FORT WAYNE, Ind. — University of Saint Francis students create art with the visually impaired through a service-learning partnership with the League for the Blind and Disabled, Inc.
The University of Saint Francis School of Creative Arts will host “Sensing Beauty: A Multi-Sensory Art Experience,” with an opening reception on Wednesday, April 11 from 5 to 7 p.m. in the Lupke Gallery.
This exhibition is a service-learning partnership between the League for the Blind and Disabled, Inc. and SOCA Communication and Photography students. This student-led art exhibition will challenge the viewer’s perception of beauty and art. Students interviewed League consumers—people living without sight—asking “What does beauty mean to you?” The resulting stories were turned into a photography art exhibit that encourages viewers to experience beauty with all of their senses. There will be works to see, hear, smell, taste and touch—a fully-accessible gallery experience.
The gallery includes a 3-D printed photograph from 3DPhotoWorks in New York. 3DPhotoWorks delivers tactile fine art printing to the blind and sight impaired. Along with student work, the gallery will also feature photographs from local professional photographers Karen Thompson, Jeffrey Crane and Theresa Thompson.
Listen Technologies will be installing special “assisted listening” devices as a pilot for using these new accessibility devices in a museum setting. Listen Technologies creates solutions that overcome the challenges of noise, distance, clashing conversations, and hearing loss to deliver precise and personalized audio in any setting or environment.
The exhibit runs through May 12. It is free and open to the public. The Lupke Gallery hours are Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. The Lupke Gallery is located at 2702 Spring Street.
For more information about exhibits and events, visit art.sf.edu or call 260.399.8064.
The University of Saint Francis is fully accredited by the National Association of Schools of Art and Design (NASAD).
Founded in 1890 in the Catholic Franciscan tradition, the University of Saint Francis offers more than 70 undergraduate, graduate and doctoral programs through the School of Health Sciences, School of Liberal Arts and Sciences, Keith Busse School of Business and Entrepreneurial Leadership and School of Creative Arts. In addition to its traditional programs, USF designs focused curricula for working adults in Fort Wayne, Crown Point and online. In 2016, the University of Saint Francis expanded its presence to downtown Fort Wayne. USF Downtown houses the university’s business and music technology programs while offering enhanced internship and networking opportunities for students. The University of Saint Francis campus experience includes 16 athletic programs boasting two individual and four team NAIA national championships, and is recognized as an NAIA Five-Star Champion of Character institution. Approximately 2,300 students from a broad geographic region attend USF.