Norman Arts Council and Norman Public Arts will host Public Art: Inclusion by Design — a workshop on mindfulness of accessibility and inclusion in public art to serve the whole community — from 1 to 3:30 p.m. on Saturday, February 22 in the Red Bud Room of the Norman Public Library Central, 103 W. Acres, Norman. The workshop is free and open for all to attend.

Presenters at the workshop will be Miranda Steffen, Executive Director of Among Friends in Norman; Ann Cunningham, tactile artist from Lakewood, Colorado; Matt Peacock, AIA, LEED, WPM Design Group, PLLC; and Debby Williams, Norman Public Art Manager.

Public art is such an important part of our cultural identity that it should always be inextricably linked to full accessibility and inclusion. When considering to whom that “public” in public art is referring, it must embrace not just some people but all people.

In 2019, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, reported that 1 in every 4 American adults has a disability; which is approximately 61 million people in the United States. So insuring that everyone has the same opportunity to appreciate and participate in the art that is in our public spaces should be of utmost importance.

The artists who create works of art for the public arena represent a large segment of our most creative and artistic population. Integrating artistic, physical, and logistical solutions so their art is accessible and inclusive can be challenging and rewarding to all artists. These solutions, which don’t have to be expensive or limiting aesthetically, can draw on the full range of human diversity.

This workshop has been created to help artists be mindful of why accessibility and inclusion is important, what some of the issues are, how one artist creates tactile art specifically with the blind and sight impaired in mind, and how ADA, Universal Design, and Human Design can all work together in the enduring artwork they create.