Allied Arts

On Saturday night, I attended IAO’s Out of Sight exhibit opening reception. The premise of the exhibit was beyond cool – all of the art work needed to be bold and/or tactical, as to allow visually impaired people the chance to experience the different pieces.

IAO partnered with the Oklahoma League for the Blind to ensure the exhibit was appropriate and sensitive to the needs of visually impaired people. For example, each art work’s write-up (you know, the little explanation they put beside the art) was accessible through three senses – touch (Braille), sight (text) and sound (a cell phone tour).

I have to say that I got a little emotional during the event. In the short time I was there, I saw several visually impaired people experiencing the art, primarily through touch. I thought – how cool that they can come in here and touch anything and everything, something that is usually so taboo in art spaces? And that got me thinking…without exhibits like this, visually impaired people are limited to only certain art forms. I was so thankful to Jeff Stokes (IAO director) and his crew for helping to make art accessible to all.

Check out my photos below.


A shot of some of the gallery space.
All the art work is black and white to ensure the most contrast possible for easier viewing for those with low vision.


I thought this piece was cool.
Every bit of it was drawn with words from a Grateful Dead song.


And here’s a pic of me sitting on the “Throned” piece of art work. It is a refurbished rocking chair with Braille on the arms and head phones (a well-rounded arts experience).

Check out www.iaogallery.org for more information. The Out of Sight exhibit will be up through Friday, November 6^th and it’s free!