Download wills eye hospital and philadelphia museum of art celebrate 25

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WILLS EYE HOSPITAL AND PHILADELPHIA MUSEUM OF
ART CELEBRATE 25th ANNIVERSARY OF INSPIRING ART
SHOW BY ARTISTS WHO ARE LEGALLY BLIND
June 13, 2013-Philadelphia, PA-This year marks a special 25th anniversary of a unique
collaboration between Wills Eye Hospital and the Philadelphia Museum of Art. The two
Philadelphia institutions will once again come together honoring legally blind students from the
Philadelphia Museum of Art’s longstanding Form in Art Education Program and the works they
create which will be on exhibit at Wills Eye. The art show kicks off with a private reception
Wednesday, June 19, 2013 at 5 PM. The art exhibit opens to the public Thursday June 20th –July
19th, 2013. There is no admission fee.
“The recognition of our creativity and capabilities in spite of our challenges is so inspiring and
the camaraderie that comes from working with others who are visually challenged is very
healing. This outlet for expression is invaluable. It’s my self-care. Whether you’re sighted or not
sighted, this shows that when you face a challenge, sometimes you have to take a detour to
achieve the same results” said Jamie Wasson, a 37 year old Form in Art student. She was
diagnosed with the blinding eye disease retinitis pigmentosa when she was 9. Although Form in
Art students are all legally blind, many have some residual vision. Jamie has been in the class for
3 years.
“This exhibit, which is a reflection of the creative talents and unwavering courage of these
visually impaired artists, is also a testimony to the beautiful common commitment of Wills Eye,
which presents their work every year, and the Philadelphia Museum of Art, which organizes and
originates these exhibitions,” said Alice Lea Tasman, who has been the Chair of the Form-in-Art
event at Wills Eye for 25 years. Mrs. Tasman along with former Philadelphia Museum of Art
President and CEO, the late Robert Montgomery Scott, put together the original plan of
exhibiting the artists’ work at Wills Eye.
This year’s honorees include artists from past years. The exhibit at Wills Eye Hospital is free and
open to the public Monday –Friday from 9AM-5PM. Artwork is available for sale and all
proceeds go directly to the artists. Artists will also be available for interviews at the kick off
reception.
“As physicians, we care for the whole patient as well as their eyes, and so often see a therapeutic
benefit from their creative outlets. So while we work hard every day to push forward new
frontiers in vision research, we applaud the bravery and resilience of these artists who have
confronted the challenge of visual disability so remarkably. They truly inspire us,” said Dr. Julia
Haller, Ophthalmologist-in-Chief, Wills Eye Hospital.
Wills Eye Hospital is a global leader in ophthalmology, established in 1832 as the nation’s first
hospital specializing in eye care. U.S. News & World Report consistently ranks Wills Eye as one
of the top three ophthalmology centers in the nation. Wills Eye is a premier training site for all
levels of medical education. Its resident and post-graduate training programs are among the most
competitive in the country. One of the core strengths of Wills is the close connection between
innovative research and advanced patient care. Wills provides the full range of primary and
subspecialty eye care for improving and preserving sight, including cataract, cornea, retina,
emergency care, glaucoma, neuro-ophthalmology, ocular oncology, oculoplastics, pathology,
pediatric ophthalmology and ocular genetics, and refractive surgery. Ocular Services include the
Wills Laser Correction Center, Low Vision Service, and Diagnostic Center. Its 24/7 Emergency
Service is the only one of its kind in the region. Wills Eye also has a network of nine multispecialty, ambulatory surgery centers throughout the tri-state area. To learn more, please visit
www.willseye.org
The Philadelphia Museum of Art is one of the largest museums in the United States, with a
collection of more than 227,000 works. The Museum’s Prints, Drawings and Photographs
collection is extensive, numbering more than 150,000 works of art on paper. Especially
distinguished are the European old master prints, important drawings by Edgar Degas and Pablo
Picasso, and American prints from the 1930s and 1940s. The Museum’s celebrated photography
holdings include an important group of images by Alfred Stieglitz, the Julien Levy Collection,
and the Paul Strand Collections. The Museum’s Form in Art program was the first to combine
the study of art history and art-making studio classes for adults who are blind at an American
museum when it was founded by the Museum’s Women’s Committee in 1971.