“Memories of Awe” by Gretchen Howarth
Acrylics on canvas
A First Friday opening reception for this exhibit will take place from 5-7 p.m. Friday, March 1, at KU School of Medicine-Wichita. Complimentary refreshments will be served. The "Memories of Awe" exhibit will be in both the East and West galleries.
The exhibit will be on display through April 30.
About the Artist
Gretchen Howarth gradually lost much of her vision due to Stargardt disease, a progressive retinal condition. With thousands of holes in her retinas, she sees through a galaxy of tiny dots and has no center focus at all. Yet in 2019, years after being declared legally blind, Gretchen began her unexpected journey as an artist. With no background in art, she began drawing landscapes with pastels and a couple of years later started learning her way around acrylics on canvas.
She’s been a Wichita First Friday featured artist several times and has had two exhibits in the Envision Arts Gallery, one of them sharing the gallery space with the world-renowned fully blind artist John Bramblitt. In 2022, Gretchen won first place in the annual international APH art contest for the visually impaired.
The public entrance is the patient entrance on the east side of the building (1001 N. Minneapolis). Parking is available in the visitor parking lot or on Minneapolis Street.
The William J. Reals Gallery of Art is free and open to the public. Regular business hours are 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday-Friday.
