The BlindArt Collection will be housed at the Moorfields Eye Hospital in London from October 2012. Moorfields was founded in 1804 and is the oldest and one of the largest centres for ophthalmic treatment, teaching and research in the world. BlindArt continues its pioneering work through its collaboration with Moorfields Arts Project to inspire the visually impaired community and dispel the notion that sight is essential to creating or enjoying exceptional art.The unveiling of the Collection is on 11th October 2012 to celebrate World Sight Day. Sheri Khayami, founder of BlindArt says of the donation: “ We are delighted to collaborate with Moorfields Arts Project to continue BlindArt’s quest to inspire the visually impaired community through art. BlindArt will use this opportunity to promote accessible art throughout eye hospitals worldwide”
The BlindArt Permanent Collection showcases exceptional work by artists, both visually impaired and sighted, and encourages a re-evaluation of what constitutes visual art. BlindArt Permanent Collection breaks through traditional hierarchies & barriers in the arts by actively encouraging all works to be experienced through touch. The Collection challenges the notion that sight is essential for creating and enjoying exceptional art. The BlindArt Permanent Collection is the world’s first permanent showcase of visual art accessible to visually impaired people, and includes paintings, sculpture, installations and other works of art.
Doctor Mariya Moosajee, a lecturer at Moorfields, spear-headed the arts programme said: “The Moorfields Arts Project was launched last year to introduce the positive benefits of art in the healthcare environment. Part of this initiative was to ensure that the visually impaired and blind could appreciate high quality artwork. BlindArt hold the same doctrine, to dispel the notion that sight is essential to creating or enjoying exceptional art. We are so pleased to be housing the BlindArt permanent collection, with around 500,000 patient attendances each year, we are sure the tactile collection will get maximum exposure and be enjoyed by patients, visitors and staff alike.”
The BlindArt Permanent Collection is the world’s first permanent showcase of visual art accessible to visually impaired people and includes paintings, sculpture, installations and other works of art. The Collection provides a platform for the works of both visually impaired and sighted artists showcasing exceptional works that appeal to a multitude of senses; questioning the nature of artistic perception and whether visual ability is essential for artistic excellence and aesthetic appreciation. BlindArt has been exhibited at:
Royal College of Art, London, 2005; Bankside Gallery, London, 2006; New York Public Library, NYC, 2006; Affordable Art Fair, London, 2006; The Richard Attenborough Centre, Leicester, 2007; Menier Gallery, London, 2007; Catmose Gallery, Rutland, 2008; Museum of Modern Art, Wales, 2008; Royal Cornwall Museum, Truro, 2008; Art London, London, 2009; Royal National College for the Blind, 2009; Hove Museum & Art Gallery, 2010; Banbury Museum, 2011.
Artists Donations to BlindArt Permanent Collection, the following works were kindly donated by the artists to the BlindArt Permanent Collection:
Palpation, Sarah Barber; Mirror, Frances Aviva Blane; Just Looking, Joanna Brendon; Reclining Figure, Peter Clossick; Musical Hirst, Alexandra Conil-Lacoste; Symphonie des Parfums, Alexandra Conil-Lacoste; Chromosphere, Jenny Cordy; Lolly Gobble Choc Bomb, Stephen Farley; Elvis (What do you want me to do?), Nigel Foster; The Laughing Record, Nicola Green; The Lost Reels, Matthew Humphreys; Spinning Out of Control, Jolanta Jagiello; Barnacles, Natasha Lewer; Blood Cells, Natasha Lewer; Lifeline, Linda Lieberman; Self Portrait with Moon, Norman Long; Head, Liz Munro & Nuala Watt; Pulse, Hemanti Patel; Braille Rail, Maggie Rose; Untitled, Image No 8, Keith Salmon; Aspen Tree Yorkshire, Gary Sargeant; Men as Trees Walking, Gary Sargeant, Threadbare, Pnina Shinebourne; Anemone, Dr Kate Wells; Large Bowl of Strange Fruits, Jon Williams; Untitled, Toko Yamamoto; S1&hted, Fiona Zobole.