Artist Statements
Formats
Artists statements are available in multiple formats to increase accessibility of the material. You can view the statements in English on this webpage below, in Spanish as a downloadable Word document, or listen in audio format in English or Spanish.
Listen to the full 2025 Gallery Night catalog
Escuche la recopilación de declaraciones del artista en español
Amy Allan, Madison
I started creating my art when I was 15 as a way to help me process my vision loss and other disabilities. I’m influenced by things that are happening in my life and use art to cope through any struggles I might be going through. When I make my art, I use a helmet magnifier to help me to see what I’m working on.
Listen to Amy Allan's Artist Statement
Escucha la declaración de artista y la descripción de la obra de Amy Allan
Richard Berkholtz, Madison
I lost my sight in 2015, and since then I’ve been staying creatively active by making art and starting my own business, Richard’s Firestarters. I make my own firestarters independently using adaptive equipment and natural materials. Over the last 7 years, I have developed my own process to design, manufacture, package, and sell my firestarters.
Before I lost my sight, I enjoyed working with metal to make sculptures and creations for friends and family. I have always had a creative side, so after my accident, it was a natural progression into my art practice today. I make masks out of clay as well as vessels big and small. I incorporate textures in my ceramic work and continue to investigate ways to add tactile design elements. I enjoy the works of art that I continue to create.
My art and my business are important to me because they make other people smile. Family, friends, and the community are the most important things to me.
Listen to Richard Berkholtz's Artist Statement
Escucha la declaración de artista y la descripción de la obras de Richard Berkholtz
June Brooks, Madison
My name is June Brooks. I live on the beautiful North Side of Madison, Wisconsin. My preferred art medium is acrylic paint, because it allows me the use of bold and vibrant colors which I love. The natural world is my inspiration, especially animals and landscapes. With a visual impairment that affects my central vision, I paint what I see. Shapes, colors and lines come together to capture my world.
Listen to June Brooks' artist statement
Escucha la declaración de artista y la descripción de la obras de June Brooks
Illana Dehoyos, Madison
For the longest time, I have always loved art. This love for art started when I was a kid, and as I got older, I got interested in photography as well. Both have been a part of my life for a really long time now, and although I struggle with drawing certain things or capturing certain things on camera, I keep trying and don’t give up. 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; 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 as a visually impaired person.
Listen to Illana Dehoyos' Artist Statement
Escucha la declaración de artista y la descripción de la obras de Illana Dehoyos
Elizabeth Fryseth, La Crosse
I began crafting at a young age, always searching for the right medium, until a friend taught me the basics of knitting in 7th grade. Years later, when my vision deteriorated, I thought I’d never knit again and gave away all my supplies. During the pandemic, I rediscovered knitting with support from YouTube, blind knitting groups, and a local yarn store.
With adaptive tools like bread ties to distinguish yarns and a Braille row counter 3D-printed by my family, I’ve found new ways to stay connected to the craft. I’m inspired by tactile textures, natural fibers, and traditional patterns—especially those by Wisconsin knitter Elizabeth Zimmermann, who said,“Knit on with confidence and hope through all crises.”
Each stitch tells part of my journey—and I haven’t looked back.
Listen to Elizabeth Fryseth's artist statement
Escucha la declaración de artista y la descripción de la obras de Elizabeth Fryseth
Chamomile Harrison, Edgerton
Chamomile Harrison (she/they) started making chainmaille her senior year of high school. Her high school experience was…not great. They were diagnosed with a brain tumor, underwent chemo, and was left blind from brain surgery. Cham was (and still is) a huge nerd and wanted her own armor. Chainmaille is a tactile art and thus was very accessible for her. It provided an escape while they went through a tough time in her life.
Now, almost a decade later, her work has expanded. Owner of Cham’s Charms & Chains, Cham creates unique pieces with mixed media, still focusing on chainmaille. Beyond the occasional help distinguishing color, chainmaille remains accessible to her, being able to be done largely by touch. She draws inspiration from her community, making bright pieces to show off queer pride and the joy of being alive.
