[Art_beyond_sight_learning_tools] artist, conference, map for park, garden

[Lisa Yayla]

Hi, 
A  few more articles.
Regards,
Lisa


Philippine Daily Inquirer
Sunday, September 25, 2005

Sculptor Juan Sajid Imao: A Different Way of Seeing

By Susan de Guzman

 September 25, 2005 issue of the Philippine Daily Inquirer 

AT 34, Juan Sajid Imao is a man on a mission. As someone who has chosen sculpture as his life's work, he wants to exhaust all possible means to popularize his art form. In terms of public appreciation and market receptivity, he admits that sculptures are still edged out by paintings which enjoy wider acceptance.

For practical purposes, after all, paintings only require a flat surface to be displayed, while sculptures, because of their heft and dimension, would need a bigger space which is not always available. Imao points out that restrictive notions have also prevented sculptures from becoming more accessible.

"Unfortunately, here, the idea of sculptures has been confined mostly to rebultos (monuments) which are associated with dead people or cemeteries," Imao says ruefully. This is why Imao himself, who excels in classical portrait sculptures, tries to imbue his works with a suggestion of movement. Thus, instead of inert representations, he comes up with statues like those of a reading Jose Rizal and of Juan Luna while painting.

But beyond the traditional monuments, Imao wants sculptures to take the form of objects that can be appreciated in everyday life. Stylized chairs made of wood and metal, like the ones he has produced, are a step in this direction. Using materials such as metal, fiberglass and stone, Imao has also been doing functional objects such as vases, as well as small-scale sculptures for use in houses and gardens with spare spaces. In the backyard of the Imaos' Marikina home, Imao displays his class thesis: a brass sculpture of a tikbalang perched on a tree. The creature is holding a torch that can be lit in the evenings-an innovative, if a bit macabre, piece of art as a utilitarian item.

On a grander scale, Imao has shown what is possible with sculptures through his work called "Kasaysayan sa Bawa't Oras" at the Bonifacio Global City. One of the winners in the public art competition held in that complex, Imao's design is a sundial-cum-playground that boasts a massive upright half-sun as centerpiece/pointer and conjoined bronze human figures reminiscent of paper dolls as the complementing components.

The sundial's interactive nature has proven effective in drawing people to Imao's sculpture. No wonder then the artist always thinks up of projects that would similarly engage the public. Reading about the "Cows on Parade," a public art exhibition in Chicago in 1999 that featured 300 fiberglass cows that were painted or decorated by artists, Imao thought the concept could be adapted to the Philippine setting-but using carabaos, the country's national animal.

'Good news event'

Imao, who was already familiar with the Inquirer's mascot Guyito, pitched the idea to the newspaper's president, Alexandra Prieto-Romualdez, who had been his batchmate as a Ten Outstanding Young Men of the Philippines awardee in 2001. Imao's writer-wife Cielo helped him prepare the project brief, describing the proposed exhibition as a "good-news event" focusing on the irrepressible, outspoken and cute Guyito.

By a stroke of serendipity, the national broadsheet happened to be preparing for its 20th anniversary this December. The exhibition was thus hatched as a celebratory offering for this milestone, with Imao making the fiberglass (cast resin) carabaos and 20 other artists tapped to paint them.

The sculptor's immediate task was to render Guyito in three-dimensional form. "Jess Abrera is my idol and I wanted to do justice to his creation," Imao says. He looked at the existing Guyito stuffed toys before working on the basic form, initially using clay. The most difficult part was perfecting the cartoon carabao's figure. Imao had to look at the body from all sides repeatedly, adding or subtracting clay as needed to approximate its proportions. Soon, the caricature had practically come to life, with a virtual herd of fiberglass Guyitos filling Imao's workshop.

Imao is heartened that, aside from crafting the sculpture, he has also been invited to paint his own Guyito. He etched drawings of a sarimanok and the ibong adarna on each side of Guyito, the two fabled creatures' colorful plumes seen bursting forth from the pages of an open fiberglass book. The book atop Guyito is made to look like wings, as Imao wanted to show how reading can make a child's imagination take flight. His work is aptly titled "Guyito Kong Lumipad."

"The print media has the power to unleash one's creativity like no other medium can," Imao says. "As a child, I remember how books could conjure many fascinating and vivid images in my mind, which I could alter as I wish. I hope this Guyito design will inspire children to discover or re-discover the wonders of reading and ultimately experience the power of imagination."

