The Active Power of Touch

Curator’s Statement

Touch is an active sense combining movement of the hands with receptors in the skin to make observations about the size, shape, and texture of objects. Many rich and varied kinds of information can be perceived through the sense of touch. For example, touch can identify the material type – whether an object is made of ceramic, fiber, metal, paper, stone, or wood. Fingertips can distinguish texture classifying surfaces as rough or smooth, and hard or soft. Touch reveals temperature, whether a material feels hot or cold. 

This show celebrated the richness of touch in artistic experience – whether through sculpture, raised-line compositions, or mixed media inviting hands-on exploration. twelve artists working in diverse media such as clay, metal, plaster, stone, textiles, and wood explore the hand and its movements. Some works feature sculptures of hands, while other works include parts that visitors can move with their hands. The works in this show can be appreciated through touch and sight because artists match texture and color. Touch also makes this show accessible to people who are blind or have low vision. 

-Cheryl Fogle-Hatch, Curator