The following article was printed in the Lincoln Journal Star on this date in 1996:
"Impaired vision doesn't stop this artist" (By Daniel Moser)
The colorful artwork of Marye McKenney, who was born with severely limited vision, will be on display Sunday at Union College.
The work will be in the college's Exhibit Hall, near the cafeteria, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Among McKenney's recent projects is a 1997 calendar for Christian Record Services, a Lincoln-based organization that provides Christian publications and programs for people with impaired vision or hearing. The calendar, her fifth for the organization, is a colorfully drawn product that depicts children in a variety of activities.
McKenney describes the calendar as her vision "of the way childhood should be."
"I worked for some time with kids from different situations, and some kids live through things that they shouldn't have to," she says in a brief essay in the calendar. Her drawings are dominated by "kid stuff - things that were, or things that should have been, or things that should be."
McKenney, who has a master's degree in counseling psychology, has been a longtime supporter of the Christian Record Services' National Camps for Blind Children, which she has attended since she was 11. She is completely blind in one eye; a contact lens in her other eye corrects her vision to 20/1000. When she draws, her face nearly touches the page so she can see what she's doing.
The Massachusetts woman, who has one child and another on the way, works at home doing illustrations for an eastern telephone company. She also produces specialty greeting cards for Christian Record Services; those cards offer inspirational Bible passages and include braille translations.
McKenney also is an accomplished athlete. She won the 1991 World Trophy for the Disable in water-skiing and the 1992 World Title for Women's Partially Sighted Division in wake crossing, tricks, and jumping.
In addition to the exhibit, McKenney's special edition posters, framed artwork, calendars, and greeting cards will be for sale.
