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Hands on art
by
M. Carla Glotier
—
last modified
2008-06-20 15:10
When we enter an art museum we take our sight for granted. Now thanks to two revolutionary museums in Ancona and Bologna the visually impaired and blind are no longer excluded from the world of art .
Imagine a museum with Venus de Milo, Winged Victory and hundreds of other famous sculptures and monuments. Imagine you could - or even had to - touch all the statues with your own hands. Stop imagining and go to the Omero Museum in Ancona, which was set up jointly by Ancona City Council and the Italian Union of the Blind is a unique learning experience for all those who visit. You can take a guided tour of the museum or use the Walk Assistant - an assisted listening device - and explore the magnificent plaster cast models at your own pace. You can choose from three recommended touch tours: "Let the Material Talk"; "Portraits and Self-portraits" and "Classical Art".The museum houses models of a wide variety of masterpieces including a life-sized bust of Michelangelo's David, details from Giotto's bell tower in Florence and Rondanini's Pietà. Plus there is a space dedicated to contemporary sculpture complete with copies of works by Trubbiani, Mannucci and Umberto Mastroianni and scaled-down models of Saint Peter's Basilica and the Pantheon in Rome and Saint Ciriaco's Cathedral and the Mole Vanvitelliana in Ancona itself.
Those of you living in or visiting Bologna may enjoy a visit to the Cavazza Museum, in Via Castiglione 71. The museum is open on Friday from 9.00 to 17.00 and Saturday from 9.00 to 13.00 (but is closed on holidays) on booking only. (Phone +39-051-332090 for information.)
Plans are also underway in Pistoia to open a museum in San Desiderio's Church for the visually impaired. The museum will house models of all Pistoia's major works of art which visitors will be able to take apart for a more 'hands-on' approach to art appreciation. The museum is scheduled to open this year..