MAAM 2026 Annual Conference

How can "Please Touch" replace "Hands Off"? This session explores The Active Power of Touch, a landmark exhibition at the Peale Museum curated by a blind professional using a nonvisual curatorial process. By centering tactile engagement from the outset—spanning sculpture, textiles, and kinetic art— this exhibition disrupts traditional museum norms to foster deep visitor connection. We will examine the journey from nonvisual artist selection to the practicalities of tactile installation. Attendees will learn how welcoming touch transforms visitor behavior, inspires sighted artists to create multisensory work, and creates a truly inclusive environment where blind and sighted visitors engage as equals.

Session Takeaways:
•Nonvisual Curatorial Frameworks: Strategies for selecting and organizing artwork through both tactile and visual aesthetics.
•Tactile Installation Logistics: Practical methods for securing works in clay, metal, and wood to allow for safe, high-traffic hands-on exploration.
•Fostering Universal Engagement: touch facilitates intergenerational and cross-ability dialogue among visitors, moving accessibility from "specialized" to "universal."

Design constraints can be frustrating, but they can also inspire more engaging and accessible solutions. How can docents present images in a space where nothing can be mounted? How can we bring documents to life without using screens? How can we teach young visitors to play a game without using words? This session explores case studies in historic buildings and children’s exhibits, where creative digital media interfaces addressed fundamental challenges.

Session Takeaways:
•Evaluate the types of digital media interfaces that may work in your exhibit space.
•Identify digital media approaches that can be used when space, power, and mounting options are constrained.
•Apply universal design principles to innovative user interfaces.