NEBA





		NATIONAL EXHIBITS BY BLIND ARTISTS ART BEYOND SIGHT EXHIBITS BY BLIND ARTISTS September 11, 2001 through January 6, 2002 Philadelphia Art Alliance Satellite Gallery Rittenhouse Hotel, Third Floor 210 W. Rittenhouse Square Philadelphia, PA 19103 This exhibit was planned with The Library for the Blind and Physically Handicapped of the Free Library of Philadelphia 919 Walnut Street Philadelphia, PA 19107 (215) 925-3213 (voicemail) (215) 683-3213 (800) 222-1754 National Exhibits by Blind Artists wishes to acknowledge with gratitude the following sponsors: Louis N. Cassett Foundation/Claneil Foundation/ Connelly Foundation/Kleinert's, Inc. Five County Arts Fund of the Greater Philadelphia Cultural Alliance Harriet G. Fredericks Foundation FIRST AWARD TWO DIMENSIONAL Muriel B. Harris "Signs of the Times" MIXED MEDIA (Edison, New Jersey). The "artist within" Muriel began the first day she held a pencil or crayon. Her art has continued to evolve, encompassing portrait, representational, social comment, and abstract art. FIRST AWARD THREE DIMENSIONAL Kathy Faul "Introspection" CLAY (Swarthmore, Pennsylvania). "In the pursuit of finding and sharing truth, joy and love, blindness has been my greatest teacher. The gift of inner vision is one that I wish to share with others through form and sculpture. I am thankful to friends, family, my teachers of blindness, and my teachers of art." SECOND AWARD ART BEYOND SIGHT Stewart Allen "Tucked Away" WATERCOLOR (Charlotte, North Carolina). "My work reflects the love and beauty of the world around us. The subjects chosen in my work reflect my desire to create a positive influence on each viewer." THIRD AWARD ART BEYOND SIGHT Martina Webb "Deliverance" CLAY (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania). "Neglect not the gift that is in you," quotes Martina from a favorite scripture. Martina thanks NEBA for tapping into the gift of art. 2001-2001 RECOGNITION AWARD John Caperton, Jr. "Red Mesa" ACRYLIC (Albuquerque, New Mexico). Macular degeneration redirected John's style of art to a more abstract method. He paints small watercolors with the aid of a closed circuit television reader. 2001-2001 RECOGNITION AWARD Carmelo Gannello "Exposure" LINOCUT (Oak Park, Illinois). Carmelo is known for his paintings of parks, marine life and city living. The repetition of circles in his work symbolizes the cataracts that have transformed his vision. 2001-2002 JURIED SELECTIONS Earl J. Bell, Jr. "Images" GLASS TILE/MOSAIC (Los Gatos, California). Earl believes that creating a mosaic is a transpersonal activity in which both sides of the brain work in harmony to create an art form. Louise Bitman "Thinking" CLAY (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania). Louise is a graduate of the Moore College of Art and taught in the Philadelphia School system. Since losing her sight, Louise has shifted her artistic focus from painting to sculpture. She attends classes at Cheltenham Art Center and Allen's Lane Art Center. Tina Blatter "Glass with Texture" MIXED MEDIA (Kansas City, Missouri). "I find myself getting excited about new tactile materials to try on my paintings. I love creating new work, with a particular design or theme. Being blind and creating tactile work just adds to the challenge of doing new and different things." Ollin Blue "Laughing Fish" ACRYLIC Ollin Blue (Fall Creek, Oregon). "Art has become my guide and teacher on a journey inward, a journey of self-discovery as well as a means to share what I find." Raymond Bray "The Garden Wall" OIL (Wildwood, Florida). Raymond achieved success as a self-taught, award-winning artist prior to his visual impairment. With encouragement from NEBA, he resumed creating art and exhibits both oil and acrylic paintings. Shirley Brotman "Abstraction" PLASTER (Philadelphia Pennsylvania). After Shirley's husband of thirty years passed away, Shirley discovered that art helped her cope with the grieving process. Abe Brown "Plants in Path" ACRYLIC (Brooklyn, New York). Abe travels considerably, photographs the many scenic landscapes, and then paints from his photographs. By slightly altering the palette and composition, he imbues the landscapes with an artistic sense of balance. Ron Bryant "Chariot" CLAY (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania). Ron sees his work take form after its start. He sees himself more involved in the process of working than in the finished product. Before