Research Assignment

            My curiosity and possible research topic combines disability studies, as well as the arts, in order to explore how blind and sighted museum visitors and students use different methods to experience the same art exhibitions. After attending the National Federation of the Blind convention for almost 10 years, I have gained a greater appreciation of the power of the arts, how blind students can benefit from the visual and performing arts, and most significantly, how their critical thinking skills and troubleshooting capabilities can vastly increase. After my time at the convention, I watched a documentary film concerning several blind art teachers in different schools for the blind and how their curriculum for blind students greatly impacted their entire experience at the school. I am most interested in acquiring further knowledge pertaining to how a sensory deficit might alter the perception blind persons encounter while exploring the arts, but with the power of neuroplasticity, the lack of sight can still allow for the disability community to take in complex art topics through tactile and/or audio and visual means

These three articles as a whole provide the framework for my initial foray into my research topic and queries. Simultaneously, they delve into the learning methodologies and underpinnings of the visual arts, and though blind individuals perceive art through their other senses, they can experience and express complex concepts to the sighted community including depth, space, and spatial awareness.

Stokas, A. G. (2016). Letting all lives speak: Inequality in art education and Baumgarten’s Felix Aestheticus. Studies in Art Education, 57(2), 139–148. https://doi.org/10.1080/00393541.2016.1133194 

This research examines several previous studies and theories from Merleau-Ponty and Baumgarten regarding the Felix Aestheticus and the how combining the bodily and spiritual perceptions of the arts can pave the way for all students to further enhance their critical thinking abilities when they are exposed to the arts. The research question posed at the outset was: How are students in minority groups adversely affected by not receiving art instruction, and how do the theories align with this concept? The research questions in this article are rather broad in scope, but most significantly, it is different than other traditional studies, since no specific study was conducted. Instead, the research solely focuses on prior research. However, the conclusion is still effective in answering the queries.

Sweeney, E. (2009). Walking with Janet Cardiff, Sitting with Massimo Guerrera, and Eating Apples with R. Murray Schafer: Meaningful Museum Experiences with Participatory Art for Visitors with and without Visual Impairments. The Journal of Museum Education, 34(3), 235–248. http://www.jstor.org/stable/25701628.

“When it comes to visitors who are blind or partially sighted, many art galleries are left scrambling to find ways to provide quality programming and access to their all too often “untouchable” art collections. “ (Sweeney, 2009, p 234)

This study describes how blind and sighted visitors experienced several programs while visiting the National Gallery of Canada. This was a qualitative study involving the concept of participatory art, and the author’s main research question was: How do several Art programs at The National Gallery of Canada promote the complex aesthetics of art for blind and sighted visitors? Blind and sighted visitors were asked to listen to a descriptive audio walk through a gallery where audio cues were key, and finally, blind and sighted visitors experienced a tactile exhibit that also offered immersion in other senses—smell and taste. The entire study, along with Sweeney’s research question, and methods used were concise and accurate, and the results proved effective regarding how a multisensory approach to exhibitions proves beneficial for all visitors. Pushing the challenge of embracing the blind experience sighted participants were required to wear blindfolds to experience similar outcomes as blind visitors.

Carpio, C, Amérigo, M. and Durán, M. (2016) Study of an inclusive intervention programme in pictorial perception with blind and sighted students, European Journal of Special Needs Education. Routledge. https://eric.ed.gov/?id=EJ1154361 (Accessed: January 20, 2023).

This article follows blind and sighted students from a school in Spain and details how implementing an accessible art program is beneficial for both groups. The study is based upon qualitative and quantitative research with a pretest and posttest, equal engagement and explanations of three paintings to both groups. The only difference for the blind students was they received tactile images, rather than a visual image; all of the students also listened to a soundtrack that mimicked the time period of each piece. I think the entire outcome of the study including the research questions and methods used were an effective means to obtain the information that the researchers were seeking. Their questions were well-developed, and they required further knowledge of this topic. The results demonstrated what transpires when blind and sighted students alike are given the opportunity to experience works of art in a unique, multisensory approach.

Final Research Question: What are the means (technologies, sensory experiences, etc., that the blind community can experience the arts? How are these methods similar to the able-bodied community, and how does Art Education empower all human beings as a whole? For this research project I will combine current research studies (qualitative research and action research), along with interviewing blind and sighted museum visitors and students to push the envelope for the creative expression that the arts provide. Also, I will re-watch the documentary regarding several blind art teachers and their experiences teaching art to blind students. Finally I will delve into how their teaching embodies the power of critical thinking and creativity and the plethora of artwork developed by the students.

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