The fourth annual "Touch the Art" exhibition has opened in East Austin, featuring over 80 artists and fully interactive, multisensory installations. Created in collaboration with the Texas School for the Blind and Visually Impaired, the show is designed to be fully accessible, with wheelchair access, Braille wall text, and NFC audio tags that allow visitors to hear artists describe their work. The exhibition runs from May 9 through July 5 at the expanded Canopy space.
This exhibition matters because it reimagines the traditional art-viewing experience by centering accessibility and inclusivity, challenging the norm of "look but don't touch" in galleries. By involving students from the Texas School for the Blind and Visually Impaired as collaborators and mentors, the project not only makes art physically accessible but also fosters a mentorship model that benefits both professional artists and students. It demonstrates how community-driven, nonprofit initiatives can expand the definition of who art is for and how it can be experienced.