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Hands
on art
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| 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..
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| by
M. CARLA GLOTIER |
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Apr.
17th, 2002
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THE SURVIVOR'S 
