Audio described tour of The Value of Touch at the Guildhall Museum, Rochester.
We’re taking part in Disabled Access Day 2017!
Date: Friday 10 March 2017
Time: 10:30am – 12:30pm
Where: Guildhall Museum, 17 High Street, Rochester, Kent ME1 1PY
Ticket price: Free, booking essential
The Value of Touch is an art exhibition created by blind and partially-sighted members of the Kent Association for the Blind Medway Art Group. The exhibition includes a new series of touchable artworks by artist Wendy Daws. Continue reading →
You are warmly welcome to attend the Sensing Culture! Meet the Artists drop-in morning
on Saturday 3 December from 10.30 to 1 in the Beaney Front Room gallery
This is the opening morning of Sensing Culture! The Mark of the Maker, a stunning exhibition by people with sight loss, created in workshops at the Beaney and Cathedral, responding to the stimulus of the buildings and collections with work in 3D and textiles The exhibition continues daily until Sunday 29 January 2017 (please note seasonal opening times).
No need to RSVP, just turn up – we look forward to welcoming you!
Delight in the Value of Touch at the Guildhall Museum from November 18th 2016.
Come and enjoy an innovative new museum experience at the Guildhall Museum. Entitled the Value of Touch and conceived by artist Wendy Daws, this extraordinary exhibition showcases art created by blind and partially sighted members of the Kent Association for the Blind Medway Art Group who have been inspired by the museum objects exhibited as part of the ‘Weird and Wonderful’ exhibition. This eclectic and challenging body of work will question the viewer’s assumption that sight is a prerequisite for making great art.
The Value of Touch unveils a brand new series of tactile plaques in the museum’s entrance area. Daws has created each plaque as touchable interpretations of the artworks. To accompany the exhibition there will also be a programme of audio described tours.
The artworks were created over a sixteen week period through a series of museum based object handling and creative workshops leading into a studio residency at Sun Pier House in Chatham. This has given the participants an invaluable opportunity to share their creativity with the public.
Artist, Helen says “I’m so grateful for the art group and being able to enjoy art and create again. I have Diabetic Retinopathy and with my sight loss I thought that door was closed to me, but it’s opened again. It’s been wonderful to be in the museum and get up close to the objects. We’ve been really lucky and I hope visitors enjoy our exhibition.”
KAB Chief Executive, Eithne Rynne says “We are really excited about this exhibition; once again the Medway Art Group have produced incredible pieces of work showing great skill and talent. Wendy is a longstanding KAB volunteer and we are so grateful to her for continuing to lead this group with such enthusiasm and passion.”
Heritage Development Officer, Karen McKenzie says “It has been a pleasure working with Wendy this summer. As well as the KAB art group sessions, her family workshops have been hugely successful with hundreds of young people and their families enjoying hands-on crafts in the beautiful surroundings of the Guildhall Museum’s Main Chamber”.
This project was made possible with funding support from Arts Council England, Kent Association for the Blind, NKLA Arts Partnership and Medway Council.
The Value of Touch and Weird and Wonderful exhibition opens:
19th November – 16th April 2017
Guildhall Museum, High Street, Rochester Kent ME1 1PY
Entry to the museum is free.
Open 10am – 5pm Tuesdays to Sundays.
Norman examining a brass Lantern Clock by Marlow of Cranbrook, made late 17th CenturyMembers of the art group at the Guildhall Museum with a selection of museum objectsCathy preparing her deconstructed Post Box with ‘size’ for gildingJoanna adding finishing touches to her painting inspired by the prison Hulks
Look out for Wendy Daws’ solo exhibition ‘Enbosu’ at the Rochester Art Gallery which opens in March 2017. Exploring notions of texture and tactility through the medium of Japanese woodblock and other mixed media, this exhibition is a sensory celebration of the power of art to engage an audience no matter what the viewers physical ability.
To request an invite to the Private View on Friday 18th November 4pm – 6pm please contact Wendy Daws directly mail@wendydaws.co.ukor tel: 07989 264768.
Vocal Eyes is a registered charity working across the nation. Their mission is to work with blind and partially sighted people to enhance engagement with the arts trough audio-description. www.vocaleyes.co.uk
Download our press release written by Annie Lucasannielucas.com
We are delighted, that’s an understatement, to shout that Wendy has been successful in her funding bid to Arts Council England to launch ‘The Value of Touch’ a collaboration with the Guildhall Museum, Rochester and our blind and partially sighted art group. For more information our press release is here … Continue reading →
After much hard work, creative revelations by the art group and rehearsals for the RiverVoice Community Choir, the performance day finally arrived. On the 14th May 2016 at St George’s Church Gravesend, the RiverVoice Choir premièred ‘Remnants of a Name’ by Tania Holland Williams to a captivated audience and accompanied by the colourful back drop of wonderful new art created by the blind and partially sighted artists from the Kent Association for the Blind Gravesend Art Group. Continue reading →
Sensing Culture – textile and mixed media workshops for adults with sight loss at the Beaney House of Art & Knowledge and Canterbury Cathedral. If you enjoy heritage and would like to learn new skills inspired by collections at the Beaney and Canterbury Cathedral sign up for free artist-led workshops to find out more. Continue reading →
Hello! We’ve been rather quiet here lately at the KAB Medway Art HQ, after winning our Epic Award last year and our successful exhibition at the Royal Engineers Museum we’ve taken some time out to help the KAB Gravesend Art Group establish themselves. However, we’ve been busy planning for an exciting new project with the Guildhall Museum and we have kept in touch with our friends. One such talented friend is photographer Rikard Österlund. Rikard recently met us at the Sun Pier House Gallery to tell us about his exhibition ‘Self Portraits & Other Scenes’. Continue reading →
On Saturday 14th May 4-6pm we welcomed all to enjoy and share in our celebration of the striking and colourful artworks created by members of the Kent Association for the Blind Gravesend Art Group accompanied by the RiverVoice Community Choir. Continue reading →
Sensing Culture – textile and mixed media workshops for adults with sight loss at the Beaney House of Art & Knowledge and Canterbury Cathedral. If you enjoy heritage and would like to learn new skills inspired by collections at the Beaney and Canterbury Cathedral sign up for our free artist-led taster sessions to find out more! Continue reading →
Free family arts activities Saturday 7th May 10am – 1pm at St George’s Church Gravesend, we are taking part in Voluntary Arts Week 6-15th May and all are welcome to join our blind and partially sighted art group as we continue to explore St George’s Church. Continue reading →
Kent Association for the Blind Art Groups 