Partially blind

The artist specifically etched the designs so that even the visually impaired can touch them like Braille, and appreciate the artwork. Incorporating this tactile quality to Guyito was important for Imao, as this artist is partially blind. Afflicted with retinitis pigmentosa, a genetic ailment characterized by the progressive loss of vision, Imao can't see his periphery. He has to use a foldable walking stick and relies on the guidance of Cielo or nine-year-old son Juri when he moves about, especially in crowded places.

Perhaps it is his condition that encourages Imao to keep pursuing his goal of promoting sculpture in any way he can. Focused and driven, he continuously makes proposals for sculpture projects for different institutions and municipalities. For him, taking time to convince people to adopt his ideas serves as a challenge and often, he is rewarded when he is commissioned to do the work.

"I'm always dreaming of new ideas and concepts that will elicit a reaction," notes Imao, who has two assistants helping him in welding and assembling parts, particularly for large sculptures. His studio is a testament to his productivity, littered as it is with models of previous works, including the crucifix for the Church of the Gesu of the Ateneo de Manila University and a bronze rendition of the Holy Trinity.

Ultimately, Imao wants to help build a Pinoy identity in the international scene using distinctively Philippine symbols in his art. For quite some time, his work has already been inspired by the okir, a distinct curvilinear design commonly seen in his native Maranao art.

Imao doesn't worry about the complete loss of his eyesight, because he knows that even if he goes blind, he will continue to create his art. He contends, "I will still be able infuse feeling into my work because I won't be doing it by sight but from the heart."

http://news.inq7.net/sunday/index.php?index=1&story_id=51300




Disability Services at the University of Colorado at Boulder presents:

8th Annual Accessing Higher Ground Conference: Accessible Media, Web and
Technology Conference

November 8 - 11, 2005


Accessing Higher Ground focuses on the implementation and benefits of
Assistive
Technology in the university and college setting for sensory, physical and
learning disabilities. Other topics include legal and policy issues,
including
ADA and 508 compliance, and making campus media and information resources -
including Web pages and library resources - accessible.

Also, this year the Conference offers a special business track featuring
accessibility workshops for commercial media designers.

For conference registration and general information, please visit:
www.colorado.edu/ATconference.


Howard Kramer
Assistive Technology Lab Coordinator
AT Conference Coordinator
Disability Services
CU-Boulder, 107 UCB
Boulder, Co  80309
303-492-8672

http://72.14.207.104/search?q=cache:FOxxaXRfCWsJ:www.vicnews.com/portals-code/list.cgi%3Fpaper%3D36%26cat%3D23%26id%3D490688%26more%3D+%22by+the+Tactile+Colour+Communication+Society%22&hl=en

*New map helps blind enjoy park* <list.cgi?paper=36&cat=23&id=&more=>

*By Brennan Clarke

Victoria News*
/Sep 14 2005/

A new map designed for the visually impaired is helping blind people get 
a feel for the natural beauty of Beacon Hill Park.
Designed *by the Tactile Colour Communication Society*, the map uses a 
combination of Braille print and textures that suggest certain colours 
to help blind park users enjoy their surroundings.
"It really helps to orientate your direction, but you have to use it a 
little bit before the design of the map works to the reality of the 
individual," said the society's founder, Lois Lawrie.
With funding from the City of Victoria and the United Way, Lawrie was 
able to design and print 3,000 of the maps, which will be distributed 
free of charge to visually impaired people upon request.
A handful of visually impaired people attended the map's official launch 
in Beacon Hill Park on Saturday.
Lawrie said the society is also working on a similar map of the City of 
Victoria, which is due to be completed in October.
A printer and graphic artist by trade, Lawrie lost her sight in 1991 and 
began using tactile colour as a medium to help visually impaired artists 
continue working. The tactile colour system is used in many other 
Canadian cities as well as internationally, she said
"I hope to see tactile maps in every city, school, park and mall 
someday," she said.
One in nine Canadians will have a permanent visual impairment by age 65. 
That number rises to one in four by age 75.
Lawrie said many of those people become "shut-ins" due to a lack of 
services and tools to assist them.

text to picture
*Lois Lawrie demonstrates the use of a tactile *
*map of Beacon Hill Park Saturday while Miriam Youssefi and map designer Raya *
*Jane Peters explain how the map can help the blind explore the *
*park.*


http://www.catholicexplorer.com/explore4325/people2005/therapy-blooms-in-gods-ga.shtml


  Therapy blooms in God’s garden


By KATHRYNNE SKONICKI

MAPLE PARK—Just a little north of Illinois Route 38 in Kane County 
nestled amidst fields of farmland, 13 horses, two rabbits, two donkeys, 
three frogs, hundreds of butterflies and countless other organisms find 
refugee on 16 acres. The stay is not a free ride, because every living 
creature trotting on the land, flying in the air and swimming in water 
has an important role at the equine-assisted therapy facility, Blazing 
Prairie Stars.

