Beyond Vision Art hosted a dinner where guests ate without being able to see, in order to raise money for Dayton’s first permanent art gallery for the visually impaired.
According to the curator of Beyond Vision Art, they set a fundraising goal of $10,000 for the evening.
"What Beyond Vision art is is multi-sensory art by and for the visually impaired," said Molly Brockman, curator of Beyond Vision Art. "So all of the money that we raise from the fundraiser will go towards opening a permanent space somewhere here in Dayton."
The event invited guests to experience tactile art with cocktails and eat a meal without the use of their sight at Cosmo Joe’s Atomic Lounge. Guests were served a Caesar salad, chicken alfredo, and different slices of cheesecake.
Forty five guests were offered blindfolds at the door and were encouraged to try to enjoy their meal without using their sight.
Attendees could also participate in a silent auction of a wall clock crafted by Jim Morgan, a blind clock maker in Ohio.
"I believe he made clocks before he lost his sight and continued to do it after," Brockman said.
Many guests got up during the meal to experience examples of the types of tactile art that would be in the Beyond Vision Art gallery.
Charlette Jewell works in disability services and attended the dinner to support Brockman.
"I met Molly at the Beyond Vision show at the library and her passion for this type of art and activism is really inspiring," she said.
Jewell said she fully supports opening a permanent gallery space for Beyond Vision Art in Dayton.
"As soon as I became aware of it, I got really excited about what she's trying to accomplish and have been trying to find ways to partner with her in the work that I do so that we can be more accessible with the people that I work with," Jewell said.
Brockman said if they are able to open a permanent gallery, it would also accommodate people with sensory issues.
“Tactile art is very important for a lot of people, and bringing it to Dayton is, I also think, very important," she said. "The arts are growing and I think this is the perfect time and perfect place to do this.”
As a blind person, Brockman knows first-hand the impact of tactile and inclusive artwork that her gallery presents. She said she started losing her sight around seven years ago from diabetic retinopathy.
"I went from being able to drive to not being able to drive or work anymore," she said. "And then I had a surgery about four years ago now that was supposed to correct some musical vision, and something went wrong during the surgery, and I came out of it completely blind."
Brockman hopes to continue to give others access to inclusive and immersive art experiences after losing their sight.
Beyond Vision Art plans to host other unique fundraisers in the future to raise money for the permanent gallery. Brockman said she is considering space inside Talbot Tower as a possible site.
