[stylist] Blind in an art gallery

[Lynda Lambert]

I was thinking of something else as I wrote a response to Dave just now.

I have been an artist all my life - and professionally since mid-70s.  My whole life has circled around art galleries and museums.

Here is something interesting to me. After my sight loss, only ONE of my artist friends has ever taken me to SEE a show.  Only one, out of the many many artists I have visited shows with for all those years. And, she is the ONE who has taken me to pottery workshop with her, so that I can continue to make my work there.  

While we often talk about how we lose our friends once we become blind, and we sure do, we also lose our professional contacts and friends as well, in my experience.

I am still the exact same person I have always been: always making art, always talking art, always wanting to go to art shows, and anything art related.  

The really interesting thing, though, is that last year when I had an enormous solo exhibition (the first since my sight loss) they came in droves to be at my opening show. It was unbelievable - artists and former colleagues I have not seen in years, all showed up for my show. I often wonder if it was because they wanted to have a look at me, now, and my work - I often wonder what in the world they were thinking.  I was sure that I was on top of my game, and was exactly the same artist star of that show as I had always been before - calling them by name, introducing people to each other, talking about old times and what we are all doing, and all those kinds of things.

The other amazing thing is that most of them were fighting to be first in line to get the purchase of something before someone else got it. It was crazy.

YET, not a one of them ever has asked me go see a show with them. And, none of the ones who live in my town have ever offered to take my work to a show along with theirs - knowing I would have no way to do that without someone driving it for me. It's as though they think I would not be entering my work in the shows any longer - well, they can forget that because I am BACK...lol

Life sure does become very different when you pass over to a different point of view, so to speak. huh?


Lynda