Even the facility’s name offers insight into the atmosphere of the 
place, added Cathy Raack, founder and executive director. She explained 
the metaphor about the flower that develops from the top down as she 
pointed to the purple-colored flower in the facility’s garden. She said, 
“Like our children, they are different developing but they still blossom.”

Surrounded by green foliage, lily pads in a small pond and Painted Lady 
butterflies, Raack offered a tour of Meara’s garden to the Catholic 
Explorer. She explained the enabling garden is named in honor of Meara 
Hargrave, a neighbor who died of a leukemia-related brain tumor at the 
age of 10. After her death occurred in 2000, Raack and others at the 
facility moved to create an enabling garden for children of all ages to 
enjoy before or after experiencing a therapy session involving the 
animals or arts and crafts.

Over the last four years, the 50-by-70 -foot area has evolved into 
another tool for the therapists at the facility that helps about 300 
kids throughout the year. Quadriplegics laugh when a furry flower 
tickles their nose and children with speech impediments suddenly find 
ways to move their mouth muscles to pronounce “grasshopper” as one hops 
off their hands. Raack said, “There’s something about this kind of 
setting that makes this happen. For centuries, this is how we learned.”

Raack, a speech pathologist for over 25 years, credits nature with doing 
a lot of the instruction through offering many textures, shapes and 
colors for the kids to experience. Natural variety is unparalleled to 
manufactured tools, she noted. A developmental-challenged boy can look 
at a picture of a horse on a cardboard card and not comprehend what the 
word means, but he understands it once he feels the whiskers on the 
horse’s head. She said, “It’s a palate for teaching. … That’s not my 
work, it’s God’s work.”

Moments after helping an autistic child identify 14 varieties of 
butterflies while working on verb tenses, Jane Grillo spoke with the 
Catholic Explorer. The volunteer gardener maintains the garden and 
explained the dynamics of the plot that makes it an enabling one.

She said the wheelchair-accessible sidewalks and raised planters offer 
disabled individuals a chance to dig into the dirt and turn over the 
soil themselves. The garden also features plants that stimulate the 
senses—sight, sound, touch, taste and scent. Bright colors attract 
attention and invigorate the mind, while dull colors calm and relax. 
Water features provide sound effects, another sense of touch and more 
species. Of course everything is touchable—fuzzy leaves, prickly pine 
needles, smooth petals and rough stone. Some fruits, vegetables and 
herbs also provide tasting opportunities. The fragrance of lavender and 
other pungent aromas scent the patch.

Raised beds, vertical wall gardens, hanging baskets, water features, 
paved accessibility, tactile beds and sensational plants all make a good 
enabling garden, said Gene Rothert, manager of the Buehler Enabling 
Garden in the Chicago Botanic Garden. The 11,000 square-foot plot he 
oversees entertains over 250,000 visitors every year.

Rothert said the nation’s most popular hobby—that engages over 60 
million Americans—has developed into more than a pastime for many. 
Horticulture therapy has steadily increased in popularity since the 
1970s. Many people in the health and human service industries are 
recognizing the therapeutic and aesthetic value in including an enabling 
garden in their facilities. They have also been found to reduce stress 
in patients as well as staff members. He said, “It’s an escape from the 
stressful environment in a hospital.”

Whether one is starting an enabling garden in a large healthcare 
facility or in one’s own backyard, Rothert recommended considering who 
is going to be using it before planting anything. He encouraged garden 
architects to make the plants accessible to the disabled so they can 
engage in the activity from planting to harvest. Also take care in 
selecting certain plants, such as selecting scented flowers over 
brightly colored flowers for a blind individual. He also recommended 
that home gardeners start off small with a pot garden that can easily be 
maintained. Consider also plants that can be used in other activities, 
such as herbs in recipes or leafy plants in crafts made indoors.