General Comment from AB: This show is reviewed by the exhibition coordinator for LightHouse for the Blind, the show's sponsor. I don't normally publish openings where the reviewer and the reviewed are one and the same, but LightHouse for The Blind is an eminently essential organization that promotes independence, equality, and self-reliance for people who are blind or visually impaired, and that includes supporting blind and visually impaired artists.

LightHouse for the Blind and Visually Impaired at San Francisco Arts Commission Gallery, City Hall, Lower Level; 415.431.1481: INSIGHTS 2006 Exhibition of Blind and Visually Impaired Artists.

Artists: Lois Ann Barnett, Earl Bell, Ida Berkowitz, Sujit Kumar Bhattacharjee, Charles Curtis Blackwell, Phillip Otiss Brown, James Cadiz, Alice Chen, Martha B. Cowden, Prosper Davies, Kristi Dean, Anabella Denisoff, Pete Eckert, John Ednoff, Carmelo C. Gannello, Gonzalo Garcia, Jack Gelman, Bobbie Gray, Bruce Hall, Annie Hesse, Lacee King, Virginia Knepper Doyle, Michael LeVell, Barbara Romain, Romaine Samworth, Tamar Solomon, Velma Stiers, James M. Stone, Michael Sutton, Alison Ulman, Dona Wilson. Solo shows by Tara Arlene Innmon, Michael Richard, Kurt Weston-- winners of the INSIGHTS 2005 Vergari Prize.

Comment: INSIGHTS is an annual juried national art show sponsored by the LightHouse for the Blind. Jurors Jack Hanley of Jack Hanley Gallery, Meg Shiffler of the SF Arts Commission Gallery, and Robin Wright, Trustee at SF MOMA and art activist, selected close to 100 pieces by 35 blind and visually impaired artists including photography, painting, and touchable sculpture. Though all artists necessarily work within some kind of limitation, visual art by visually impaired visual artists seems to be a particularly confusing concept for many. This show emphasizes the range of how people see differently, and is also accessible to blind and visually impaired viewers through touchable art, braille signage, and alternative formats such as audio tours (including artist interviews) by Antenna Audio. Exhibition catalog available ­ art calendars for sale. Up through November 22nd.