EventsArtist-led tactile tour for blind and low vision community members
Carleton University Art Gallery
September 15, 2025
6:00 pm - 8:00 pm
Andy Slater (photo credit: Gracie Hagen), Emily Cook (photo credit Akiko Lamb).
Blind and low vision community members are invited to explore Unknown Area
Join artists Emily Cook and Andy Slater for a slow, tactile visit to their exhibition Unknown Area.
The exhibition creates a speculative archaeological encounter with collected evidence from an outpost where scientists and artists once worked. Visitors to the exhibition are invited to take on the role of researchers in order to piece together the site’s history through artefacts and artistic interventions.
This tour is designed specifically for members of Ottawa’s blind and low vision community and invites them to chat one-on-one with two artists who are on the Blind spectrum, navigating the world through touch and sound.
This event is free to attend, and no registration is necessary, but we recommend that you contact Kathryn Desplanque for directions to the art gallery and to answer any questions on what to expect.
This event is part of Stonecroft Semester: The Art of Transmission. More info here.
Access: CUAG is a barrier-free space, on two levels. An elevator in the building lobby enables you to access both floors. There are automatic entrance doors on both levels. Service animals are welcome. Please reach out to Kathryn Desplanque with any questions. Construction: A big construction project at the north end of campus has changed the usual routes to CUAG. Check the visiting page [link to visiting page] to find a map, directions for all modes of transit and a new wayfinding video for drivers. Parking: Paid parking is available in Lot P7D. It is a big gravel lot. It is a sub-section of and accessed from Lot P7, the huge, paved lot at the northeast corner of campus. A “pay-by-plate” machine is located inside the parkade, at the closest (northeast) corner of the parkade. You can also pay online.
Participants
Andy Slater is a blind Chicago-based media artist, writer, performer and disability advocate/loudmouth. Andy holds a Master of Arts in Sound Arts and Industries from Northwestern University and a Bachelor of Fine Arts from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago.
Emily Cook is an artist who works primarily in handmade paper exploring memory and loss through manipulating the processing of fiber into objects that often look more found than made. As a low vision arts worker, she is active within disability arts and crip culture.
