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Alt-Text as Poetry

February 6, 2024

In partnership with Brookdale’s Diversity Equity and Inclusion services, the CVA Gallery partnered with Bojana Coklyat and Shannon Finnegan to bring their “Alt-Text as Poetry” workshop to Brookdale. They taught how to increase equitable access to visual art and design by learning how to write creative alt-text to describe art and design images on digital platforms for those with low and no vision.This online workshop was based on Bojana and Finnegan’s open-source resource, “Alt Text as Poetry” workbook.

As an extension of this workshop, the CVA Gallery collaborated with Brookdale’s Learning Center (TLC) to design a companion website showcasing a selection of photographs from our exhibit, Experience & Reality: Intersections of Identity, Design and Imagination in 20th and 21st Century Photography for those with low and no vision. The website featured alt-text as poetry written by specific workshop participants, as well as alt-text written by Artificial Intelligence for each photograph. By putting human written alt-text side by side with computer written alt-text we are hoping to learn more about how the two might differ, and what issues may arise as an increasing amount of alt-text is AI generated.

Diversity Statement: Brookdale Community College fosters an environment of inclusion and belonging. We promote a safe and open culture, encourage dialogue respecting diverse perspectives informed by credible sources, and uphold the virtues of civil discourse. We celebrate all identities with the understanding that ultimately, diversity, equity, and inclusion cultivate belonging and make us a stronger Brookdale community.