Having an
addiction to facebook can be beneficial.
While I was browsing my homepage, I noticed a post in the AAPD intern
group about a concert at the Kennedy
Center—a concert of
musicians with disabilities provided by VSA, the
international organization on arts and disability. The talent of the musicians was
outstanding. The other interns and I
walked away impressed and excitedly began planning our next visit to the Kennedy Center.
As I watched the concert, I thought
about myself as an artist with a disability.
While my musical skills are below average, I have been working to
improve my photography skills since high school, and I consider myself to be
pretty comfortable behind a camera.
People’s reactions when they learn that I am a visually impaired
photographer can be very amusing and are usually just silly. I have been told that visually impaired
people aren’t supposed to be able to create great artwork. Oh, how ignorant people can be!
 |
Title: "Drop of Patriotism"
Description: A drop of water hits an American flag plate in my kitchen sink |
The
most common question that I have been asked is: “How can you see what you are
photographing?” To put it simply, carrying
around my camera is like carrying around a giant magnifying glass. I have a Sony a350, which allows for
interchangeable lenses. My macro lens
has enabled me to see details of objects that would otherwise remain unnoticed
because of my visual impairment. So, I
actually see BETTER when I am photographing the subject.
 |
Title: "Give Me a Sign"
Description: Taken at the Boneyard for Signs in Las Vegas, Nevada |
One
of the first art exhibits that I applied for was through VSA Michigan, the
state organization on arts and disability.
Because several of my pieces were chosen for the statewide exhibit, I
experienced a newfound confidence in my artwork and began to apply to calls for
many national and international exhibits.
A few years ago I would never have imagined that I would be calling myself
an internationally exhibiting artist today.
I have had my artwork displayed in galleries in Australia, Canada,
and across the United States. I guess you could say I have really developed
an “eye” for photography.
 |
Untitled
Description: A flamingo in the gardens at the Flamingo Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada |
No comments:
Post a Comment
Commenters must avoid profanity, harsh language and disparaging remarks on the basis of gender, race, class, ethnicity, national origin, religion, sexual orientation or disability. All comments to the blog are moderated by AAPD, and can be subject to removal at any time.
Please use the comments section to engage in the ongoing dialogue between our program funders, current and former interns, our colleagues, and the broader disability community, and to respond to intern posts that intrigue you, to share your own stories, or to simply express your gratitude for being allowed into the world of our summer interns.