Advances in Ophthalmology



		Spring 2001 • Microarray • Art for the Senses • Charitable Gift • Paul Sieving NEI • Endowment • Pam Sieving NIH • Laser Eye Surgery • Glaucoma Screening • Class Notes • News • Employee 2000 • Program of the Year Content Submissions: Randy Wallach Executive Editor rwallach@umich.edu (734) 763-6967

Low Vision Patients
Rave About Pottery Class

Sixteen people braved the cold and snow on Saturday, February 24th to attend a special half-day ceramics class sponsored jointly by the Kellogg Eye Center and the U-M School of Art and Design. Leading the class was Sadashi Inuzuka, M.F.A., assistant professor of art, who had long been interested in sharing his love of ceramics with people who have significantly impaired vision.


	“We had such fun discovering a source of creativity that transcends any visual impairment. One family member reported to me later that attending the workshop was a tremendous morale booster for the patient.”

Professor Inuzuka was certain that severely restricted eyesight would be no barrier to creating works of art in clay. And he knew that the students would enjoy themselves thoroughly. Why was he so certain? Because Professor Inuzuka himself is legally blind and has lived with visual impairment all his life. What he hoped to do in leading this workshop was “to show people how much pleasure they can get from their other senses. I want them to enjoy the tactile sensations of working with clay and realize that their hands and their memory could be a powerful force in creating something useful or simply beautiful,” thus inspiring the workshop title, Art for the Senses.

Many of the students were Kellogg Eye Center patients and all had significantly impaired vision. Most also belong to a UM Low Vision Support Group. Family members or friends who accompanied the students also had an opportunity to work with the clay and everyone enthusiastically supported a continuing program. “This was an extraordinary experience for all participants,” says Mary Beth Donovan, the Kellogg Eye Center staff person who organized Art for the Senses. “We had such fun discovering a source of creativity that transcends any visual impairment. One family member reported to me later that attending the workshop was a tremendous morale booster for the patient.”

Following its initial success, Kellogg Eye Center and the School of Art and Design hope to offer Art for the Senses on a regular basis.

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