Gallery Oldham - Visually Impaired Collaboration Group

Wednesday 21st March

A group of eleven members of Henshaws visited Gallery Oldham and were accompanied by gallery members and volunteers in order to look at and discuss appropriate items of pottery for display. We were offered a mug of tea or coffee at the beginning of the visit and having enjoyed our drink were told that each mug had in fact been made by an artist. It was generally agreed that to drink out of porcelain was more enjoyable than out a slightly rougher pot.
We worked in pairs and each examined an item together with the assistants of our gallery partner, and then took it in turns to describe our interpretation of that particular item. Members of Henshaws described how it was necessary in the main to be able to look at an item contrasted by either light or dark depending upon the object. Our helpers had been given a description of the artist concerned as well as a definition of the item and we discussed how modern day technology could be employed in the help of displaying and describing the items, for instance the use of a pen pal.
It was a very lively discussion and we all felt that both the gallery and the partially sighted Henshaws visitors had gained a lot of information about the difficulties a gallery might encounter when trying to mount an exhibition of chosen art. We were treated to a most delightful lunch and afterwards all had a lot of fun making a pot out of clay prepared by Glynis.
Our thanks to Dinah and Lisa for taking such trouble to organise this visit and discussion which we hope will enable them to continue to go that extra mile when catering for the visually impaired.