Peconic Landing Program 'Art Without Barriers' Named 2015 Innovations of the Year

Peconic Landing recently announced that its interactive art accessibility program “Art Without Barriers” has been named one of LeadingAge New York’s 2015 Innovations of the Year.

The award is given to organizations that use creative problem solving to improve the quality and access of services for seniors, according to the advocacy group website.

It was presented to Peconic Landing back in June by LeadingAge president/CEO James W. Clyne, Jr.

“This award recognizes programs that stand out because of their creativity, vision, success and ability to replicate,” Clyne said. “Art Without Barriers goes beyond helping seniors, it caters to people of other abilities.”

“Art Without Barriers”, created by the Peconic Landing’s Resident Art Committee, was designed to ensure people of all visual, hearing and mobile abilities have the opportunity to enjoy art.

Grant funding for the project was provided by the Mattituck Lions Club.

The program features an interactive tour of Peconic Landing’s sculpture garden which is home to 18 different works of art displayed across campus.

Guests of different abilities have the option of using descriptive audio narration available via a free smartphone download, large print or braille catalogues, as well as easy access to the garden by way of cleared foot trails to improve the tour experience.

“People from all over the world, from as far as China, have engaged with the program and downloaded the descriptive audio to enjoy,” Dominic Antignano, Peconic Landing’s cultural arts curator said. “That means a lot to us, that people are connecting Peconic Landing with culture and the arts.”

In addition, art descriptions adhere to standards set by the American Foundation for the Blind.

Visitors are also invited to touch the sculptures to get a sense of their texture and design.

A video of the program can be seen below.