The Blind Artist’s Society
When most people think about art, they usually consider sight to be a prerequisite for creating great art, but nothing could be further from the truth. The Blind Artist’s Society seeks to shatter this myth by providing resources for artists who are visually handicapped to get their art recognized. Another purpose of the foundation is to help promote research in the field of retina study to hopefully one day provide a cure for blindness. Many of the artists sponsored by the Blind Artist’s Society have had their works on display in various public forums.
The Blind Artist’s Society also works with artists that have lost their vision due to a variety of degenerative illnesses. They provide support groups, since coping with the loss of vision when you work in an industry where it plays such a large role can be quite hard at first. Many of the artists are still able to continue their work, but usually not at the level they previously produced at. Some of the artists still continue to teach art classes despite severe vision loss. One example of this is Joan Slocum.
Slocum’s vision became severely impaired after eye surgery to the point that she was only able to see hazy outlines of objects and people. The emotional support provided to her by the Blind Artist’s Society after her vision loss was essential in helping her continue to work in the field she loves so much.
The Blind Artist’s Society provides much in the way of advocacy and providing informational and emotional support to artist who have suffered vision loss. If you find yourself in those circumstances, or know someone who could use the support, why not reach out to the Blind Artist’s Society?
