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Art of (Inclusive) Living
Taking Visual Art to the Visually Impaired
Taking Visual Art to the Visually Impaired
Speakers
To commemorate World Sight Day, we will have a presentation by Siddhant Shah, who will talk about the current situation of exhibition spaces, highlighting the apathy and insensitivity to the situation for persons with disabilities and the new approaches that are being legislated by both governmental and public sensitivities. This is the foundation for his work in making museums, and corporate and educational spaces more inclusive and accessible.
He will show examples of Access for ALL’s work, highlighting key indicators of Universal Design, with tips on inclusion and sensitivity to the issue of visual impairment in our day to day to day life, thus helping all the views adopt an INCLUSIVE – Art of Living!
Following his presentation, he will engage in a conversation with Preema John, the Director of the Indian Music Experience who will be speaking about IME’s work in the area of Accessibility and Inclusion, with a focus on cognitive, auditory and visual impairment. This will be followed by a Q&A.
In collaboration with the Ganesh Shivaswamy Foundation.
Established as a registered Trust in the year 2019, the Ganesh Shivaswamy Foundation was founded by Ganesh Shivaswamy. A lawyer by profession, he hails from a family of lawyers who have resided in Bangalore for several generations. His grand-father was Justice A. R. Somnath Iyer, Chief Justice of the High Court of Karnataka and the Acting Governor of the State in the year 1969. In addition to his profession, Ganesh has extensively collected and researched the work and legacy of Raja Ravi Varma, India’s foremost modern artist.
The Ganesh Shivaswamy Foundation partnered with Google Arts & Culture and the platform was launched by Shubhangini Raje, the Rajmataji of Baroda in September 2019 at the Maharaja Fatesingh Museum, Baroda. In 2020, the Foundation collaborated with collectors and legacy custodians across the world to showcase the paintings, sketches and archival photographs of Raja Ravi Varma leading to the largest online resource for the artist on the Google Arts & Culture platform. See the collection here.
Speakers
Siddhant Shah
Siddhant Shah is the Founder of Access For ALL, a global EDI consultancy that aims at creating inclusive experiences for all in the domain of arts, heritage, corporate and educational spaces. He is featured by National Geographic as Changemaker 2022 and is the subject of a documentary – One For Change. He is the youngest recipient of the National Award – Mphasis Universal Design Award 2017 by the National Committee on Rights for People with Disabilities (NCRPD) for his work in making museums accessible for visually impaired audiences and others. He has consulted and provided accessibility services with museums like the National Museum, State Bank Museum of Pakistan, IME, MAP, Serendipity Arts Festivals, and various corporates on their Diversity & Inclusion projects.
Along with his global consultation practice, he is currently the Access Consultant to the British Council India and has provided services for the Museum of Prime Ministers of India, Govt. of India. Shah has been a fellow representing India at the Tate Modern and the British Museum’s International Program.
He is a speaker and lectures around the globe on Inclusive Management, Diversity, and Access for PwD at Work and Digital Accessibility.
Preema John
Preema John is currently the Director of the Indian Music Experience Museum, Bangalore. A critically engaged cultural producer, she is inspired by the power of art to transform individuals and communities. She has worked on several national and international cultural projects, and held leadership positions in various arts organizations including Dr. Bhau Daji Lad Museum and Kochi Biennale Foundation. A Fulbright Fellow, she was previously Head of Art for Maker Maxity and Deputy Director of the Asia Society India Centre in Mumbai. She holds a Masters in Arts Administration & Cultural Policy from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and a Masters in Arts & Aesthetics from Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi.
