Arts Access Fair, Concert For Awareness Scheduled For June 9

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 31, 2006

For more information, contact:
Marie Clapot, City of Bloomington Council for Community Accessibility Arts Access Committee, [mclapot@indiana.edu|mailto:mclapot@indiana.edu]
Maria K. Heslin, Communications Director, City of Bloomington, 349-3569

Arts Access Fair, Concert For Awareness Scheduled For June 9

Bloomington, IN -- An afternoon Arts Access Fair followed by an evening Concert for Awareness will highlight an initiative to promote opportunities for arts and cultural activities that are accessible to individuals who are blind or visually impaired. The events take place on Friday, June 9, 2006, and are free and open to the public.

The fair will be held in the lobby of the Herman B Wells Library from 3:30 p.m-5:30 p.m. It will be followed by a concert at 6 p.m. on the terrace of the Indiana University Art Museum by the singer-songwriter duo of Sharlee Davis and Will Devitt. The events are being planned by the Arts Access Committee of the City of Bloomington's Council for Community Accessibility to raise awareness of access to museums and other cultural institutions, to music and theatre performances, and to books and films, among other offerings in the Bloomington area.

According to Marie Clapot, chair of the Arts Access Committee, the fair will have a number of displays to provide information about accessibility options and devices. Exhibitors will be the IU Art Museum, the Adaptive Technology Center, the Mathers Museum and the Community Eye Center.

A native of France, Clapot is an intern at the IU Museum working in the field of accessibility. The committee is producing materials, in print and audio formats, to publicize arts and cultural institutions in the Bloomington area that are accessible to the blind and visually impaired. Clapot and several local museums received recognition at the Council for Community Accessibility's last award ceremony in October 2005 for their work in improving access for persons who are blind or have visual impairments.

The Davis and Devitt concert will feature a blend of folk-rock, blues, country and acoustic pop/jazz. The two have shared the stage with Carrie Newcomer, k. d. lang, John Prine, the Cowboy Junkies, Greg Brown, and Tuck and Patti, among others.

For additional information, please contact Marie Clapot via e-mail at [mclapot@indiana.edu|mailto:mclapot@indiana.edu].

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