BY HEATHER KENNERY
Seeing is believing, but if there is no vision how does one create. The truth is vision is not just about using your eyesight, it is a feeling as well. An emotion that everyone is capable of. In December this theory was on display at the Resight art exhibit in Kitchener City Hall’s Berlin Tower ARTSPACE.
The exhibit featured the work of four visually impaired artists, including Stewart Kenyon. He discovered his joy of painting and creating art at the CNIB Lake Joe camp. This accessible recreation camp, which runs from June to August, is for people who are blind or have vision impairment.
The art program was started by an artists’ collective called Resight. They wanted to get rid of the barriers of the visual arts. Each artist teaches different aspects of the arts to participants. One of the artists who works with the campers at Lake Joe is Yvonne Felix.
She started helping out at the camp last year and has been instrumental in turning the arts program into five weeks of art sessions.
Felix understands the misconceptions that visually impaired people face when creating art. She is an award-winning public and community artist who has vision impairment. After being the first graduate with vision loss to get her degree at the Dundas Valley School of Art, Felix knew that she wanted to change the way people viewed art. She creates large scale public installations that people with any disability can “view.” Using multiple mediums to create her art she knows that having a loss of vision doesn’t mean she cannot continue to create. Advocating for this cause is her passion.
“It’s not about seeing with your eyes. It’s about seeing it with your heart and mind,” she said.
Anyone who is blind or visually impaired can also learn how to create art at one of Resight’s art classes or workshops. The collective’s artists work one-on-one with participants to create quality art. For more information go to www.yvonnefelixartwork.com.
Felix said that defining art puts barriers on what you create.
“Art is more about the process than the end product; don’t put limitations on creating,” she said.
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