Moving both hands swiftly over the raised white dots, Rich Beardsley, 12, a student at the Florida School for the Deaf and the Blind, read the braille words on the Pedro Menendez statue plaque. It was the first time he and other blind or visually-impaired visitors could experience the historic plaque in the Lightner Museum garden by touch.

Five of St. Augustine’s historic statues are now officially accessible to blind visitors because of the culmination of the TOUCH St. Augustine Braille Trail project unveiled Thursday.

The project embodies the association’s motto, “Art is not what you see, it’s what you inspire others to see.”

A Focus 450th legacy project two years in the making, the St. Augustine Art Association developed and installed bronze Braille markers at the Pedro Menendez; Juan Ponce de Leon; St. Augustine Foot Soldiers; Henry Flagler; and Father Pedro Camps and the Minorcans statues downtown.

TOUCH is an acronym for Tactile Orientation for Understanding Creativity and History.

“When I read the words I thought they were really neat. I liked the description they included. It’s really fun to be able to read it,” said Anna Albury, a blind FSDB student participating in the unveiling presentation.

A complimentary trolley ride on Ripley’s Red Train took supporters around to view the plaques and then concluded at a reception to celebrate the groundbreaking for the new TOUCH St. Augustine Art Garden at the association gallery on Marine St.

The plaques not only use braille letters to tell the history, but also include “tactile graphics,” which act as a visual map to describe how the statue actually looks.

The tactile graphics include descriptions, such as which way the statue faces, it’s height, color, action and other details. A raised pictorial representation of the statue also is emblazoned on the plaque.

The braille trail project was a large-scale undertaking with many community organizations and individuals contributing to its success. The unveiling was a means to thank its supporters, as well as show off the final product.

A new marker in front of the Lightner Building in St. Augustine gives a description of the statue in English and in Braille.

said, “This will make art and history in St. Augustine accessible to so many in so many ways,” said Nancy Sikes-Kline, Vice-Mayor of St. Augustine. “This ties in so well with the 450th commemoration because we’ll be sharing our city with so many visitors and this is a new doorway through which to experience our historical architecture.”

Flagler university students Cody Kirchner and Madeline Krouse helped develop the artistic graphic descriptions as part of a Heritage and Tourism class project. Intern Elijah Tietjen helped develop the historical narratives.

Liesl Swogger, gallery assistant and graphic designer, was responsible for much of the design and research details necessary to creation of the plaques.

“The first time I saw a blind child reading this sign, I got tears in my eyes,” she said.

Art association board members and city officials were on hand for the official garden groundbreaking. This project, slated to open in Spring 2015, will be a gathering space that features sculptures, fountains, artwork to make it more accessible and welcoming to visually-impaired visitors.

Dr. Jeanne Prickett, president of FSDB, expressed her thanks on behalf of her students for “making sure our students get involved in art. This will enrich their lives forever.”

Elyse Brady, association administrator, credited a grant from the Community Foundation Crisp Ellert fund for helping make the braille project possible. Association President Diane Bradley said the matching grant challenge raised $100,000 in the past year, but fundraising for the remaining $100,000 needed to finish the project will continue into next year.

Funds also will go toward much needed renovations and beautification of the aging art gallery building.

“This has truly, truly been a labor of love,” Brady said.

The association also thanked plaque sponsor Beta Sigma Phi, Flagler College, Cathedral Basilica, Braille specialist Nancy Berger and the City of St. Augustine for their support.

Now celebrating its 90th year, the St. Augustine Art Association’s mission is to promote artistic excellence through education and art awareness and promote culture and history.

For information, go to touchstaugustine.com.

Source: The St Augustine Record