Tenant Success StoriesBreaking Stereotypes Through the Universal Language of Art

“Please touch the art!”

This is not something you’d typically hear at an art gallery, but it is encouraged at the Envision Arts Gallery & Community Engagement Center, located in the historic Grand Hotel building in downtown Wichita, and is just one of the reasons why the gallery is so unique.

For most people, art is a visual experience. For people who are blind or visually impaired, art can be a rich sensory experience of a different level. Creating art can become an outlet for self-expression. It can instill confidence and foster both tactile experiences and skills. It can also help people who are visually impaired feel more connected to other people and to their community.

Envision Arts Gallery‘s mission is to foster these experiences and to grow opportunities for those with visual, physical, cognitive and hearing disabilities to showcase their creativity and stories. Part of the parent company Envision, Inc., the Envision Arts Gallery is the nation’s first permanent gallery made by and for artists who are blind, visually impaired and/or disabled.

“Envision is opening doors and creating opportunities for people of all disabilities to share with the community,” said Sarah Kephart, MFA, Envision Arts Program and Gallery Manager. “We all have stories to tell, and we all deserve access to art and the opportunity to express ourselves through it.”

The gallery features art by local as well as international artists and rotates its main exhibition quarterly. Many pieces feature a variety of mediums, including elements such as dimension, texture and even braille to allow people to experience them through multiple senses, not just through sight. Each work of art has a designated QR code that links to a description which is repeated audibly on a person’s cell phone using a screen reading app.

Empowering Artists in Our Community

In 2013, Sarah was an adjunct lecturer in the School of Art, Design and Creative Industries at Wichita State University when she discovered the Envision Arts program. She was immediately drawn to the company’s mission and the people it serves.

“Envision empowers people,” said Sarah. “And I saw that participants wanted to do so much more and be more a part of and connected to their community. I believe that art is a conduit to all the other wonderful services that Envision provides. It raises awareness of our mission which leads to new opportunities.”

Sarah added that Occidental Management’s chairman and CEO, Gary Oborny, and his wife Gretchen had the mission to commit to the vision of the gallery and community center. The Obornys are long-standing supporters of Envision as well as big supporters of the local arts community. Occidental Management, which owns and manages the Grand Hotel building, handled the leasing for the gallery space.

“A location with good visibility is important to the overall success of the gallery, and thanks to Occidental Management, our gallery is in one of the most visible locations in downtown Wichita.”

People and agencies from around the world have taken notice of the gallery and are reaching out to learn more in hopes of bringing a similar resource to their community.

“We’re breaking stereotypes,” Sarah added. “Art is a universal language and we’re demonstrating to the nation that people with disabilities have powerful artistic gifts while raising awareness for our mission.”

All proceeds from artwork and merchandise purchased from the Envision Arts Gallery and Community Engagement Center directly supports the artists as well as helps to fund artistic endeavors for the Envision Arts program. You can learn more about the gallery by visiting envisionartsgallery.com or by calling (316) 440-1699.