Listen to Chamomile Harrison's Artist Statement
Escucha la declaración de artista y la descripción de la obras de Chamomile Harrison
Linda Higdon, Madison
I survived two kinds of cancer, between 1986 and 1996, as well as losing my husband and mother. A few years ago, I found out that my sister was declared legally blind. During this physical and emotional time in my life I have turned my focus to God and my artistic abilities. Now with my newest gift, macular degeneration, I ask for God’s guidance for my doctors as they help treat my eyes and with my artwork. When I was born, the doctor took my mother and me to my grandmother’s room so she could see her first granddaughter before her sight was gone. I am now using a magnifying glass and God’s hand guiding me on each new picture I create. I have done six pictures since June 2025 for a total of 34 and I hope to add more in the future.
Listen to Linda Higdon's Artist Statement
Escucha la declaración de artista y la descripción de la obras de Linda Higdon
Janae Nell, Waterloo
My name is Janae Nell. I have been painting for a little under four years. My grandfather was an artist,and my brother had a painting of his that I inherited that was in need of serious repair. I decided to take on the task and fill in the large chipped paint areas and was so happy with the results. You couldn’t tell where I made the repairs. From there, I watched some painting videos and learned the basics of how to paint. I’ve been doing it ever since and love the hobby. I paint with oils but have recently begun working with acrylics, too. I use magnification to help overcome my visual impairment when doing finer details. I always paint with two very bright lights illuminating my canvas. I’m also starting to work on less detail and more of an impressionistic style, but still find myself wanting to add as much realism as I am capable of. It’s a journey and a joy.
Listen to Janae Nell's Artist Statement
Escucha la declaración de artista y la descripción de la obra de Janae Nell
Nancy Preuss, Appleton
I come from a long line of crafters, so crafting has always been a part of my life. My inspirations come from wanting to make things I am unable to see anymore. The Star for the night sky and Flowers for my love of nature.
In doing my 3D art, I feel the board for the placement of nails, decide on colors for fuzzy sticks and wire. Then I start counting the nails for placement of my first piece for the pattern I want to achieve. After that, it’s a matter of continuing the pattern and counting nails.
Listen to Nancy Preuss' Artist Statement
Escucha la declaración de artista y la descripción de la obras de Nancy Preuss
Mark Weber, Medford
Art has been a part of me since childhood. After several conditions and surgeries on my eyes, distorted tunnel vision remains (4% of visual field–look through the center of a paper towel roll). I have experienced 21 procedures to save my vision. Each time has left me with having to learn a new way of seeing. The result now has left me with more of a fluid vision (things morph into different details as I view them).
While the visual aesthetic of my artwork remains, I was working more with the tactile sculptural mediums of metal, wood, drywall mud, and cement in the past.
Now that my vision has become a bit more distorted, I am concentrating more on ink pen and pencil drawings, as the black and white give me more visual depth when creating.
Listen to Mark Weber's Artist Statement
Escucha la declaración de artista y la descripción de la obras de Mark Weber
Mia Zutter, Sun Prairie
I started crocheting around four years ago after being patiently shown the ropes by a former coworker (and current best friend). I’ve always been fascinated by color combinations but couldn’t really get a handle on painting or drawing. When I learned to crochet, I discovered it was a great outlet for playing with those different color combinations. My piece “Tactile Meditation” is the first non-clothing piece that I’ve made and was inspired by my other love: my yoga mat! Crocheting is perfect for someone with vision loss who gets a lot of headaches, as I do, because once you learn a stitch, it becomes very tactile and meditative. Crocheting is something that really empowers me because my art has nothing to do with my vision, unlike other hobbies I’ve had in the past.
Listen to Mia Zutter's Artist Statement
Escucha la declaración de artista y la descripción de la obras de Mia Zutter
Watch our “Meet the Artists” video on YouTube.
Return to the main Gallery Night page