Join us on Friday, November 6 for Gallery Night! This annual event will take place at our offices in downtown Madison from 5 to 9 p.m. This year, we are featuring the works of 13 artists from across Wisconsin who are blind or low vision. Their work includes painting, photography, fiber arts, ceramics, metal art and more.
This year’s artists are:
Amy Allan
Richard Berkholtz
Emma Bjurquist
June Brooks
Illana Dehoyos
Aubrey Ebert
Elizabeth Fryseth
Sarah Guggenheim
Chamomile Harrison
Melinda Jessie
Janae Nell
Albert Schmiege
Vladimir Shishkin
For 15 years, the Council has showcased the work of artists with vision loss each fall. Gallery Night is a prime example of one of our core beliefs: People with vision loss can do most things a fully-sighted person can do when they apply the right adaptations.
Painter Janae Nell’s path to becoming an artist began when she decided to restore a painting by her grandfather in 2021. After she successfully touched up the painting, Janae, a repeat Gallery Night participant, bought a new set of paintbrushes, turned to legendary TV art instructor Bob Ross as a guide, and began to paint using strategic lighting and hands-free magnifiers.
“Gallery Night is such a nice event; it’s really exciting to see my art on the wall being shared with people,” Janae says. “It was great to be able to talk to some of the other artists who also have vision loss about their experiences.”
Illustrator and photographer Illana Dehoyos is also a multiple-year participant. Ilana says her inspiration comes from her family; watching cartoons and anime with her dad led her to create pixel art and her mom’s love of nature inspired her photography. While Illana has very limited vision due to optic nerve hypoplasia, she says her photography allows her to show the world through her eyes. “My vision impairment is something I was born with, and because of it, I was and still am restricted from doing a lot of things,” Illana says. “But when it comes to art and photography, I’m not restricted from doing those things at all. I am able to draw, paint and take as many photos as I want in order to continue doing what I love and to show those around me how the world looks from my perspective.”
You can learn more about this year’s Gallery Night and check out work from previous years at WCBlind.org/Events/Gallery-Night/.