Irish National Touring Exhibition
September 93 - January 95
Celebrating Difference was a group-show organised by the City Arts Centre Dublin, the National Rehabilitation Board and the Arts Council of Ireland.
The selection procedure for this exhibition was open to all. The brief was to show how difference could be celebrated as advantage rather than disadvantage in the visual arts. I proposed to illustrate how touch could be used both a way of making and appreciating sculpture, not just for the blind and partially sighted but as a valuable tactile experience. Visual impairment, which is often perceived as a disadvantage, in this instance served as the catalyst for extending the use of touch in the visual arts. I had recently completed my degree and used it to explore how I related to my environment through touch and how my having a visual impairment affected my work in ceramics and drawing.
The US Ambassador to Ireland Mrs Jean Kennedy Smith opened celebrating Difference in September 1993 at the City Arts Centre Dublin. At the conclusion of this show the exhibition began a year and half long tour, taking in 26 regional arts venues around Ireland. It was accompanied by an extensive arts education programme and public discussion forums.