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Five articles. Links and articles follow. Articles seperated by "article #" so easier to seach mail.
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Lisa

article 1 Sculptor focuses on charity work with blind kids http://www.metronews.ca/worksmart_news.asp?id=12002

article 2 Gift Idea - Calendars http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art29624.asp
article 3 Exhibit focuses on art for blind people http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/05307/599369.stm

article 4 artist Fields http://www.courier-journal.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20051106/SCENE05/511060333
article 5 20/20 passion http://sltrib.com/entertainment/ci_3187528


http://www.metronews.ca/worksmart_news.asp?id=12002
http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art29624.asp
http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/05307/599369.stm

article 1


 An artful career shift


   Sculptor focuses on charity work with blind kids


In 2001, Alex Travnickova went to an art exhibit, and ended up changing her career direction.

The exhibit was in Prague, where she lived at the time, and consisted of African art with a twist: visitors were actually encouraged to experience the statues by touching them. And that's what inspired her to create a program that would teach art to blind children.

Travnickova had originally worked in the hospitality industry, which took her around the world — she worked for Hyatt and Four Seasons, allowing her to live in the Middle East, Australia and Switzerland — but she found it wasn't enough.

Because she'd been interested in art as a hobby all her life, she decided to make it her profession, and started teaching pottery to sighted children. But attending that art exhibit made her realize she wanted to focus on charitable work. "For me, both the art and charity were extremely important things that I needed to do — even though my career in hospitality was more lucrative, it wasn't fulfilling," she says.

Now, having settled in Canada, Travnickova has established a charity called Blind Kids Art, and has opened the doors of her Dupont-and-Lansdowne-area studio to blind and visually impaired children under the age of 14. (She supports herself financially by making and selling pottery and sculpture online.)

"I am a sculptor and ceramics artist, so I knew that I could share and teach this. It's a tactile art, so there is no difference between the skills of a sighted child and a blind child," she explains.

Her aim is to teach visually handicapped children how be artistically creative and to have fun, while at the same time helping them gain self-esteem and teaching them the skills they need to be self-sufficient.

"In the short term these classes give blind children a hobby — something different for them to do — and bridges the gap between sighted and blind children. In the long term, it builds their self confidence, teaching them something that they can use for having fun or as a future career."

Open since late September, Blind Kids Art has been received with enthusiasm by both children and their parents. One little girl showed off her new art skills to her sighted friends at a birthday party by teaching them to make shapes from plasticine. And the experience has shown her parents what their child is capable of, how she interacts with others and how she tackles things that are new to her.

Blind Kids Art currently offers one-on-one classroom sessions taught by Travnickova, established artists and volunteers. But she hopes that with time and exposure the charity will the support it needs to expand. "We want to promote this program to bring it to a larger area, so it doesn't mean the classes need to be held at this studio only, they could be held at in opthamology hospital wards or by the Canadian National Institute for the Blind, in Toronto, the GTA and nationwide," says Travnickova. "I would love to see this grow."

To learn more about Blind Kids Art, contact Alex Travnickova, at 416-821-2375, or visit www.komtessa.ca/blindkidsart <http://www.komtessa.ca/blindkidsart>.

article 2

http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art29624.asp

Gift Idea - Calendars

Whether you want some attractive decor for your home or office or a great gift for that someone who has everything, a calendar is just the answer.

But locating a calendar useful to a blind or visually impaired person may be a problem. These specially-formatted items aren't always available at your local Wal-Mart or bookstore.

The calendars described here make great gifts for people with low vision. Some are braille, some are large print, and some even have both braille and large print on the same page! We've hand-picked these quality products just for you for the holidays.

Products may sometimes be available from more than one source. Product names and prices may vary; listed here are the lowest prices found at the time of the writing of this article. Scroll down to find links to purchase featured items.

1. The 2006 Insights Art calendar features art from blind and visually impaired children and adults on each durable page. The calendar is 8.5 by 11 inches, is spiral-bound, and has braille and easy-to-read 36-point large type on each page. Includes holidays and moon phases. Suitable for desk or to hang on the wall. $7.50 from the American Printing House for the Blind

2. Seuss-isms Wise and Witty 2006 Calendar: A wonderful calendar in braille and large print featuring Dr. Seuss quotes and scenes on each page. The braille is on clear plastic sheets that fit right on top of the print pages. Each calendar comes with a sheet of 60 stickers of Dr. Seuss characters; super for marking birthdays and other important occasions. $12.99 from National Braille Press

3. One Week at a Time Calendar: 8.5- by 11-inch large print calendar. Bold lines separate the days; one week per page. Suitable for desk, wall, briefcase or backpack. $12.00 from the See World Store

