage Theater, a 100-seat Black Box theater, Exhibition Galleries, two Rehearsal Halls, Education Classrooms, and Resident Artist Studios. Offerings include visual and performing arts productions, classes, and workshops for all ages, literary/art discussions, and world-class theatrical and musical performances. The Center is home to the award-winning WCT - Watertown Children’s Theatre as well as New Repertory Theatre, Professional Theatre Company in residence. The Mosesian Center for the Arts is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization.
Learn more: www.mosesianarts.org
