I think it has to do with what you’re considering as artwork! There’s a traditional distinction between “fine arts” and “applied arts.”

Fine art, like painting, is almost definitionally not supposed to be touched.

Applied arts include fibers (knitting, weaving), ceramics, jewelry and metalwork, etc. Stuff that’s meant to be pleasing and functional.

Whether something should be touched is almost _the thing_ that moves a field from one category to the other.

Applied artists, and their product designer cousins, will spend a lot of time exploring and pursuing tactile qualities.