APPEAL FROM ART EDUCATION FOR THE BLIND, Inc.,
  a nonprofit organization, founded in 1987.
  For Info or Orders Contact:  Kyoko Tokunaga (212) 334-3700;
  or e-mail [log in to unmask]

  ART HISTORY THROUGH TOUCH AND SOUND:  A MULTISENSORY GUIDE FOR THE
BLIND AND VISUALLY IMPAIRED is an innovative audiobook series spanning
prehistory through contemporary times, including some 600 tactile
illustrations of major monuments in the history of art. Please direct
your librarian to us if you would like your local or school library to
acquire copies for their collection. The audiobook series is developed
by Art Education for the Blind.  OpticalTouch Systems, in New York City,
is the publisher.  Stuart Wittenstein, Ed.D., Superintendent, California
Department of Education, says “This series answers a need that is a
basic human right for all persons to have access to our culture and
heritage.”  From the Venus of Willendorf, dated to about 28,000 B.C., to
the most recent developments in contemporary art, the series takes the
reader on a journey that has long been denied to blind and visually
impaired audiences, including people with diminished sight resulting
from age.  BAROQUE ART IN THE SEVENTEENTH CENTURY, available now, is the
first release in the 22-volume series;  subsequent volumes are scheduled
for publication through 1999. The illustrations utilize a lexicon of
seven standardized patterns, enabling readers to acquire a familiarity
with the tactile vocabulary.  The companion audio-narrative guides the
reader through the illustrations, providing art historical information
as well as richly detailed descriptions of the artworks.  Highly
regarded art historians collaborated with Art Education for the Blind's
development team to create narratives that convey the historical
complexity and formal range of some 30,000 years of visual art. Color
and black-and-white photographs accompany the tactile illustrations.
Captions, including attribution, date, media, dimensions, and the
custodian or location of the work, are provided in large type and
Braille.  With the aid of interpretive sound-compositions, the sense of
hearing is drafted into the pursuit of visual understanding.
Art-appreciation activities and suggestions for further reading enable
readers to build upon the foundation offered by this basic survey of art
history.

  Please contact us if you would like to order books in this series.
And please lobby your librarians to add this audiobook series to their
collection.

  Art Education for the Blind, Inc.
  160 Mercer Street
  New York, New York  10012
  (212) 334-3700
  [log in to unmask]