Pinnacles Gallery
Artwork engaging all the senses
Introduction
They were not the usual gallery crowd, wandering sedately through
the space, talking in quiet, reverent tones about artworks viewed from
a distance. This crowd talked loudly, yelled even, and became increasingly
excited at the noises they created, the textures, smells and sounds they
encountered, as they engaged with the art.
Jacquelyn Murphy, Gallery Messenger, No. 13, November 2002 (reviewing
Grapple 2002)
Pinnacles Gallery is a regional gallery in Thuringowa, north Queensland,
which demonstrates a commitment to developing exhibitions with and for
the disability community. It has developed a long-term relationship with
the disability community in the Townsville region through exhibitions,
residencies and community workshops, as well as new approaches to welcoming
and informing gallery visitors.
An important stepping-off point for Pinnacles Gallery was addressing
the challenge that vision impairment presents for an artform predominantly
understood as visual. This has led to exhibitions that encourage interaction
through touch, taste, hearing and smell as well as vision — an approach
which extends the experience of all gallery visitors.
Approaches to exhibitions with the disability community
In order to draw people with disabilities into the gallery and highlight
the work of artists with a disability, Pinnacles Gallery has concentrated
on working with communities through exhibitions. Its approaches to these
exhibitions have included initiating projects, responding to community
interest and developing partnerships with local organisations.
In 1998 Allison Gray, Pinnacles Gallery Exhibition Officer, made an
initial connection between the gallery and the disability community when
she facilitated Grapple ’98. Lyn Tyson, a local artist
with vision impairment who has an ongoing involvement with Pinnacles Gallery
as an artist, played a key role in the project.
Grapple ’98 involved people with vision impairment and
was based on the principles of inclusive development and community management.
Participants were on the management committee and material for the exhibition
was created in collaborative workshops led by several artists-in-residence
whose work utilises senses other than sight. By all accounts, it was an
extremely popular exhibition as well as a rewarding experience. For Lyn
Tyson, the two vital ingredients for its success as a collaborative and
creative process was time to get to know people and the opportunity to
go beyond a one-off exhibition activity.
I built ongoing meetings into the process as often we get dropped
from projects once the artists or organisation get what they want. The
meetings with participants and local artists let the project evolve naturally
through shared interests and friendships that led to other exhibitions.
Lyn Tyson, artist
In 1999, with the support of local artists Dinie and Marion Gaemers,
the Grapple ’98 group held another successful exhibition
at Pinnacles Gallery, Feastival. The exhibition had a dinner-party theme
and featured creative dinner settings. Artability and Visability were
two further community-based exhibitions which followed Grapple ’98.
Pinnacles explored another approach to working with the disability community
in Grapple 2002. This was a touring exhibition designed to highlight
the sensory dimensions of contemporary art, engage the disability community
as audience and artmakers, and raise awareness of issues for people with
vision impairment. Curator Jacqueline Murphy invited a number of established
contemporary artists to create work exploring sensory engagement and challenging
the idea of the ‘viewer’ as sighted. The tour included workshops
and residencies with the participating artists at each venue.
In Thuringowa, some of the people from the original Grapple were part
of Candace Miles’ Grapple 2002 residency. The result was
a mosaic of ceramic tiles called Interconnections which was displayed
in association with Grapple 2002 and later installed as a public art piece.
Caloundra hosted a residency with Ross Barber, which led to the establishment
of a website to connect local people with disabilities. This prepared
the way for a residency with another artist, Bonnie Jenkins, in the following
year. Caloundra Gallery also exhibited work by local artists with disabilities
alongside Grapple 2002.
Grapple 2002 was also a catalyst for Touch Tour, an exhibition
developed with the Townsville Community Learning Centre (TCLC). Touch
Tour featured selected fabric artworks created by local textile artists
and Special Education teacher Linda Cameron. It was made for and with
children and adults with physical, intellectual, vision or multiple impairments.
