AMANDA GRESS
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Teaching the Blind

5/25/2012

 
Pictureterracotta, 12 x 4 inches
Recently I had the opportunity to teach a blind person how to sculpt. The first piece I had her make a cylinder shape out of clay, then we used a subtractive method of removing chunks, twisting and manipulating the shape into something completely different.

I had never even met a blind person let alone given a blind person art instruction.









 I found myself scrambling for descriptive vocabulary in order to instruct my lesson. I made a piece along side of her so that she could "feel" what I had done and make adjustments to her own piece. This was her finished piece. 





 

Pictureterracotta, life size
The second piece I had her create was a portrait. Again I had made a sculpture myself, working alongside of her so that each step could be demonstrated. It was tremendously inspiring to be able to help someone with a handicap make something that they were extremely proud of. Not to mention how well both pieces turned out. Both have such expression and character, I never get tired of looking at them.

The work speaks for itself!


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