MK Gallery receives funding from the Community Foundation to extend work with blind and visually impaired audiences
MK Gallery is thrilled to have been awarded funding from the Milton Keynes Community Foundation to support a new programme of activities including exhibition tours, and equipment that will enhance the experience of visitors with sight loss.
Commencing in Spring 2024 MK Gallery will work with visually impaired students from St Paul’s Catholic School – who have a leading Visual Impairment (VI) department and specialist teachers – along with MK Gallery Associate Artist Julia Collar to develop and deliver new sensory exhibition tours. Julia currently leads the Gallery’s award-winning programme of Sensory Tours and will work with the children and young people from St Paul’s to bring their experiences and voices to the forefront.
Lucie Gray, Head of St Paul’s VI department commented about the news:
“We are thrilled to be working with MK Gallery’s Inclusive Practice in the Arts team and with Julia Collar. The students in the VI Department are so excited to have this amazing opportunity to be involved in a sensory art project in their community. They are hoping that the exhibition will encourage those with vision impairment to get more involved.”
The funding will also extend and enhance MK Gallery’s existing accessible tour programme – increasing the number of artist-led audio-described tours per exhibition and introducing new portable gallery seating and tactile image printing. Opening in June 2024 the MK Calling exhibition will also trial new audio labels, accessible via the Bloomberg Connects app.
Mike Pearson, MK Gallery volunteer and campaigner for improving accessibility in the arts for people with sight loss, said about the award:
“This funding by Milton Keynes Community Foundation will open a pathway for visually impaired people of all ages to actively participate and engage with the Gallery, extending their programme of Inclusivity in the Arts. I hope that, going forward, many more galleries will include artworks that actively invite touch and offer audio description to enrich the visitor experience.”
MK Gallery is one of the most accessible venues in Milton Keynes and is committed to making its spaces and diverse programme of exhibitions and events relevant and engaging for all members of the local community. This new area of work will bring new visitors to the Gallery and inspire a younger generation to connect with the arts in meaningful and multi-sensory ways.
Find upcoming dates for MK Gallery’s Audio Described and Sensory exhibition tours here.
