RILEY RAINS / ARTS & CULTURE EDITOR

Last week in the Belanich Engineering Center, Toreros might have spotted a large art exhibit in a room usually dedicated to engineering projects. Food ranging from apple strudel to donuts spilled over desk tops, while quiet classical music drifted through the hallways. USD’s Ideation Space was alive with texture: the delicate grit of eggshells, the smooth quality of stone and the soft weight of clay. Every work told a story, and every piece was curated by visually impaired or blind artists. 

Joyce Porter’s beaded bracelets made from jade, tiger’s eye, and other stones — all for sale. Riley Rains/The USD Vista

These creators are a part of Gifted Blind Artists, Crafters & Knitters, or GiftedBack – a community of artists that work with Pearl Mecenas, the founder ­— to increase awareness of new innovations available to the blind or visually impaired. Artists with this disability have been sitting in Dr. Odesma Dalrymple ENGR 103 class for the past six years, all a part of a partnership through USD Engineering Exchange for Social Justice, or ExSJ. 

Rowan Lafferty, a USD sophomore who is Dr. Odesma’s TA in ENGR 103 explained what the class is centered around.  

“I [am a Teaching Assistant] for a class called User-Center Design, which is actually in partnership with the Blind and low vision community,” Lafferty stated. “We do a lot of work to understand the framework of    design from a user focused perspective, especially  from the point of view of blind and  low  vision  people.”

The User-Center Design course encourages students to collaborate toward justice oriented solutions. Jakson Te, a USD junior in ENGR 103, offered insight into what Gifted Back artists bring to ExSJ. 

“They come into class and share their experiences as to how they went blind,” Te said. “Their unique perspective gives engineers like us a lot of stuff to think about. They end up working with students and try to gauge us and see how we can maybe come up with solutions that will help their everyday lives.”

One example of the students’ work is the Near Field Communication, or NFC tags. When the small device is tapped by a smartphone, it plays a pre-set audio with text information for the user to listen to. Low vision or blind artists use the 80-cent tag to color-code string or paint. This  enables the technology to audibly tell the artists the different colors. 

Visually impaired artist Lanetta Wilkes, or Zawadi, expressed how helpful the tags were in her experience.

“I just tie the NFC to the string and then it helps me differentiate,” Zawadi explained. “It is so amazing what technology can do.”

Every piece in the gallery also featured a scannable QR code where the blind or visually impaired would describe their process and inspiration. The acoustic element ensured that everyone could enjoy these artists’ beautiful work. 

Rene Vazquez, a former construction worker who sits in Dr. Odesma’s class described his ceramic work made from recycled brick and stone.  

“I like to   grab  these flower pots and decorate them with beautiful tile and glass pieces,” Vazquez remarked. “I have no method, just crazy madness. I usually blindfold myself when I do the pots because I am losing my vision, and when I stare at something I lose control and want it to be perfect. I do it by touch. They make me feel normal again, human.”

These types of devices and innovations are what USD engineering students learn from; by using blind artists’ techniques, Toreros can better brainstorm further solutions to accessibility problems. 

Mecenas, the founder of GiftedBack, works with artists like Vazquez to increase awareness of low vision artists. Her partnership with USD encourages engineering students to strive for creative, accessible solutions. She came to San Diego in hopes of expanding India’s inclusive approach to helping the visually impaired individuals in the United States. Mecenas shared her backstory. 

“I used to work in corporate America for some time,” Mecenas shared. “Then my husband and I started making regular trips to India because his mom was ill. My husband, who’s an avid runner, met a group of blind runners in India. The inclusion literally opened my eyes to how India was approaching other blind and low vision communities. My husband said ‘Why don’t you do something more philanthropic and meaningful  with your MBA?’ And then it just exploded.”

The art gallery was just the start – on Oct. 4 GiveBack hosted a multisensory immersion art exhibit including a variety of fundraisers. The proceeds earned from the event were used to support the USD’s ExSJ to further connect students to leaders from the blind community. A portion is also allocated for Mecenas’s GiftedBack program, an organization that has ambitions of growth. Mecenas expanded on her hopes for GiftedBack’s future.

Rene Vasquez’s ceramic work is made from 100% recycled material. Riley Rains/The USD Vista

“A lot of the money that we make is really to help launch a larger initiative that will support a large blind and low vision group community, which involves getting them connected to tour guides,” Mecenas explained. “If they want to travel, they may impose on their family and friends. So this service would allow them to get paired with a guide who’s been certified with their Braille Institute.”

The multisensory immersion event was hosted at La Gran Terraza, an experience that   stimulated   all  of the   senses. 

The night  began with “Art in the Dark,” where guests explore art through sound, touch and direct engagement with the artist. Next, guests moved  to the dining experience, where La Gran Terraza Chef Marni Becerra crafted an inclusive menu that was a surprise to all – guests were invited to put on a blindfold and feel the food, using their tongues to guess flavors. Lastly, guests got up and danced in the dark, a fun, inclusive experience to end the night. 

USD sophomore Allison Cecka described her experience at the GiftBack immersion exhibit. 

“I think this was such a beautiful event,” Cecka said. “I’m so grateful I had the opportunity to go. To be able to share an experience with such a community is really special. The food was so good and it was so fun.”

Through partnerships like those with GiftedBack and ExSJ, students are encouraged to create meaningful solutions that can bridge gaps and raise awareness for the blind and low vision  community. With Toreros developing initiatives aimed at expanding   accessibility and    support for the blind community, the impact of these efforts is bound to grow.

A USD plaque made by visually impaired artist Rene Vasquez. Riley Rains/The USD Vista