Summer 2005

Art in the Afternoon: the UFT at MoMa

MoMA We met under the curved silver canopy at 11 West 53rd Street on an unseasonably warm afternoon in April. Twenty members of the UFT Capably Disabled Committee were anticipating a unique cultural program, a program at an architectural and cultural gem, the new Museum of Modern Art, or MoMA. Francesca Rosenberg, Director of Community and Access Programs, met us in a classroom and introduced us to various accessible programs at MoMA. Brochures were distributed to our members. Francesca discussed programs and services for visitors with disabilities:

For visually impaired visitors, MoMA presents “Touch Tours” that primarily feature sculptures but also include design objects. Visitors may touch these masterpieces on display in the Museum’s galleries and sculpture garden. This tour must be scheduled in advance.

A newer program is “Art inSight” for blind and partially sighted visitors. It includes an in-depth description of drawings and is offered each month on Tuesdays. April’s tour included the contemporary galleries. Previous lectures highlighted the building of the new MoMA, introduction to modern art, and Pop art.

Also new is MoMA’s Audio program. The Verbal Descriptions Program provides detailed descriptions and analyses of 20 works of art. This program was developed in consultation with an advisory board of people who are blind and partially sighted.

Brown bag lunch lectures take place on a regular basis. Sign-language interpretation is provided on listed dates. FM headsets for sound amplification are available for all lectures.

MoMA provides sign-language interpreters for popular programs, such as evening “Conversations with Contemporary Artists.”

There are also sign-language-interpreted tours for children. These are not well attended, so spread the word to educators.

Infrared sound amplification for all public programs such as films or lectures is available in the Titus theaters. Request a headset when you buy a ticket for a public program.

FM headsets for sound amplification are also available for all public programs in the museum galleries and classroom.

Information on programs for people with disabilities is available at the front desk, or e-mail accessprograms@moma.org.

Access programs for persons who are homebound are also available.
MoMA sends out binders of works of art and participants use those binders during a four-week teleconference course, thereby bringing the museum to their homes. This program works in collaboration with various community organizations.

School and community programs are offered to children and adults both at the museum and off-site as are programs for senior citizens. They include gallery talks, slide-illustrated lectures and Grandparents Days.

Educators use an interactive, inquiry-based approach. School programs are free. In fact, all access programs are free of charge.

As you will recall, the MoMA building has been completely redesigned. And it truly is quite something. Here’s how the MoMA brochure describes it: “The Museum of Modern Art is now architecturally reimagined with intimate galleries, an atrium that soars 100 feet above street level, and expansive views of the Sculpture Garden and the cityscape beyond …” Rich Turnbull, museum educator and tour guide, gave us an introduction to some of the highlights of the fifth floor galleries.

Vincent Van Gogh’s “Starry Night” (1889): In this period, artists experimented with new techniques. The brushwork is unique to Van Gogh. It is arranged in layers of paint to create the intended image. The landscape is unusual as it is a nocturnal landscape; we see the color of the night sky. Great swirls of paint represent gusts of wind. Scientists have documented the accuracy of the stars on that night in 1889.

Pablo Picasso’s “Les Demoiselles d’Avignon”: Picasso is one of the most important artists of the early 20th century. There is so much going on in this painting. It started out as a depiction of a brothel, but an examination of the five nude figures reveals much more. Viewing from left to right, the figures range from an Egyptian figure, to Baroque, to the most modern, that of African art. Picasso furnishes us with a continuum of art history in this one painting. This is an early example of multiculturalism — how the European artist responds to world culture, in this case, African art. (Interestingly, the new MoMA engages the visitor in the art, there’s not much in the way of wall descriptions for each painting.)

Abstract art created by central and eastern European artists, as opposed to the primarily French artists of the earlier period. Four paintings by Vasily Kandinsky (1866-1944) are at MoMA. This artist created images of color and shapes in his head, which were then translated onto the canvas.

Signage located near the artist’s name indicates numbers in the hearing guide and visual guide for those visitors with those needs.

Left: Prior to our program, we met with museum staffers Francesca Rosenberg and Rich Turnbull. Carolyn Herbst, committee chairperson, is at right.
Center: Committee meber Phaedra Damianakos with UFT staffer Bonita Gibson.
Right: UFT staffer Shelia Laval-Friedman with members Grace Witko and Barbara Miller.