“I was born in a small community in central Wisconsin. I spent my first four years loving my family’s farm. When it was time for me to go to school, we sold the farm and moved about one hundred miles to the city where the residential school for the blind was located. There was not […] Read More »
“I have had an interest in making things since childhood. I have always had a fascination with cars and have enjoyed forming things from clay. I have combined my interests in these two things to create my work.”
When I was diagnosed with a retinal degenerative disease which rendered me legally blind, I had been a practicing professional artist for several years. I had to re-invent my thinking and techniques to continue working as a visual artist. “I am now less inspired by what I see and more by what I hear, remember […] Read More »
Note: JAWS users, please use the spacebar to activate the audio. “Her Blindness” is my story. “I was the ‘low vision guide’ for my sighted friend and poet, Jane Walster. The audio file above is a digital recording of the poem so that non sighted patrons can hear the spoken words. Access to Art for […] Read More »
Sam first discovered the wonderful world of creative indulgence when he was in his mother’s womb and bored out of his skull. He couldn’t wait to get his hands on some Magic Markers so he could get straight to work. Unfortunately, some urgent matters demanded his attention upon entering That Other Word, such as learning […] Read More »
“I was diagnosed at 16 with Usher Syndrome (progressive deaf-blindness) now having less than 10 degrees of peripheral vision. “I studied art throughout my school and college years, exploring watercolours as my main practice. As my vision diminishes, many forms of art have changed – that change has been a positive influence for me. It […] Read More »
“I’ve had a vibrant imagination since I was a kid, and used to draw, paint and sculpt often. “As an adult, I set that aside for many years. I saw my eye condition as a barrier to any visual expression. “Now, with the unfailing encouragement of family and friends, I am happily allowing dreams, imaginings […] Read More »
“I’m a self-taught artist. I’ve been legally blind since very early childhood from Retinitis Pigmentosa. From as far back as I can remember, I was fascinated with artists and their techniques. Like a sponge, I watched and absorbed different techniques, along with tips and suggestions from many artist friends, magazines and video tutorials. I am […] Read More »
Patron Sponsor: “All my life, art has been an extension of who I am and something that gives me purpose. As my vision has changed over time, I’ve had to continually reinvent my methods to adapt to the fading sense, expanding what I create from one dimension to three by incorporating creative textures so […] Read More »
Annie Hesse began doing professional freelance photography before attending and graduating from The San Francisco Art Institute with a BA Degree in Photography. During that period she mainly used and experimented with Black & White film stock to take documentary photographs of the culture and lifestyle she was involved in. In particular, she photographed Punk […] Read More »