losing his sight, Ron was a chef. Betsy Clayton "Whoop-D-Doo" PAPIER MACHE (Dresher, Pennsylvania). Despite Betsy's imagination and eagerness to try new techniques, she is fulfilled when working in clay. "It's the one place I want to be." Martha B. Cowden "Play It Cool" FIBER (Dayton, Ohio). Martha combines fiber coiling with hand built pottery, a Native American basketry technique, in her pieces. Fibers used in both her pottery and wall hangings are hand-spun on her castle wheel and hip spindle. Sam Dietze "Flame Sky" ACRYLIC (Altoona, Pennsylvania). Sam gets his inspiration from nature, particularly sunsets and trees. He is inspired by his imagination and from his astronomic knowledge. Lavera Diggins "Affection" CLAY (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania). "I'm grateful to God for the opportunity to continue doing my artwork for twenty years and pray that I can continue as long as God permits me to." Dorothy DiGirolamo "Horse & Rider" MIXED MEDIA (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania). Dorothy's sculptures are noteworthy for their sentimentality. Dorothy is a perfectionist who finds art very frustrating because she does not have a visual image. Margaret Flanagan "Climbing Bear" NEEDLE SCULPTURE (Broken Arrow, Oklahoma). Margaret has been drawing faces since the first grade, but particularly loves sculpting. She adores making her Native American orphan babies, and falls in love with each one. Janice Schupak Frishkopf "Winter Sunset" COLORED PENCIL/INK (Belmont, Massachusetts). Janice creates nature motifs in colored pencil and ink on paper, breaking them down into blocks of solid color and enhancing the forms with black outline. Her graphic style lends itself to print reproduction for cards and posters. Carmelo Gannello "Symbols of Peace" LINOCUT (Oak Park, Illinois). Carmelo is known for his paintings of parks, marine life and city living. The repetition of circles in his work symbolizes the cataracts that have transformed his vision. Joe Harris "Red Sunrise" OIL PASTELS (Houston, Texas). After years of searching for his own style, Joe learned to transfer the glistening colors from his memory into paintings. He's happy that he found a way to express his inner vision. Sally Harris "A Walk Through the Woods" WATERCOLOR/ACRYLIC (Columbus, Ohio). "I rely on faded memories mingled with the reality of today's sight to form images that reflect my feelings and what is important to me." Mary Ellen Jesse "S. Maria di Trastevere" ACRYLIC (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania). "Painting is a way of overcoming my visual limitation. It allows me to feel on an equal footing with others, and is one of life's greatest pleasures." Jane Kohn "Cityscape" PLASTER (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania). Jane is a former social worker who started sculpting after losing her eyesight in 1981. She trusts that her figure sculptures reflect her love of people. Eve Lipman "Father & Son" CLAY (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania). "To create a piece of art despite having a visual impairment is in itself a miracle. One uses senses that a person with normal vision sometimes forgets to use." Donald Lorah "Torso" CLAY (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania). Don became blind at age 37 and has since studied at the Main Line Center of the Arts and the Philadelphia Museum of Art. Winifred Maccone "Crystal Garden" PHOTOGRAPH (Fairfax, Virginia). "I consider photography to be an art. I feel that I paint with my camera, capturing on film the images that lay before me… photography allows me to see details that I cannot see with the naked eye, for I 'see' the world around me in a soft haze and only with peripheral vision." Frank Madison "Beginning & End" PLASTER (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania). Frank prefers abstract sculpting and attends class at the Allen's Lane Art Center. "I was always creative, but when I became blind it brought out the artist in me." Michele Carleton McGillis "Autumn" ACRYLIC (Ontario, Canada). Michele's strong passion to paint and design knows no limits and her bold, rugged style certainly compliments the Canadian landscape. "Being a visual artist enables me to share my experiences with others through my paintings." Safi wa Nairobi "Bora Bora" PHOTOGRAPH (El Cerrito, California). Safi has been sharing a visual voice as a means of creative