‘Touching a painting – Malczewski, Szymborska, Antoniszczak' is the name of the new temporary exhibition, organized by the JU Museum and the JU Disability Support Service. The opening event will take place on the 14^th October at 17:00.

The exhibition marks the finish of the second edition of the ‘Touch culture' project, which aim was to make works of plastic arts available for persons with sight loss or impairment.

This exhibition, only one of its kind in Cracow, will feature the cycle of paintings by Jacek Malczewski entitled ‘Rusałki' and their tangible adaptations made for use by persons with sight loss. Another part of the exhibition are contextual descriptions written by Róża Książek-Czerwińska and the tangible reproductions prepared by Lech Kolasiński. The ‘Rusałki' were a cycle of paintings, planned as a whole, used by the artist to illustrate the youthful pursuit for happiness. But the ‘Rusałki' express his enchantment with the Polish landscape too, which was a constant element of works painted by Malczewski and other artists from that period.

The painting cycle was made on request by Zygmunt Pusłowski, the Cracow's patron of artists and art collectioner, whose former collection makes a large part of the current JU Museum. The adaptations made in cooperation with the Disability Support Service make all Malczewski's paintings in the exhibition available both for persons with full-sight and sight loss.

Visitors will be also able to see some chosen objects from the atelier of the renowned Polish artists, experimental animation director, designer and inventor Julian Antoniszczak, whose artistic work also touched the subject of sight impairment. In 1983 he created the scanning chropograh, which can be seen in the exhibition, an optical-mechanical device which can be used to create tangible reproductions.

Design students from the Pedagogical University in Cracow, supervised by Malwina Antoniszczak, have prepared a model of the Collegium Maius building and also tangible replicas of a few selected exhibis from the Museum's collection. All visitors will be able to see and touch them.

To celebrate the first death anniversary of Wisława Szymborska, a tangible replica of her Nobel Prize medal was prepared specifically for the Touch Culture 2013 events. Together with the original prize it will be on display. The replica was made in cooperation with the Nobel Commitee in Stokholm and thanks to financial aid from the Wisława Szymborska Foundation.

The exhibition will be open from 15^th October to 6^th December, Mondays to Fridays, from 11-to 15.