4. Jumbo Print Wall Calendar: 17.5 by 22.5 inches when fully open. There's a box for each day, the numbers are 3/4-inch high, and the lines between the days are thick and easy to see. Hang on a wall or use on a desk. $12.50 from the See World Store

5. The EZ Track large print calendar comes in a binder, and each page holds four days of activities. There's room to write notes and appointments. $29.00 from the American Printing House for the Blind

6. The Braille Datebook from APH is a planner/organizer especially for braille users. 4- by 6-inch pages are stored inside a burgundy padded vinyl binder with a Velcro closure. Pages can be removed for brailling in a braillewriter or with a slate and stylus. The binder has pockets for storing slate and stylus, and there is a tabbed braille calendar for appointments. Comes with filler paper and organizer tabs. $53.00 from the American Printing House for the Blind.

For more information on these calendars, visit:

American Printing House for the Blind <http://www.aph.org> or call APH at (800)223-1839

National Braille Press <http://www.nbp.org> or call NBP at (800)548-7323

The See World Store <http://seeworld.ky.gov> or call See World at (800)346-2115

article 3

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/05307/599369.stm


   Exhibit focuses on art for blind people

Thursday, November 03, 2005

By Laura Palotie

Art exhibits are, more often than not, experiences that appeal to our sense of vision.

Having realized the lack of art resources available to individuals with vision problems, Ann Chirdon, an undergraduate photography and art education student, created an art show to appeal to the blind and visually impaired.

The exhibit, titled "Shared Moments: Making It All Come Alive," has run for the past month and ends today at 5 p.m. at the Blind and Vision Rehabilitation Services of Pittsburgh in Homestead. It is the culmination of Chirdon's photography and art education degrees at the Honors College of Pennsylvania State University.

Ms. Chirdon became inspired while attending a Pennsylvania Art Education Association conference two years ago and witnessing a group of classic artworks a group of students had translated into touchable, three-dimensional objects.

"I started thinking about our culture and how uninviting it is to visually impaired people," Ms. Chirdon said.

Ms. Chirdon lives in Oakland, close to the former home of Vision Services' facilities, and soon realized that a large community in Pittsburgh could benefit from artistic resources that cater to the needs of the visually impaired.

"It was so sad because they have so much to say. They see the world from a whole different perspective, and some of the best art in the world comes from people who look at, or experience the world, differently.''

Pieces on display in ''Shared Moments" serve as an accessible introduction to art. Works are connected with a string and clothespins indicating the beginning of each piece. An audio CD guides visitors through the show, encouraging them to touch and offering a chance to hear the artist's explanation on what motivated the creation of each.

Ms. Chirdon's inspirations range from a memory of getting a splinter as a child to remembering the feel and smell of her grandfather's woodshop. Her most personal piece is a collection of three touchable photography books that both audibly and visually described the relationships among her grandmother, her mother, and herself.

Throughout the exhibit, Ms. Chirdon utilizes sound, temperature, light, sand, leaves, fabric and rocks to bring small, powerful memories to life.

Many of Ms. Chirdon's pieces are derived from photographs using rapid prototyping process, an expensive printing procedure that turns two-dimensional photographs into touchable objects. On these physical items, shadows are indicated as ridges and spots of light as elevated points in the structure.

A photo of her friend, for example, was translated into a sculpture in which the left half of her face is significantly lower than the right side. Works such as this make the concept of light more physical and concrete.

At the end of the exhibit, Ms. Chirdon gives a visitor the chance to contribute, through choosing a piece of fabric for a mural, reflecting on the experience in a notebook, or recording a particular memory on tape.

"Art is such a good place for communication," Ms. Chirdon said. "It is something that can bring different people together and help them understand one another."

"This was extremely creative. I was impressed by how easily I could go through it," said Matt VanFossan, 24, of Pittsburgh, who visited Chirdon's show with his seeing eye dog. "Audio tours in museums are a great resource, but tactile art [like this] is rare."

The exhibit was in place from Oct 27 until later today at the Blind and Vision Rehabilitation Services of Pittsburgh, 1800 West St., Homestead.

Ms. Chirdon hopes to move the show to a new location.

