Beam Up: making contemporary art accessible to blind visitors

Beam Up (Blind Engagement in Accessible Museum Projects) is a European co-funded initiative launched in 2020 to improve accessibility to contemporary art for visually impaired people. Project manager Giulia Grassini explains that the core method involves a mixed working group of museum professionals, blind individuals, and visual disability experts who co-design accessible interventions. The project was adopted by three museums: Fondazione Burri in Città di Castello, Italy; the Museum of Contemporary Art in Zagreb, Croatia; and The Glucksman at University College Cork, Ireland. At Fondazione Burri, the tactile translation of Alberto Burri's material-rich works proved effective for all visitors. In Zagreb, the project sparked urbanistic reflections on museum accessibility. In Cork, it fostered inclusive policies across the university campus. The exhibition "La Luce del Nero" (April–November 2022) at the Ex Seccatoi del Tabacco was a highlight, with many blind visitors experiencing a contemporary art show for the first time. One visitor commented, "thanks to you, for the first time I could visit an exhibition with my daughter." The project concludes on September 30, 2023, but aims to establish a lasting foundation for inclusive museum practices.