In January 2022, Jack Straw and Arts and Visually Impaired Audiences (AVIA) presented an accessible online art workshop in conjunction with artist and former psychotherapist Peter Christenson’s New Media Gallery installation F40.298: Generalized Opus Foramina, which incorporated sound, video, and sculpture to seek dialogue and prognoses with his ailing client, Earth.

Participants experienced Peter’s work through a virtual tour of the installation, with audio description provided by Jesse Minkert of Arts and Visually Impaired Audiences. After Peter shared his process and inspiration for creating the exhibit, participants joined in an “eco therapy” activity of listening to nature and planting seeds in a pot of dirt. Peter then guided the group through the process of writing haiku. After recording each new poem, participants learned about audio editing and mixing using digital software.

This program was made possible with support from the Seattle Office of Arts and Culture, 4Culture/King County Lodging Tax, Washington State Arts Commission, National Endowment for the Arts, Washington State Department of Services for the Blind, and individual contributors.

This program was provided in part under a contract with the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.

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