WCBVI Gallery Night

press release: On Friday, November 4, the Wisconsin Council of the Blind & Visually Impaired will host its 2022 Gallery Night, a celebration of art created by individuals with vision loss. This year, the Council is featuring the work of eight artists from across Wisconsin working in a range of media, including acrylic and watercolor paint, pen and ink drawing, digital illustration and woodworking.

2022 Gallery Night

Friday, November 4

5:00-8:00 p.m.

754 Williamson St., Madison

This year’s featured artists are:

Deb Claire, Madison

Ellen Connor, Oregon

Rosemary Fortney, Milwaukee

Duncan Hamilton, Verona

Phyllis Jacobson, Mequon

Isabel Kinerk, Lake Geneva

Eli Santin, Madison

Mark Weber, Medford

After two years of virtual-only Gallery Night events, the Council is delighted to be returning to an in-person format. Many of the pieces on display will be available for purchase both at the event and through our online virtual gallery, which can be accessed at wcblind.org/events/gallery-night/.

“The Council has been hosting Gallery Nights for more than a decade, and we’re thrilled to be able to open our doors to the community once again this year,” said WCBVI Executive Director Denise Jess. “This is one of the many ways we educate the public about the contributions people with vision loss make to society every day, whether through art or through the multitude of other activities we engage in.”

“Artists with vision loss have precious view opportunities to display their work,” Jess said. “Gallery Night is a prime example of the Council’s commitment to advancing inclusion and equity for the people we serve.”

The event will include a program during which the artists will have the opportunity to talk about their inspirations and describe their creative process. In addition, the Council’s access technology and vision rehabilitation classrooms will be open for demonstrations of some of the adaptive techniques artists with vision loss may use in their work and in their lives. The Sharper Vision Store will also be open for browsing and purchases.

Light snacks and refreshments will be available.

The Council is grateful to NeuGen, Associated Bank and Park Bank for their sponsorship of this year’s Gallery Night.

A Note on the Council’s Participation in Gallery Night

The Madison Museum of Contemporary Art (MMoCA) has been in the news recently due to events related to its “Ain’t I a Woman?” exhibit, which highlighted the work of Black women artists. Like many, we were deeply troubled by the inadequacy of MMoCA’s public response to the incident. That led us to consider disassociating our own Gallery Night from MMoCA’s citywide event. We ultimately decided to remain under the MMoCA Gallery Night umbrella. 

This was not a decision we took lightly. Our deliberation was grounded in our organization’s core values: inclusivity, uncompromising respect, and integrity. For us, the primary consideration was how to best serve the interests of our artists, all of whom live with vision loss. These artists have exceedingly few opportunities to exhibit their work. For some of them, Gallery Night will be the only public display of their art this year. We do not have the capacity to replicate the amount of publicity MMoCA can generate. Consequently, our artists and their creations would receive much less exposure if we were to go it alone. 

We unequivocally stand in solidarity with the Black women who have been harmed by the handling of the MMoCA incident. By choosing this path, we reject having the interests of different marginalized groups pitted against each other, and instead seek to sustain the dialog and be part of the conscious shift toward greater inclusivity in the institutions that affect our lives.

About the Council

Founded in 1952, the Wisconsin Council of the Blind & Visually Impaired promotes the dignity and empowerment of the people of Wisconsin living with vision loss through advocacy, education and vision services.  To learn more about the Council, visit WCblind.org.