Museums are gradually becoming more accessible to blind people, who have shown interest in visiting museums and in appreciating visual art. Yet, their ability to visit museums is still dependent on the assistance they get from their family and friends or from the museum personnel. Based on this observation and on prior research, we developed a solution to support an independent, interactive museum experience that uses the continuous tracking of the user's location and orientation to enable a seamless interaction between Navigation and Art Appreciation. Accurate localization and context-awareness allow for turn-by-turn guidance (Navigation Mode), as well as detailed audio content when facing an artwork within close proximity (Art Appreciation Mode). In order to evaluate our system, we installed it at The Andy Warhol Museum in Pittsburgh and conducted a user study where nine blind participants followed routes of interest while learning about the artworks. We found that all participants were able to follow the intended path, immediately grasped how to switch between Navigation and Art Appreciation modes, and valued listening to the audio content in front of each artwork. Also, they showed high satisfaction and an increased motivation to visit museums more often.

Rachel Churner introduces essays by Annette Michelson and Rosalind Krauss on Soviet cinema, reprinted in conjunction with the centennial of the October revolution. Published in the early 1970s, these essays provide a glimpse into how the founders of October thought about the revolution—and, in particular, Sergei Eisenstein's film October, which commemorated the tenth anniversary of the revolution—in the years before they started their publication.

To describe the subjective experiences of older adults with early-stage Alzheimer's disease or related cognitive disorders (ADRDs) and their family caregivers who participated in an art museum engagement activity. Four focus groups were conducted with 10 persons with ADRD and 10 family caregivers following the completion of a 1-time, 3-hour engagement activity. Participants also completed a brief satisfaction survey, and associations were examined using nonparametric statistics. Three key themes were identified: cognitive stimulation, social connections, and self-esteem. In addition, we identified programmatic issues such as activity-specific concerns and program logistics that could help improve future art program offerings. Past experience with art and perceived social cohesion were correlated with participants' overall satisfaction with the program. Efforts aimed at improving the quality of life of those with Alzheimer's disease and their family caregivers should consider the potential role of art museums.

(2001). Off the Wall: The Development of Robert Kushner's Fashion and Performance Art, 1970–1976. Fashion Theory: Vol. 5, No. 3, pp. 311-330.