Art is one of the most defining characteristics of humanity. Art reflects and influences our culture and can be a joy and beauty to behold. However, this is only the case for those with full vision. Anyone with impaired vision is at a disadvantage and cannot fully appreciate the visual arts.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there are 3.22 million people with a vision impairment, and “By 2050, the number of these conditions are projected to double.” And that’s just in the United States.
This is a significant portion of people who are unable to take part in the visual arts, but luckily, museums and other institutions that showcase visual arts are working on solutions.
The simplest is one that has been in effect at many museums: audio descriptions. These range from a Walkmanesque device one can pick up at the start of a museum experience or, more commonly, an app that can be downloaded.
But the Smithsonian Institution is taking the technology to the next level. This comes as little surprise as the Smithsonian Institution has always promoted free access to knowledge, and their museums and zoo charge no admission.
However, in a news release released in 2019, the Smithsonian Institution announced that “visitors who are blind or have low vision can access a groundbreaking technology that uses their smartphone cameras or special glasses to get free on-demand verbal descriptions of everything from individual objects to entire exhibitions.”
The program, known as Aira, connects visitors to live sighted agents who help guide visitors through the museum, creating personalized experiences.
Beth Ziebarth, the director of Access Smithsonian, said in that 2019 news release that this technology helps the visually impaired not only to “engage with the museum but also increase their mobility and independence.”
A more unique way that some museums are making art more accessible is through tactile versions.
While most museums are vehement about enforcing “don’t touch the art” policies, the Uffizi Gallery encourages it. According to My Modern Met, this gallery, located in Florence, Italy, has a three-dimensional rendering of Sandro Botticelli’s iconic “The Birth of Venus.”
In a world where social media and news feeds can be programmed to fit one’s own interests, it can be hard to learn about ideas going on in circles beyond one’s own. This story marks the first of The Johnsonian’s Arts, Culture & Tech section’s new series, “Did You Know?” We will explore stories that may not get the most recognition but are still significant to the fields of art, culture and technology. Who knows? You may learn something that applies to you.
