Participants of Garage’s museum guides training course for the deaf will meet deaf and hard of hearing students from Moscow high schools to discuss terms from the Dictionary of Contemporary Art Terms in Russian Sign Language.
Every meeting in the cycle will be devoted to one of the terms included in the dictionary, its history and meaning. During the meeting devoted to feminist art, for example, participants will also discuss some contemporary feminist artists and their works.
With some of the key modern and contemporary art terms, such as abstract art, pop art and conceptualism, previously missing from Russian Sign Language, many deaf and hard of hearing visitors had limited access to texts on art. In 2016, during its annual Experiencing the Museum training course for professionals, Garage launched an online dictionary that introduced thirty-six new art terms to Russian Sign Language. In 2017 the dictionary was re-released as a printed edition with thirty-six articles explaining the terms and illustrated with the RSL signs for each term.
Launched in 2016, Garage’s museum guides training course for the deaf has been organized in collaboration with Moscow’s biggest museums. The aim of the course is to train professionals to run sign language tours in Moscow museums. The year-long program included training in art history, museology, information processing workshops, reading groups, out-of-class work and public speaking classes.