This year's Inclusive World Day of Vienna Tourist Guides will take place at the Heidi Horten Collection. With its program for deaf, visually impaired, and blind people, as well as those with dementia, this day is dedicated exclusively to inclusive cultural outreach. The Austrian Association for the Blind and Visually Impaired, our cooperation partner for the MuseumsGuide, will also be participating.
The new museum, located between the State Opera and the Burggarten, is housed in a building that was extensively gutted and completely redesigned inside. It is titled Klimt to Warhol The Heidi Horten Collection presents masterpieces of modern and contemporary art. The exhibited paintings and sculptures were selected in collaboration with museum visitors as part of an innovative participatory project. In the spirit of active participation, visitors had approximately nine months to vote for their favorite works in the collection. Highlights of 20th- and 21st-century art history are on display in the permanent exhibition.
Hourly guided tours convey art in a multifaceted, sensory-rich way. The program is complemented by a music station with selected audio examples, a reading station, and, for the first time, a station for creative activities in the studio. A special focus is placed on tactile objects developed specifically for Inclusive World Day. Tactile reliefs of key works from the collection, including pieces by Pablo Picasso, René Magritte, and Andy Warhol, enable a direct, haptic art experience. The aim is to open up access to art beyond the purely visual and to sustainably strengthen cultural participation for diverse needs. The Inclusive World Day of Vienna's tourist guides sees itself as a logical step in the further development of barrier-free museum offerings.
Registration is required and can also be done with the Austrian Association for the Blind and Visually Impaired, via email: empfang@hilfsgemeinschaft.at