Guggenheim Introduces New Audio Experience with Mind’s Eye: A Sensory Guide to the Guggenheim New York

Reopened to the public, the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum now offers Mind’s Eye: A Sensory Guide to the Guggenheim New York, a new audio experience designed for blind and low-vision communities, and illuminating for all. Narrated by a diverse cast of quintessential New York voices, including both regular and renowned city dwellers—among them actors Bobby Cannavale and Maggie Gyllenhaal and Bishop Chantel R. Wright—the Mind’s Eye guide transports listeners to New York City, bringing them from bustling Fifth Avenue into the uplifting space within the museum. Each of the ten tracks describes one sensory aspect of the space—such as sound, touch, and light—creating a rich aural and physical experience: a new and quietly revolutionary way to explore the Guggenheim. The Mind’s Eye guide is free of charge and available through the Guggenheim Digital Guide on the Bloomberg Connects app; on podcasting platforms, including SoundCloud and iTunes; and through guggenheim.org.

During the production process, iterations of the guide were reviewed by participants in the Guggenheim’s Mind’s Eye program, which provides tours and workshops for visitors who are blind or have low vision, conducted by arts and education professionals through verbal description, conversation, sensory experiences, and creative practice.

Tracks and voices featured in the Mind’s Eye audio guide:

1. Approach – Marilee Talkington, actor (Law & Order: SVU, See) and activist and advocate for performers with disabilities
2. Threshold – Bishop Chantel R. Wright, choir director and founder of Pneuma Ministries International
3. Sound – Jeremy Pope, actor (Ain’t Too Proud, Hollywood)
4. Incline – BD Wong, actor (Law & Order: SVU, Jurassic World)
5. Suspension – Maggie Gyllenhaal, actor (Secretary, The Deuce)
6. Light – Karen Bergman; a staff member in the Guggenheim’s Education Department, who also wrote the guide’s scripts
7. Scale – Bobby Cannavale, actor (I, Tonya, The Irishman)
8. Touch – Maggie Gyllenhaal
9. Flow – Azuri Jenkins; yoga instructor and full spectrum doula
10. Continuity – Jeremy Pope

The Mind’s Eye guide was collaboratively conceived and developed by a cross-departmental team at the Guggenheim along with San Francisco–based creative agency Sound Made Public. The scripts were written by Karen Bergman, Access Programs Associate, with input from Ashley Mendelsohn, former Assistant Curator, Architecture and Digital Initiatives, and members of the Digital Media and Digital Experience departments: Laura Kleger, Senior Director, Digital; Caitlin Dover, Associate Director, Digital Media; Miriam Weiner, Associate Director, Digital Experience; and Clara Boesch, Manager, Digital Experience.

In addition to the new Mind’s Eye sensory guide, a range of digital programming including virtual talks, architectural and gallery tours, art classes for adults and families, and free teaching materials continue to be presented on the Guggenheim’s website through Guggenheim at Large to extend access and offer experiences for audiences in any location.

Mind’s Eye is made possible by Ornellaia.

The Guggenheim Digital Guide, a part of the Bloomberg Connects app, is supported by Bloomberg Philanthropies.

The Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation was established in 1937 and is dedicated to promoting the understanding and appreciation of modern and contemporary art through exhibitions, education programs, research initiatives, and publications. The international constellation of museums includes the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York; the Peggy Guggenheim Collection, Venice; the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao; and the future Guggenheim Abu Dhabi. In 2019 the Frank Lloyd Wright–designed Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum celebrated 60 years as an architectural icon and “temple of spirit” where radical art and architecture meet. The museum is among a group of eight Frank Lloyd Wright structures in the United States recently designated as a UNESCO World Heritage site. To learn more about the museum and the Guggenheim’s activities around the world, visit guggenheim.org.

Admission: Adults $25, students/seniors (65+) $18, members and children under 12 free. Open Thursday through Monday from 11 am to 6 pm. Pay What You Wish hours are Fridays and Saturdays from 4 to 6 pm. Timed tickets are required and available at guggenheim.org/tickets.

Reopen to the public as of October 3 with reduced capacity, the Guggenheim is implementing health and safety measures in consideration of visitors and employees and in compliance with New York State and City guidelines. Face masks are mandatory inside the museum for anyone over the age of two. New requirements should be reviewed in advance of a visit; they are posted on COVID-19 Safety Measures: What to Expect When Visiting at guggenheim.org.

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