Skip to content
Dictionary
- 3D-printed touch objects: 3D scans and digital print files of the original museum object; 3D printers construct three-dimensional plastic objects from the digital file using additive manufacturing (Race et al.)
- Artist commissioned replica: duplicates of a museum object, typically produced by the original artist, that are reserved for touch tours (Race et al.)
- Museum object: include tools, clothing, and decorations made by people, which provide essential clues for researchers studying ancient (and contemporary) cultures (National Geographic, “Artifacts”)
- Reproduction: high-resolution purchased models of the original museum object; they should be large enough to depict detail but small enough to hold in the visitor’s hands (Race et al.)
- Simple model: teaching tools or low fidelity representations of the museum object that convey processes relevant to the museum object, such physical mechanisms or artistic processes; models are considered low fidelity if they are further away from touching an original museum object (Race et al.)
- Tactile graphic: convey visual information and data via raised surfaces explored by touch, using methods such as embossing and microcapsule printing (Edman 1992)
- Three-dimensional: referring to museum objects that have depth and raised elements, such as sculptures, fossils, and figurines.
- Visual description: non-visual language that conveys the visual world; can be used to navigate a visitor through a museum, orient a listener to a work of art, or provide access to the visual aspects of a performance (Art Beyond Sight, “Verbal Description Training”)