“Sight Unseen: Touchable Sculpture” Tuesday, December 7, 2015 – Sunday, April 17, 2016 at The Albin Polasek Museum & Sculpture Gardens in Winter Park Florida.
DO TOUCH the ART. The Albin Polasek Museum & Sculpture Gardens presents its new exhibition, “Sight Unseen: Touchable Sculpture,” running December 8, 2015 – April 17, 2016.
The museum encourages visitors to touch the art and experience the exhibit through its innovative sensory station—complete with blindfolds, a tactical way-finding system, and braille labels. Designed with the assistance of the VSA of Florida: The State Organization on Arts and Disability, the exhibit makes art universally accessible.
“Sight Unseen” presents 40 of the most innovative and exciting modern sculptors in an exhibit that demands a heightened sensory awareness. With an exhibit this immersive, visitors will forget what they know about museums and come to their senses.
Check out some of the fascinating sculptures on FaceBook:
https://www.facebook.com/PolasekMuseum
Here is a detail of my wall entry “City of Orlando:”
“Con Edison Concert” is an interactive sculpture which I created just for this exhibition. Here it is in the Museum setting:
Con Edison Concert
A paper casting of a partial Con Edison Manhole Cover had been in my studios for several decades just waiting for its entry into the Art World. It would be called: “Con Edison Concert,” based on city street noises. The Polasek Museum’s call for Touchable Sculpture motivated me to develop the work.
"Con Edison Concert" (top)
As a former Elementary School Teacher and later a Title One Tutor, I knew the appeal of hands on experiences to “Kids of all Ages.” The New York Metropolitan Area abounds in Con Ed Covers, an immediate symbol of omnipresent electricity. The focus of “Con Edison Concert” became the Appreciation of Electricity through the fun experience of touching the buttons, hearing, and feeling the various components incorporated along the sides. These include: a musical doorbell, an LED light, switches, an outlet and three play back recordings of electricity trivia. It was a real challenge to reinforce the elements set into a foam base, so they could not be pushed through the back.
"Who is Known for Lighting Up Our World?"
Side One has an LED light to press on and off. Push the button on the right for my question… “Who is known for lighting up our world?”
Side Two pictured in the museum setting above, has a silent switch to press. Nothing happens, but the switch is a reminder of the luxury of turning on electric power. Press the button on the right for a Terry Roderick’s quote related to Con Edison’s 95,000 miles of underground cables.
On the side with the noisy switch and outlet: Press the button to hear four seconds of a furious hurricane. Al Mastrangelo says: “Hurricanes Cause Power Outages!”
One has to have the patience of a saint to be married to a “Manhole Artist!” So while I worked on this project, I called my husband: “Saint Alfred.” He helped me select and order the various side components. Al’s brilliant suggestion was to incorporate my antique stone texture instead of a stucco finish.
Blog Viewers, if you are able to attend this fascinating exhibition, I hope you have as much fun experiencing “Con Edison Concert” as I did in creating it. Please share your comments on this blog.
“Sight Unseen: Touchable Sculpture”
Tues., Dec. 7, 2015 – Sunday: April 17, 2016
Albin Polasek Museum & Sculpture Gardens:
633 Osceola Avenue,
Winter Park FL 32789
Open Tuesday through Saturday 10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.
Sunday 1:00 – 4:00 p.m.
Admission fees adults (18-59) $5
Seniors (60+) $4
Students (age 12 through college) $3;
Members and children age 12 and under free.
For more information: call 407-647-6294
Visit the website at www.polasek.org.