This is fantastic news!
Cork College of Further Education and Training (FET) have teamed up with charity Fighting Blindness to provide a new, free of charge course which will allow visually impaired learners to embark on an inclusive artistic journey through an eight-week night course, ‘Sculpture for the Visually Impaired.’
The course will be held at Cork College of FET’s Douglas Street Campus and comes as part of Cork College of FET’s long-term mission to make art and educational opportunities accessible for everyone.
The course is the brainchild of artist and course facilitator Krzysztof Rosa who is passionate about inclusivity in art and believes that visually impaired people possess a unique gift for art, particularly sculpture.
The course promises a multi-sensory experience of fine art, where learners will create a single piece of artwork that represents an object or emotion of their choice:
Mr. Rosa said: “I do believe there are master sculptors among the visually impaired community, and the greatest reward is giving them a platform to showcase their skills. Participants should expect the unexpected as this won’t be like regular workshops, the world we’re living in was created by sighted people and so I want to explore their unique world.
“My objective is to awaken the part of them that I strongly believe has always existed but may have been forgotten or discouraged by others,” he added.
The course will conclude with a final exhibition which will see attendees experience the artworks through touch, smell or sound in a darkened room, with the idea being that sighted people will get to explore the various artworks as they were created from the leaner’s perspective.
As well as the final exhibition, participants will receive further opportunities to utilise their creativity by designing and creating items suitable for use by visually impaired individuals.
Learners will also explore the history of sculpture through touch using replicas of iconic masterpieces in class, as well as paying a visit to Crawford Art Gallery.
The eight-week course begins on Thursday January 25th and will run every Thursday from 6pm-8pm at Cork College of FET’s Douglas Street Campus.
For further information or for those interested in enrolling in the course, email: Insight@fightingblindness.ie or phone: 01 674 6496