expression for more than a decade. The purpose behind the work explores the notion of art as healing. Recognizing unlimited possibilities in the creative process, Safi shifts easily between traditional and experimental. Romaine Samworth "My Puppies" PAPIER MACHE (Malvern, Pennsylvania). Romaine was eight years old when she lost her vision from a adverse reaction to a small pox vaccine. With a whimsical imagination, she sculpts colorful caricatures of mostly animals inspired by her early years on a farm. Joseph Saxon "It's Show Time" ACRYLIC (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania). Joseph employs various media in his creations using a wide range of color. He is a graduate of The Art Institute of Pittsburgh with a degree in visual communications. Carol Saylor "Mother & Child" CLAY (Roslyn, Pennsylvania). "I have been making and teaching art most of my life, and blindness has been my greatest teacher. I now know that we are not our bodies, and the body's eyes have nothing to do with vision." Russell Schermer "1951 Ford Sedan" CERAMIC (Chico, California). Russell makes handcrafted replicas of old cars. "If I'd have to make cups and bowls all day to earn a living at this, I'm not interested in doing it at all. But let me make cars, and I'm ready to go to work." Diane Spellman "Gold Face" MIXED MEDIA (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania). Diane created her sculpture entry before her death in October, 2000. Diane participated in NEBA for many years. She attended classes at Form in Art and at the Allen's Lane Art Center. Brent Karitoke S. "Video" COMPUTER ANIMATION (Mesa, Arizona). Brent merges the world of disability with computer animation using the heart of his South Pacific Island heritage. "I've been given a life, I deserve to live. I've been blessed with a gift I must use in this lifetime." Christine Ueberroth-Krall "Dance of the Koi" ACRYLIC (Toledo, Ohio). "As a visual artist I try to create works that fulfill the need to share insights on creativity with others. All visual artists with or without impairments interpret their subject matter in a unique way." Frank Valliere "Classic Ruin" LITHOGRAPH (Gorham, Maine). "I am taken in by the different atmospheres, the random patterns and colors. Objects of human existence left to the environment seem to be telling their stories: where they've been, what they've done, and what they are doing now, as they settle in for the long haul, taking on more and more the character of their surroundings - the harsh, beautiful truth." C.T. Ward "Owl Creek Cascade" PHOTOGRAPH (Salmon, Idaho). C. T. compares his eyesight to looking through a dirty window with the sun shining through it. Utilizing the visual aids available in his camera system, he searches for the large forms, the color and the light that define his perspective. "The vision comes from the heart of nature and my love for her," he says. Roger J. Weiss "Tracks to Nowhere" PHOTOGRAPH (Hatboro, Pennsylvania). Roger claims that photography has been a challenge and has given him confidence once again. "As you view my work, you will see the photos taken and developed by a man who wouldn't give up. I hope you enjoy and appreciate the work and the man behind the photos." Mary Jo Williams "2 Heads" PLASTER/CLAY (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania). "Through the hands-on experience I have received from my instructor (Bob Fluhr), I really became aware of the beauty of sculpture." Mary Jo attends classes at the Allen's Lane Art Center. Joseph J. Zulawski "Neighbors" COLLAGE (Park Ridge, Illinois). Joe has earned a living in art-related professions - free lance photography, art history and archaeology. His eclectic style works well in the various media. "ART BEYOND SIGHT: FOCUS ON ART AND VISION" NEBA SELECTION AND AWARDS PANEL This year's panel of judges is drawn from the Philadelphia art world. They viewed the works first as slides for the initial selection process, and finally as actual pieces for the awarding of prizes. NEBA is grateful to them for sharing their time and talent. Quita Brodhead Honorary Chairperson Jan Baltzell, Chair NEBA Selection and Awards Committee Professor, Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts John Horn, Sculptor Professor, Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts Patricia Traub, Artist Professor, Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts Photography by Will Brown