Unique, multi-sensory art exhibit returning to Dayton in October

“It’s something that we need here,” said Molly Brockman, who is organizing the event with her boyfriend, Paul Lyons. “It’s also something that is very rarely being done. By the end of next year, I want to have a permanent gallery here in Dayton.”

To get there, Brockman explained she is hosting art shows and participating in pop-up events like Art in the City to showcase multi-sensory and tactile art.

“We want everyone to know what we are doing, so we can make it big,” she added.

Brockman lost most of her vision due to diabetic retinopathy over the last three years. A surgery intended to restore some aspects of her vision took much of her vision away. Brockman has light and dark perception in her right eye and is completely blind in her left eye.

“It has been really, really hard,” she previously said. “Having to relearn how to do everything is not easy.”

One thing she had to relearn is how to experience museums and art galleries, which inspired her to create a multi-sensory art exhibit for the visually impaired.

Her first exhibit, titled “Beyond Vision: A Tactile Art Experience,” was held at the end of April.

“(The previous exhibit) went really, really well,” Brockman said. “We had around 200 people come through. Everybody loved it. It was a bigger success than I thought it would be.”

The exhibits highlight all five senses: touch, hearing, taste, smell and sight. In the previous exhibit, guests were able to touch and see the pieces, hear music and smell and taste chicken wings from Vee’s Premium Rubs.

“When you’re blind, especially when you’re completely blind, it’s dark,” Brockman said. “I live in the dark all the time, and this is a way to bring the art out of it because now we have a way to experience art that we didn’t before.”

If you are interested in participating in the exhibit as an artist, send work to submit@beyondvisionart.com or call 937-999-1375. Brockman said they are looking for artists that can create multi-sensory art including tactile, reading, music as well as art people can smell or taste.

Beyond Vision is also looking for volunteers and donations for the event.

For more information visit, www.beyondvisionart.com or the organization’s Facebook (@beyondvisionart) or Instagram (@beyondvisionart) pages.