TCC gallery challenges norms with art exhibition that engages all 5 senses

The Thomas K. McKeon Center for Creativity at Tulsa Community College is challenging gallery norms with its art exhibition titled 'Please Touch the Art.' It was designed by artists that are blind or visually impaired. The artwork engages all five senses: sight, smell, taste, touch, and hearing.

Please Touch the Art

From crocheted shrimp cooking up rice in a skillet, to an interactive exhibit with a sample of different flavors of jelly beans, 'Please Touch the Art' invites visitors to explore and interact with art in new ways.

“Art is most powerful when it invites us in, not when it keeps us at arm’s length," said Annina Collier, Dean of the Center for Creativity. "Please Touch the Art breaks down barriers and opens doors for everyone to connect with creativity, no matter how they experience the world."

Featured Artists

The three featured artists in the exhibition are blind or visually impaired. Michael Naranjo is from New Mexico and has sculpture is on display. He was blinded and lost the use of his right hand after being injured by a grenade in Vietnam. Naranjo began sculpting while recovering in a military hospital.

The other two are Lily Dickson, a legally blind artist and recent graduate of the Kansas City Art Institute and Jeanetta Price, a spoken word poet and blindness advocate from Texas.

TCC also partnered with the Center for Individuals with Physical Challenges to get submissions from local artists, including Susan Shaefer. She was diagnosed at 28 years old with retinitis pigmentosa, which causes progressive loss of vision. "It started at the back for me and then came around the peripheral, went into the center, and now I have about a pinpoint of vision," Susan added.

Susan's Journey to Clay Building

When Susan started to lose her eyesight, she thought her days of creating art were over. "I started thinking, well, if I cannot do visual arts, what can I do? I thought, I will write," she continued laughing, "I showed it to my sister and she said, Susan, I hate to tell you this, but I do not think you are much of a writer."

One day in 1994 while at the Center for Individuals with Physical Challenges for support group, Susan discovered the center also had art classes. "The center was just a lifesaver," she said. "I took every workshop they ever had." Her favorite though was slab rolling which is where the artist uses a roller to press and flatten clay into a uniform sheet.

"I see with my hands, they are my tools," Susan continued, "When I cannot see what I am doing, I have to feel it."

The Shaefer's Half House

The piece Susan submitted to the 'Please Touch the Art' exhibition is titled Half House and was a collaboration with her husband Ralph Shaefer. She did all the clay building and design, while he painted it.

The Half House was inspired by homes that Susan saw while in Michigan visiting her daughter. "She said, I want you to see these houses this man built, and he built what they called the half house."

The homes had a rounded rooftop and rectangular sides with large stones leading up to the doorway. Susan also crafted a small outdoor patio with the clay. Every texture can be touch and felt, creating an experience much like how Susan explores the world around her every day. "I am very happy that they have this kind of art show for people. I love that my grandchildren can come in and feel the art and it is all right, it is fun," Susan continued, "That is what I want to do when I am feeling around. I want people to say it is okay, you are blind, you can feel it, go ahead."

Plan a Visit

'Please Touch the Art' will be on display at the McKeon Center for Creativity through October 31.

The gallery is open Monday through Saturday. To schedule a visit contact Cindy Pederson at cindy.pederson@tulsacc.edu or (918)-595-7339.