This Wichita Agency Promotes Art Awareness By and For The Visually Impaired
Art is a visual medium that often is not allowed to be touched by observers, and those who are visually impaired may find it difficult to embrace this experience as well as others.
An art gallery in Wichita is working hard to change that notion with a format that is accessible not only to visitors but also to artists who are blind or visually impaired.
The Envision Arts Gallery and Community Engagement Center opened in January 2022 in Wichita’s old Patrick Hotel building within the Union Station area. It is run through Envision, a just over 90-year-old nonprofit founded to create employment opportunities for those within this community.
Established in Wichita in the 1930s, this Kansas agency initially aided the homeless and transient populations in the area. However, it also became a gathering place for those who were blind or visually impaired and did not have means of support.
Similar to other agencies at the time, Envision’s Marketing Manager Holly Herring noted that the Wichita agency wanted to combat the misperception that the blind or visually impaired were unable to hold traditional jobs or be self-sufficient. “And so, our forefathers wanted to change that and provide a place of employment to be more inclusive.”
Today, the agency, once named Wichita Workshop and Training School for the Adult Blind, works with children and adults. It now encompasses a plethora of offerings, including a satellite location in Dallas, a research institute, visual rehabilitation services and programming across all age groups. They include a preschool, a workforce training and vocation center and youth programs.
Art for All
Art is a major component of Envision’s outreach as well.
Sarah Kephart, manager of the Envision Arts program, wants to share the stories of the people that Envision serves through arts-related programming.
A year before the Envision Arts Gallery’s opening, Kephart drafted a four-year business program to create a supportive space for people with blindness or visual disabilities to exhibit their work and engage in educational art programming.
“On any given day, we’re serving over a hundred people, and that’s from infants all the way up to senior citizens,” said Kephart. “And so already we have this pool of individuals that are just creating incredible work and providing them with opportunities for solo — or maybe group — exhibitions.”
The Envision Arts Gallery and Community Engagement Center have received national attention through related segments, first on “NBC Nightly News with Lester Holt” in November 2023 and then again on “Sunday TODAY with Willie Geist” the following January.
The gallery portion has held exhibits featuring pieces by artists from across the nation. Among them is Dallas-based sculptor Tomas Bustos, who appeared in the broadcast.
As for Wichita, Envision is involved in other local art projects. In November 2023, Envision Arts Gallery and Downtown Wichita jointly welcomed the addition of “Envision Your Impression” to Wichita’s Gallery Alley. The alley is located across the street from the public gallery.
The brick walls of this walk-through gallery are aligned with various intriguing pieces of art; among them is Envision’s contribution called “Envision Your Impression,” a multi-media design that’s described as embodying all those linked to Wichita.
In creating the wall fixture, Kephart explained that fellow agencies — whose missions range from suicide prevention to aiding children and families — were invited to be represented in the Envision-driven piece. Each participating agency was given a wooden plank to create their own identifying design to add onto it.
“[We’re] just also trying to showcase that Envision is a collaborator; we are a partner,” said Kephart. “Our community is that much stronger when we are working together.”
Amid its exhibit space, the Envision Arts Gallery hosts evening receptions open to the public on the first Friday of every month. It also holds an annual holiday market where artists can sell their work and a yearly Youth Arts Exhibition.
A Hands-On Education
Another branch of Envision’s art initiatives involves instruction.
Kephart, a professional exhibiting artist, said these classes center on various mediums, such as woodworking, digital arts, ceramics and painting. “I meet every student where they are, and so everybody gets to set their own goals and objectives and decides what medium they want to pursue or experiment with.”
Student Jenny Ewertz has worked extensively with ceramics and is currently involved in making a large-scale installation for a new restaurant in Wichita.
Ewertz, who has been diagnosed with Stargardt disease, moved from New Jersey to Wichita. She became involved in Envision through her sister, who has the same disease and has also been coming to the agency for a couple of years.
In making art, Ewertz said that she was taught how to use her other senses, such as touch when working with materials. She also spoke highly of Envision, and especially Kephart, for showing her that she could still be creative regardless of her sight.
“I haven’t done art before, not much, and they just make it seem like I’m doing a really good job. So, it gives me something that I can actually do. I know there are things I can do now.”
Kephart also noted an empowering shift in those involved in Envision’s arts programming, such as with their self-esteem. “Everybody feels they are the only one that’s been impacted by vision loss, and then to come into a program where they see people setting and achieving goals, striving and excelling in life despite their vision loss, and all through creative arts.”
