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Week Fourteen: SYMBIOSIS Exhibition
We will spend our time and energy this week installing the exhibition and preparing for the opening reception on Thursday, April 28, from 4-7 PM. Exciting!
In class, course evaluations and Works-in-Progress conversations.
So as I was writing this, I actually saw that Sarah had already gone through and done a much better job listing them out. Most of my commentary is building off of others, so most of the bulk of my post is in comments today.
In our promotional materials, I want to make sure that we're checking everything for technological accessibility. PDFs tend to be one of the more universal formats from what I understand, and I know people we can check this with.
While thinking about accessibility and engagement, the first question that comes to mind is “Who are our audience?” By that, I’m asking, are we presenting to just students and faculty in the bi-co? Artists and their families from CCW? People from the community near Haverford? Do we have a priority for any particular audience? How can we accommodate for people who are deaf, or blind, or people who can’t read/who don’t speak English? People who are unavailable at the time of the exhibition? People who feel uncomfortable around large crowds? Also, how about people who are wheelchair users or are very short?
My idea about making the exhibition more accessible relates to how to make it accessible to those who are not able to attend the event. I am assuming there are going to be many pictures taken, and, along with those, I am planning to write an article about the exhibition (and the overall partnership with CCW) for Haverford's newspaper, The Clerk. I am not sure what form this article should take (i.e., straight news, or more of a narrative format), but I am open to suggestions! I am going to try to gather as many quotes from the participants as I can during the next time we meet with CCW and at the exhibit itself. If it is ok with them and with the makers of the catalog, I might incorporate some of the "artist statements" into the article.
One thing I really loved from A Fierce Kind of Love was the "Know Before You Go" guides - especially the social narratives they provided for both the play and the venue. I also found the Smithsonian's social guides and they are so helpful as well: http://www.si.edu/Accessibility/NMAH-Social-Stories