The Fine Arts Center's Tactile Gallery invites a different way to know sculpture

Image: AI-generated illustrative photograph of generic sculptural studies and materials; not Fine Arts Center collection objects or artworks authorized for touching.

Shape and texture can tell a story that a photograph cannot. At the Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center, the Mashburn/Marshall Tactile Gallery gives visitors a designated setting in which touch is part of encountering art, with particular attention to people who are blind or have low vision.

The gallery is free during normal museum hours. It is the Fine Arts Center's specific exception to ordinary hands-off gallery practice, so follow staff guidance and do not extend that invitation to artwork elsewhere in the building.

Established in 1981, the collection now includes more than one hundred works, with some rotating through the space. Braille and large-print labels, together with counters designed to accommodate wheelchairs, support independent exploration. The range of media and forms offers opportunities to compare surfaces, contours and the marks of making.

At 30 West Dale Street, check the current museum schedule before traveling and ask about any access needs. Give one object enough time for a second impression to differ from the first. Feeling a curve or a change in material can redirect attention to something the eye initially overlooked. A return visit may also introduce works that were not on display before.

Sources and visit details

• Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center: Tactile Gallery access, history and rotating collection