Audio Description Training For The Visual Arts‏

On April 24 & 25, 2015, the Lehigh Valley Arts Council, in partnership with the Allentown Art Museum of the Lehigh Valley, will present atwo-day workshop, ”Audio Description for the Visual Arts,” from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., at the Allentown Art Museum. Audio description assists patrons who are blind or low-visionto access the visual elements of two- and three-dimensional works of art in the gallery or museum setting through narration provided by traineddescribers. More and more, museums in larger cities are offering to people with disabilitiesaccommodations that include audio description and staff training to help visitors with vision loss feel welcome.The Arts Council has contracted Mimi Smith, Executive Director of VSA Pennsylvania to provide the training over the course of two days. She has been a describer for more than two decades and is a founder of Amaryllis Theatre, a professional Philadelphia theatre that regularly includes artists with disabilities. She will introduce the class to the foundational skills—Observe, Analyze and Communicate— necessary to audio describe artwork. Additionally Street Thoma, Accessible Programs Manager at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, will attend and discuss the evolution of the museum’s program. Typically, this workshop would cost $590. Thanks to the underwriting support of an anonymous donor, the Arts Council is able to offer it at a very reasonable price: $50 per person. Please purchase your tickets at LVArtsBoxOffice.org.

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About the Lehigh Valley Arts Council The Lehigh Valley Arts Council is the region’s central voice for the arts, promoting arts awareness and advocating its value while strengthening access to the arts for all citizens in our community. The Arts Council’s mission is to promote the arts; to encourage and support artists and their development; to assist arts organizations; and to facilitate communication and cooperation among artists, arts organizations, and the community. Services include arts research and advocacy, professional development seminars, publications, and cooperative regional marketing initiatives.