When Art Meets Engineering: Binghamton University Creates Touchable Art for the Visually Impaired
BINGHAMTON, NY — At most museums, the rules are simple: look, but don’t touch. A new collaboration between the Binghamton University Art Museum and the university’s engineering school is breaking that rule—deliberately and with purpose.
Using 3D scanning and printing technology, the museum is creating tactile replicas of artworks that visually impaired visitors can explore through touch. The pilot project centers on “Chanteuse,” a sculpture by artist Eli Nadelman currently on loan through the Art Bridges Foundation.
“You don’t often think of art museums and engineers as great partners, and this has been such a fantastic collaboration,” said Amanda Lynn, the museum’s coordinator of education and public programs. “Having that support on campus has been huge for us.”
The project began with funding from Art Bridges, which encourages museums to experiment with new ways of reaching audiences. Lynn’s team wanted to engage visitors they hadn’t reached before—specifically, those with visual impairments.
“We thought, ‘Why don’t we try to create something for folks who might not be able to see what we have on display?'” Lynn recalled. “So we thought, ‘Why don’t we 3D print replicas of some of the works so people can actually touch and engage with art in a meaningful way?'”
“Chanteuse” became the obvious choice. The sculpture’s recognizable human form—a woman with distinct facial features, hair, and pleated dress—makes it ideal for interpretation through touch.
“You can feel the face, the hair, and the pleats in the dress—it’s not too abstract,” Lynn said.
Engineering Meets Art
To bring the concept to life, Lynn reached out to the Thomas J. Watson College of Engineering and Applied Science’s Fabrication Lab. Vincent Brady, director of engineering laboratories and learning environments, saw immediate potential.
“When Amanda reached out to us about the project, it seemed like a great opportunity to work with the Art Museum to see how we could help,” Brady said.
The timing was fortuitous. The Fab Lab was upgrading its scanning technology with handheld scanners from the company Creaform. During a demonstration, technicians scanned “Chanteuse” directly in the museum gallery, capturing detailed digital data that became a fully rendered three-dimensional model.
“Creaform came and did a demo for us of one of their products, and they scanned a sculpture that’s in the Art Museum,” said Colleen Jennings, instructional technician at Watson College. “During that time, they explained how the platform, the software and the tools work, and we ended up with a fully rendered 3D model of the sculpture.”
From Screen to Hand
The team is now using that digital rendering to produce multiple printed versions of the piece—both small-scale and full-size models—which will be given to the museum for educational programming.
“Some of these are for education, so people can hold things in their hands,” Jennings said.
The collaboration has already expanded beyond “Chanteuse.” Museum staff and Fab Lab technicians are exploring ways to adapt two-dimensional artworks into tactile formats by adding raised surfaces and varied textures. These enhancements will help visitors identify different elements within a painting or drawing through touch alone.
A Future of Accessible Art
For Lynn, the project represents a fundamental shift in how the museum thinks about accessibility.
“This gives us a chance to think about ways we can become more accessible with the works of art we have,” she said. “Being able to reproduce things safely means more people can interact with the artwork, whether they are visually impaired or just want to experience it differently.”
The partnership between the art museum and engineering school is expected to continue, with plans to create more tactile models using pieces from the museum’s permanent collection.
As scanning and printing technologies become more sophisticated, the possibilities expand. What began as a grant-funded experiment is now opening doors—and galleries—to visitors who previously could only imagine the art on the other side of the ropes.
Ancient Treasures and Prehistoric Predators: Major Antiquities Auction Launches New Collaboration
BOULDER, CO — A saber-toothed cat skull with four-inch fangs, a gold pendant depicting a bird-headed deity, and a marble horse head carved in ancient Rome will cross the auction block this month as two powerhouse antiquities firms join forces for the first time.
Artemis Fine Arts of Colorado and New York’s Arte Primitivo are combining their collections for a two-day online auction February 26-27, uniting what they describe as “decades of combined expertise from the highest echelon of the antiquities realm.”
“This landmark collaboration unites decades of combined expertise from the highest echelon of the antiquities realm,” said Teresa Dodge of Artemis Fine Arts.
Day 1: Pre-Columbian, Native American and Tribal Art
The first day features 540 lots spanning Pre-Columbian, Native American, African, Tribal and Ethnographic art.
Leading the Pre-Columbian category is a striking Veraguas-Diquis gold pendant from ancient Costa Rica or Panama. The four-inch pendant depicts a central deity with human body and bird of prey beak, wearing an elaborate double-plumed headdress. It carries an estimate of $40,000-$50,000.
Native American collectors will eye a rare Mississippian Caddo ceramic vessel from circa 1200-1400 CE, sculpted with human hands and bone motifs in high relief ($3,500-$5,000). A Hopi polychrome feather design bowl attributed to the famed potter Nampeyo or her daughter Annie, dating to 1912-1915, is expected to bring $2,500-$3,500.
Tribal art highlights include a 24½-inch Bakota “Ngulu” reliquary figure from Gabon, its concave face covered in hammered brass alloy sheets, estimated at $12,000-$18,000.
Day 2: Antiquities, Art and Fossils
Day 2 shifts to 380 lots of Egyptian, Greek, Roman and Near Eastern antiquities, alongside Asian art, fine art and natural history specimens.
