Press Release
For Immediate Release
August 2025
Title:
Temporary Tactile: a low-waste workshop exploring mark-making art you can touch
Summary:
A free outdoor art-making workshop designed to be accessible to Blind, d/Deaf, non-verbal, and non-disabled community members. All ages welcome.
Date & Time:
Saturday, September 13, 2025
11:00 AM – 4:00 PM (see schedule below)
Location:
100-block East 50th Avenue, Vancouver, BC
Google Map link
About the Workshop:
Participants will explore tactile mark-making — art you can touch — using low-waste and recycled materials. The workshop includes hands-on activities, demonstrations, and opportunities to experiment with different tools and textures.
The day includes:
• Free Play: Explore materials and techniques without prompts.
• Workshops: Follow along as artists demonstrate tactile illustration techniques, with instructions available in multiple languages.
Instructions will be given in English, with handouts in Traditional Chinese, Spanish, French, and English Braille. Questions can be answered in English, French, Spanish, Mandarin and ASL. Visual description will be provided in English.
The facilitators are:
• Keimi Nakashima-Ochoa — artist and educator
• Johnny Tai — Blind artist and martial arts instructor
• Kay Slater — artist, community facilitator and exhibition designer
All three artists identify as Disabled, d/Deaf, Blind, or hard of hearing.
Schedule:
11:00 – 12:00 PM: Free Play
12:00- 1:30 PM: Workshop One
1:30- 2:00 PM: Free Play
2:00- 3:30 PM: Workshop Two
3:30 – 4:00 PM: Free Play
Access:
• Wide sidewalks
• Accessible washrooms available at Sunset Community Centre (6810 Main St)
• On-site Access Coordinators available for support
• Water and snacks available
How to Participate:
Drop in anytime between 11:00 AM and 4:00 PM. No registration required. Free.
Contact:
Artist / Facilitator Contact: tactilemarkmaking@gmail.com
City of Vancouver Contact: placemaking@vancouver.ca (reference “Tactile Mark-Making Workshop”)
Acknowledgement:
Funding provided by the City of Vancouver Placemaking Initiative.
Social Media:
Short (160 characters)
Free tactile art workshop! Sept 13, 11–4 at Main & 50th Ave Plaza. All ages & abilities welcome. Explore mark-making you can touch!
Longer (approx. 300 characters)
Join artists Keimi Nakashima-Ochoa, Johnny Tai & Kay Slater on Sept 13, 11–4 at Main & 50th Ave Plaza for a free tactile art workshop! Explore mark-making you can touch using low-stakes recycled materials. Learn how prototyping and “failing fast” can spark new ideas. All ages & abilities welcome.
What does a drawing feel like?
On Sept 13, 11–4 at Main & 50th Ave Plaza, join artists Keimi Nakashima-Ochoa, Johnny Tai & Kay Slater for a free tactile art workshop. Use everyday recycled materials to try low-stakes mark-making you can touch. All ages & abilities welcome — no experience needed!
Photos
Note: All photos can be shared, but please include image description captions. Photo credit by Kay Slater, 2023 (CC BY-SA 4.0) unless otherwise noted.
Image Description: A pair of dark-skinned hands holds up an aluminum pie plate whose bottom has been decorated with embossed marks in a repeating, circular pattern.
Hands Holding Pie Plate with Tactile Art © 2023 by Kay Slater is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0
Image Description: Two people hold a piece of recycled plastic between their hands. One touches the illustration carved into the surface with an index finger. Beyond their hands on a plastic table are tactile drawing materials such as aluminum pans, cardboard, and rubber mats all stacked in piles around a large metal bin filled with found-object drawing tools.
Touch the Plastic Illustration © 2023 by Kay Slater is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0
Image Description: Inside at the Richmond Cultural Annex, tables are set up with participants facing each other. They work on flat pieces of alumnium, the tables covered in tools and mark-making materials. At one end of the room, Johnny sits at a table under a suspended camera which relays his drawing surface to a wall mounted TV behind him. To one side, Kay and Keimi stand and describe his motions.
Temporary Tactile Workshop for Zodiac Crossroads (solo exhibition by Johnny Tai at the Richmond Annex Gallery) 2025 by Rebecca Wang 王晨釔
Temporary Tactile 