VLANJ’s 2022 Annual Appeal letter (excerpt)
Who Is Lisette?
Lisette is a vibrant artist, mother, wife, and teacher. She loves her life. She is also functionally blind.
Becoming a mother had always been her plan. But the unthinkable cannot be planned. Complications during Lisette’s pregnancy with twins led to a stroke and significant vision loss. Brokenhearted, she thought, “Will I be able to care for my children without my sight?” To add to her pain, Lisette was now also an artist without sight. Feeling hopeless, she put down her brushes for twelve years.
Lisette’s return to art
Twelve years ago at VLANJ, Lisette sits before a blank canvas, crying. With gentle encouragement from the art therapist, she tentatively makes a few strokes. The therapist outlines the strokes with an epoxy glue gun, creating a 3-D surface. Lisette, feeling the outline, starts to fill the spaces with color and texture, creating her first painting.
Fast forward to today, Thursday morning art classes at VLANJ with Lisette now the teacher. She encourages the group to explore colors by linking them to senses of taste and smell. Like the color purple… plums are purple. How does a plum smell, taste, and feel? Sweet, sticky? Purple is now sweet and sticky!
They proceed to create beautiful works of art!
“With vision loss, art is seen with the mind’s eye and then expressed through color and texture.”
What Is Art?
Art is paint, textures, colors. Images that can be felt, touched, and seen…
A story of life and loss. A rebirth of mother and artist. For Lisette, the journey was not easy – but she will be the first to tell you, that along with the tools and skills she gained at VLANJ, came the confidence and motivation to live the life she always dreamed of.
“Be my friend,” Lisette invites her students, “and we will create together.”
Vision loss is devastating, and services for adults are limited. For almost 80 years, VLANJ has empowered people with vision loss or blindness by providing support, education, and training in independent living skills and assistive technology. Here, thousands have been given the “vision” of life’s possibilities.
To support our Annual Appeal, please visit our donate page: www.vlanj.org/donations/
Your gift will continue to grow programs and services at VLANJ. Thank you!