[TAGS] Tactile art and COVID-19

Fri Mar 13 00:47:55 UTC 2020

To add to the discussion , Here is the first mention of gloves that
I've seen regarding the current situation. The quote below refers to
tours of a historic site, and, I think, to health rather than tactile
access.

"Docents, as well as tour participants, will be offered disposable
gloves, as conservation rules would prevent complete sanitation of
historic wooden surfaces"

On 3/12/20, Noel Runyan via TAGS <tags at nfbnet.org> wrote:
> Yes, and several museums allow touching only with thin plastic
> gloves, which, for many folks works better than rubber surgical
> gloves.  Thin plastic gloves can slide over surfaces more smoothly,
> without as much drag or stiction as surgical Latex or Nitrile rubber
> gloves.
> In my own work in my lapidary shop, grinding and cutting rocks, I
> prefer to use Nitrile gloves, as they last longer than Latex gloves.
> However, and especially with surgical gloves, I find it extremely
> difficult to read braille while wearing rubber gloves.
> Considering the issues of public health, news reports are indicating
> that gloves do not seem to do a lot to prevent spreading of germs, as
> the germs can survive for hours on common surfaces and be moved from
> surface to surface (including to  your mouth or eyes).
> It can be easier to effectively decontaminate gloved hands, compared
> to decontaminating bare skin and fingernails of your hands.
> Public health officials are now recommending decontaminating with
> either rubbing alcohol (60 percent or stronger), soap and water, or
> weak solutions of bleach.
> For touchable art decontamination, these decontamination solutions
> could cause damage to the art surfaces and some adhesives or other
> underlaying materials.
> When decontamination with these solutions is not possible, exposure
> with UV lights or direct sunlight might be helpful.  Note, they
> stress direct sunlight, as sunlight coming through glass windows has
> had most of its ultraviolet light blocked.
> It would be nice, if we could get more advice from art museum staff
> folks who are more familiar with art decontamination and protection
> procedures.
> Cordially,
> Noel
>
>
> At 10:15 AM 3/12/2020, Deborah Kent Stein via TAGS wrote:
>
>
>>In the museums that permit blind visitors to touch artworks not generally
>>available for tactile exploration by the public, it is standard practice
>> for
>>the blind visitor to wear surgical gloves. Although wearing gloves
>> somewhat
>>detracts from the tactile experience, it protects the art and also helps
>>avoid the spread of germs. Wearing gloves is a simple precaution that can
>> be
>>taken with tactile exhibits during any outbreak of a contagious disease
>> such
>>as COVID-19.
>>
>>Debbie
>>
>>
>>-----Original Message-----
>>From: TAGS [mailto:tags-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Cheryl
>> Fogle-Hatch
>>via TAGS
>>Sent: Thursday, March 12, 2020 11:49 AM
>>To: Tactile Art and Tactile Graphics Specialist list <tags at nfbnet.org>
>>Cc: Cheryl Fogle-Hatch <c.k.fogle at gmail.com>; mkolitsky at nextgenemedia.com
>>Subject: Re: [TAGS] Tactile art and COVID-19
>>
>>Hi Mike, Keri, and everyone
>>
>>An exhibit on universal design that I'm consulting for was postponed, and
>>several Maryland museums have suspended public programs through mid April.
>>I've been watching traffic on museum listservs, and so far, I haven't seen
>>anything specific to tactile art--just general concerns about limiting
>>hand-to-hand contact. I think we, as a community of tactile artists etc,
>>need to step into the conversation so our voices are found when someone
>>searches, as you did.
>>
>>To that end, I'm thinking of writing a text (800-1,000 word blog post
>>linking to supporting documents if necessary).  This would discuss the
>> need
>>to balance tactile access with health concerns--covid19, and for anything
>>else that will arise in future. I would offer to host a piece on my new
>>website, https://museumsenses.org and I might also explore possibilities
>>with my connections to get onto an established museum blog.
>>
>>Keeping in mind that this listserv is publicly archived and searchable,
>>please write me offlist if you'd like to contribute ideas and resources,
>>and/or review a draft.  To join a timely conversation, I'd like to get a
>>post online around mid April as museums resume public programming. The
>> post
>>should serve as a conversation starter and propose solutions, and show
>> that
>>that the community of tactile artists and enthusiasts are thinking about
>>these issues.
>>
>>Best Wishes,
>>Cheryl
>>
>>On 3/12/20, Mike Kolitsky via TAGS <tags at nfbnet.org> wrote:
>> > Hi everyone, I just received news that an art show in NYC to which I
>> > had some tactile art works accepted for entry was delayed due to the
>> > COVID-19 pandemic and the need to think about bringing large groups of
>> > people together.  That led to my thinking about how one can make
>> > tactile art so that it can be touched safely, i.e., that each touch is
>> > on a sterile or cleaned surface.  Can tactile art be sprayed with a
>> > lysol-like cleanser between touching episodes or can art be designed
>> > to be touched with surgical gloves?  Can Braille be read with surgical
>> > gloves on the reader's hands?  I did a quick search on "tactile art
>> > and COVID-19" and found that the Exploratorium in San Francisco has
>>temporarily closed the "Tactile Dome".
>> > Any thoughts about how to make art or objects for public touching safe
>> > from passage of COVID-19 from one person to another?
>> >
>> > Mike
>> >
>> > Michael A. Kolitsky, Ph.D.
>> > CEO
>> > nextgenEmedia
>> >
>>
>>
>>--
>>Cheryl Fogle-Hatch, Ph.D.
>>Archaeologist and Museum Professional
>>(443) 939-8217
>>c.k.fogle at gmail.com
>>https://www.linkedin.com/pub/cheryl-fogle-hatch/8/224/538
>>https://cherylfogle.academia.edu/
>>
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>

-- 
Cheryl Fogle-Hatch, Ph.D.
Archaeologist and Museum Professional
(443) 939-8217
c.k.fogle at gmail.com
https://www.linkedin.com/pub/cheryl-fogle-hatch/8/224/538
https://cherylfogle.academia.edu/