The experience of Touch Tour led to further partnerships between Pinnacles
Gallery and the TCLC. In 2003, Linda Cameron played a key role in the
initiation and implementation of The Treasure Within. This exhibition
involved three local artists working with TCLC students to create a variety
of artworks displayed at Pinnacles Gallery in Disability Action Week.
In 2004, Pinnacles Gallery decided that its annual youth exhibition
would specifically involve young people with disabilities. Pinnacles Gallery
staff liaised with Special Education teachers who organised the production
of collaborative artwork from ten local Special Education Units.
Taking visual art beyond the visual
Imagine a room full of artworks engaging all the senses, intoxicating
the visitor with a sensorium of sights, smells, tastes, textures and sounds.
Jacqueline Murphy, former Director, Pinnacles Gallery
The work I did for Grapple ’98 was based around a
sea cave structure with textured insides, shells and a continuous tape
of sea sounds and spoken word based on poems and stories I had written.
I did three mermaids of papier-mâché and fabrics in different
textures like feather boas. The mermaids had no faces — they were
blank as faces aren’t too important. The mermaid created by a sighted
artist had a face.
Lyn Tyson, artist
In Grapple ’98, the artists and workshop participants
created collaborative pieces which explored materials, sensory responses
and the experience of vision itself. For example, Marion Gaemers’
workshop group used natural, found and recycled material to create a series
of woven and beaded screens. Pickled and preserved foods, sheets of braille
script, fruit and leather were the components of the piece made with Liz
Woods.
The eight artists who contributed to Grapple 2002 were selected
because they had already developed a distinct body of work that engaged
senses other than sight.
Inclusive gallery practice
Pinnacles Gallery has always had a community focus and our exhibition
and public program are designed to be varied and inclusive.
Anne Donohue, Education Officer, Pinnacles Gallery
As well as creating new opportunities for people with a disability as
artists and gallery-goers, Pinnacles Gallery has also explored ways of
making the gallery and its exhibits more accessible. Education and public
programs for Grapple 2002 included an audio catalogue, sensory
trail activity and the opportunity to put on goggles to simulate different
types of vision. The media launch featured a performance by a signing
choir whose members use sign language to sing. In Grapple 2002,
all wall texts and labels were presented in large non-serif fonts on non-reflective
paper, and much of the written material, including parts of the catalogue,
were presented in braille. Audio tapes and players and vision-altering
devices were also part of the exhibition touring package. In addition,
the Royal Blind Foundation provided a workshop in each Grapple 2002
venue for gallery staff and the wider community interested in finding
out more about communicating with the vision-impaired.
As a wrap-up to Grapple 2002, Pinnacles Gallery sought community
feedback. A focus group identified the importance of personal liaison
between gallery staff and people with a disability. Suggestions ranged
from activities such as morning teas to being aware of language usage
when describing people with disabilities in promotional material. Lead-time
for community contact and some transport support were also highlighted.
The issue of exhibition layout was a major area of discussion with debate
swinging between a preference for people support — provided by gallery
staff or individual carers — and physical aides such as guide ropes.
As well as exhibitions developed with and for the disability community,
Pinnacles Gallery has looked at ways of making its general exhibition
program more accessible. For example, AUSLAN (Australian Sign Language)
presentations to go with the exhibition program over an 18-month period
were made possible with funding from Disability Services Queensland.
Conclusion
An important aspect of Pinnacles Gallery’s work with the disability
community is the exploration of the non-visual dimensions of the art gallery
experience. It has encouraged the work of artists with vision impairment,
supported artists working with a variety of media and invited audiences
with and without disabilities to ‘see’ with all their senses.
Outcomes include the development of new audiences and community relationships
and a greater awareness of disability issues.
Pinnacles Gallery’s experience with the Grapple exhibitions
demonstrates the value of working inclusively, building ongoing relationships
with the disability community and making room for community feedback.
Lyn Tyson makes the point that people without a disability can’t
unlearn their everyday sense experiences to reach a point of ‘not
knowing’ — and it is the ‘not knowing’ that needs
to inform inclusive creative collaborations and gallery practice. Creating
effective collaborations takes not only time but a willingness to confront
assumptions and learn new ways of doing things.
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