I View / Eye View
Photographers include Emily Eckert Paul Bateman, Bill Melius, Cindy Middleton, Nancy Sedam, Sheley Bartholomew, and Ralph Hogue.
Emily Eckert adjusting her camera.
The goal of the "Eye View" or eye level Exhibition was twofold. The first was to give exposure to the creative process of photography to individuals (children and young adults) who would never have had the opportunity to explore these methods, due to severe physical limitations. This was achieved by creating specially adapted cameras that slide up and down on an easel. They also include a shutter release designed to disengage when the photographer hits a paddle or pulls on a string.
Based on direct observation of the process, the excitement on the faces of the individuals involved, and also based on the successful and compelling photographs in the show this first goal was achieved.
The second objective was to expose the viewer to the unique visual perspectives shared by the disabled individuals through the use of photography. More than 800 people came to the Eye / View Exhibition when these and other photographs were displayed at Mercyhurst Preparatory School in northwestern Pennsylvania, on September 4, 1998. The comments of the spectators, along with a review given by the press, reflect the Exhibition helped to foster a keener awareness of the world as seen through the eyes of the disabled.
--Patricia Czulewicz
This project was made possible in part by a financial contribution from the Erie Arts Endowment.