Visualizing Accessibility
“If you form the habit of taking what someone else says about a thing without checking it out for yourself, you’ll find that other people will have you hating your friends and loving your enemies.”
-Malcolm X, 1964
I found this quote within the text of the Malcolm X Lives (1990) poster on display within the Power in Print exhibit at The Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture in Harlem. While Malcolm X may not have said this as a reference to the art viewing experience, I don’t think any quote could be any more representative of the themes of the day.
As an exercise at the Brooklyn Museum, our seminar group was instructed to view artwork within the exhibit Infinite Blue while ignoring all accompanying wall text. This enabled a viewing experience independent of the notions offered by the museum via labels and other wall text. This shift in control from the museum to the viewer enabled our visiting group to interpret the meaning and value of the exhibit and its works, which typically are museum roles.
We then came together to discuss our perceptions of the exhibit. This discussion led to a tough question regarding accessibility:
How should the Brooklyn Museum, or any museum for that matter, enable visitors with visual impairments to experience color in a color-centered exhibit?
This question led to some exciting ideas regarding museum accessibility. EnChroma glasses were suggested which, when worn, enable a wearer who is colorblind to experience colors which otherwise remain unseen. And with emotion so tied to the experience of a color, particularly the calming or depressing feelings often associated with the color blue, poetry and songs were suggested as a means to convey the blue colors present within these works.
Importantly, these methods may support the independent ability of all visitors to form their own conclusions about art.
References
Bliss Corporation. (2009, September 2). Eiffel 65 — Blue (Da Ba Dee) [Gabry Ponte Ice Pop Mix] (Original Video with subtitles) — YouTube. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=68ugkg9RePc
Malcolm X Lives [Poster]. 1990. Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, New York City, NY.
