"Love and Knowledge Releases the Soul from Darkness"

Learn with your hands... Observe weight, temperature, size, form and texture. Acquire knowledge about real versus abstract form, density of materials and fine detail by using your sense of touch. It’s all possible at The Governor Morehead School Gallery.

From the earliest times, precious objects of art have been placed where they could NOT be touched. But with the opening of The Governor Morehead School Gallery in May 1995 the rules changed. Here, visitors are not only invited, but also encouraged, to experience art not just with their eyes but with their hands.

Touch...The gallery not only offers the blind and visually impaired the opportunity to experience art, it offers the sighted an opportunity to enjoy art in a new and different way. Children and adults can rediscover the sense of touch when experiencing sculptures such as the "Last Caress" or "The Crawl".

Feel...The gallery showcases original works of art, many from the Mary Duke Biddle Gallery that was housed in the North Carolina Museum of Art. In addition, the gallery’s exchange program with the Duke University Eye Center’s touchable art gallery offers visitors ever changing exhibits to explore and enjoy.

Explore...The gallery also contains an extensive collection of school artifacts including Braille writers, Depression glass, a night watchman’s clock, scrapbooks and photographs detailing the school’s history and an exhibit on chair caning. The Governor Morehead School Gallery is open by appointment only. Group tours may be arranged by calling The Governor Morehead School Information Center at 919 733 6381.

Founded in 1845, The Governor Morehead School was North Carolina’s first school to serve students with special needs. It is the state’s only school that specializes in educational services for children with visual impairments, birth through age 21. In addition to the school’s traditional K-12 program, preschool and outreach services are offered to children with visual impairments throughout the state.

The Governor Morehead School is part of the Office of Education Services of the NC Department of Health and Human Services. The school and gallery are located at 301 Ashe Avenue near downtown Raleigh. For more information call 919 733 6381.

"The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched. They must be felt with the heart." Helen Keller