An Egyptian carved wooden figure of a cobra-headed deity, seated on a throne, comes with radiocarbon testing confirming a date of 808-900 BCE. The nine-inch figure is mounted on a custom stand and estimated at $8,000-$15,000.
Roman antiquities are highlighted by a beautifully carved white marble horse head, originally part of a full figure. Just four inches tall, the piece captures perked ears, flared nostrils and a raised mane—now mounted on a black Lucite base with an estimate of $12,000-$15,000.
A rare Neo-Assyrian libation bowl from the 9th or 10th century BCE features a lion grasping the rim, its head projecting forward. The functional vessel combines symbolic imagery with luxury craftsmanship ($4,000-$6,000).
Asian art is led by a museum-exhibited jade cup from China’s Warring States period (475-221 BCE). Carved from pale white jade with russet mottling, the shallow oval vessel reflects the refined traditions of the late Eastern Zhou dynasty. Estimate: $30,000-$45,000.
Jewish Objects and Fine Art
A late 19th-century silver Torah crown stands 18 inches tall, its two openwork tiers surmounted by a Magen David finial upheld by rampant lions. From Eastern European or Ottoman Jewish communities, it’s expected to fetch $20,000-$30,000. Also offered is a medieval Jewish ritual stone panel bearing double menorah motifs.
Original artworks include William Franklin Draper’s 1962 oil portrait of President John F. Kennedy, painted from life during his White House years. The 24½-inch by 29½-inch canvas is estimated at $200,000-$250,000.
The Star Attraction
But the lot generating perhaps the most buzz is natural history: one of the largest saber-toothed cat skulls ever offered at auction. The fossilized skull of a female Machairodus kurteni displays imposing four-inch sabers and comes from eastern Kazakhstan’s Kalmakpai region, dating to the Late Miocene epoch (2 million to 15 million years old). Estimate: $80,000-$100,000.
How the Auction Works
Day 1 begins February 26 at 7 a.m. MT / 9 a.m. ET, with Day 2 following the same schedule on February 27. Absentee bidding is already open.
Notably, this sale will depart from Arte Primitivo’s traditional timed format. Instead, lots will close sequentially in a “live-style” format, mimicking the pace of an in-room auction. Following the main event, unsold lots will be available in a post-auction sale reverting to the traditional timed format.
Bidders can participate through Artemis Fine Arts’ dedicated platform, Arte Primitivo’s established system, LiveAuctioneers or Invaluable. However, organizers encourage using the native platforms of Arte Primitivo or Artemis Fine Arts, where buyer’s premiums are more advantageous.
Both firms handle worldwide shipping through in-house departments. Full catalogs with detailed descriptions and photographs are available online.
For information: Teresa Dodge at Artemis Fine Arts, 720-890-7700 or teresa@artemisfinearts.com. Bidding: https://auctions.artemisgallery.com/auctions/upcoming-auctions/
A Collector’s Journey: Abu Dhabi Exhibition Unveils Decades of Arab Art
ABU DHABI, UAE — For three decades, Fairouz and Jean-Paul Villain have filled their Abu Dhabi home with art. What began as “a simple search for beauty” became a lifelong passion and, now, a public exhibition.
Reflections: Modern and Contemporary Art from the Villain Collection opens February 13 at the Bassam Freiha Art Foundation, offering a rare glimpse into one of the UAE’s most respected private collections. The exhibition features works from Syria, Lebanon, North Africa and the Emirates, tracing the Villains’ personal journey through the Arab world’s artistic landscape.
“Our home in Abu Dhabi became a gathering place for artists, collectors and friends, and a space where art inspired human connection,” the couple said in a joint statement. “It is with deep joy and heartfelt gratitude that we open a window into our collection.”
Curator Dr. Michaela Watrelot has organized the exhibition into three interwoven sections, encouraging visitors to look beyond borders and chronology.
The Levant and the Greater Arab World: Voices Between the Lines reflects Fairouz Villain’s Syrian-Lebanese heritage. It brings together figurative and abstract works exploring themes of war, displacement, solitude and intimacy. Featured artists include Paul Guiragossian, Louay Kayyali, Helen Khal and Etel Adnan.
North African Art: Forms of Continuity examines how modern artists incorporate inherited visual traditions. Highlights include painted papyrus and bronze sculptures by Adam Henein, expressive paintings by Inji Aflatoun, and Islamic geometry-inspired compositions by Mohamed Melehi.
Emirati Art: This Place, This Feeling showcases the Villains’ enduring presence in Abu Dhabi and their close relationships with local artists. Works by Hassan Sharif, Hussein Sharif, Mohammed Kazem, Mohamed Ahmed Ibrahim, Najat Makki and Abdul Qader Al Rais anchor the section, alongside younger voices including Afra Al Dhaheri, Shaikha Al Mazrou and Zeinab Al Hashemi.
The Villains have lived in the UAE for 30 years, becoming renowned for championing modern and contemporary Arab art. Their collection, Dr. Watrelot said, “demonstrates the importance of private patronage in shaping the public cultural landscape.”
Reflections runs through May 31 at the Bassam Freiha Art Foundation. Information: bfaf.ae.