For nearly a century, Blind and Vision Rehabilitation Services has offered help with programs, such as vision screenings, training for adjustment to blindness, employment support services and senior transition programs. For more information, call 412-368-4400.


article 4
http://www.courier-journal.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20051106/SCENE05/511060333

excerpt
Fields' projects also included works for the Kentucky School for the Blind and the Home of the Innocents.


article 5
http://sltrib.com/entertainment/ci_3187528

20/20 passion
Vojko Rizvanovic is legally blind, but his artistic vision comes through in his portraits, produced one bit at a time
Brandon Griggs

Vojko Rizvanovic's paintings, mostly realistic portraits of friends and neighbors, don't betray anything unusual about the artist who made them. Nor do they suggest the painstaking way he assembles his works, piece by tiny piece.
Rizvanovic is legally blind. Even with his eyeglasses, he sees only blurry, borderless shapes and colors. When working, he brings his nose within an inch of his canvas and uses a variety of special lenses, scopes and magnifiers.
"Making art is hard enough, let alone when you have to look through a scope that's about this big," says University of Utah art professor Kim Martinez, one of Rizvanovic's former instructors, making a small circle with her fingers. "It takes him about eight times longer than a non-visually impaired person. His tenacity is incredible."
This determination helped the Serbian immigrant, whose eyesight was damaged in the civil war that tore apart the former Yugoslavia, land a current two-person show at Art Access gallery in downtown Salt Lake City. Rizvanovic's art will hang side by side through Friday with paintings by his mentor, Sam Wilson, who also taught him at the U.
As a gallery devoted to minority or marginalized artists, Art Access has displayed works by people with almost every conceivable disability. But director Ruth Lubbers cannot recall devoting space to another painter who is legally blind.
"He's one of the most unique artists who ever came out of the University of Utah," she says. "And he paints very well."
A poor student as a boy in Yugoslavia, Rizvanovic was 7 or 8 when he realized he might have artistic talent. In school one day, his teacher handed out colored pencils and asked the class to draw something. Little Vojko (pronounced "Voyko") sketched a portrait of his mother that so impressed his teacher that she summoned the principal.
But the war derailed, at least for a while, any dreams Rizvanovic had of becoming an artist. Shot in 1992 while serving in the Yugoslav Army, he lay unconscious for days. The injuries almost destroyed his left leg and damaged his optic nerve, severely blurring his vision.
Rizvanovic, his wife, Sabira, and their infant daughter sought refuge in Germany, where they remained for five years. In 1999 they were relocated to the United States, settling in Salt Lake City.
Life in Utah was tough. Rizvanovic spoke almost no English, and his limited vision and permanent limp -- he walks with a cane -- made it hard to find work. But he qualified for disability checks from the federal government and enrolled in art classes at the U.
At first, Rizvanovic's professors tried to steer him toward abstract art, figuring his poor vision would make it difficult to capture the realistic images he liked. Some even suggested he take up sculpture. But Rizvanovic, who earned a bachelor's degree in 2004, would not be deterred.
"I like to be real," he says in fast,

thickly accented English. "I like to prove that I can do it. Painting is not just vision. It's hard work. It's passion. Art is what I am. For me, art is everything."
As Wilson and most other art teachers will tell you, sight and vision are two different things.
It's one thing to produce realistic-looking images on canvas. It's another to imbue them with soul, with life. Wilson believes Rizvanovic's unusual perspective makes his carefully detailed paintings distinctive.
"He functions in this little myopic world, one little piece on the canvas at a time," says the Salt Lake City painter and educator. "He has to bring the tubes of paint up to his nose to see the colors. Everything gets completely slowed down. He can't see the forest, he can only see a tree."
Although he sees less than 10 percent of what most people see, Rizvanovic, 36, hopes to get a master's in art education and become a teacher. He paints in a modest downtown Salt Lake City apartment he shares with Sabira and their three daughters, ages 15, 3 and 10 months. Because he cannot see well enough to paint live models, he works mostly from photographs.
His paintings reflect his impairment in subtle ways. Many of his human subjects are disabled friends who hold canes or sit in wheelchairs. Rizvanovic paints these people because he identifies with them and because the disabled are rarely chosen as subjects for art. He also likes to paint stairways, which serve as metaphors for the obstacles people like him must overcome.
But Rizvanovic doesn't want to be defined only by his disability.
"I don't like to be known for being a blind artist," he says. To make his point, he tells a story about encountering a woman at the Oct. 21 opening for his Art Access show. After studying his art, the woman was surprised to learn that he was blind.
"She said, 'I don't see that in the paintings.' " It was perhaps the best compliment Rizvanovic could have received. "That made me happy," he says.
griggs@xxxxxxxxxx

*At Art Access*

"Partners Redux," a two-person show by Vojko Rizvanovic & Sam Wilson, will remain through Thursday at Art Access Gallery, 339 W. Pierpont Ave. in Salt Lake City. Regular gallery hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. For more information, call 801-328-0703.




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