Pete Eckert was funded by the Arts and Accessibility Technical Assistance grant.

Pete Eckert didn’t take photography seriously until he went totally blind. He was trained in sculpture and industrial design. He had been a visual person and planned to study architecture at Yale, but then he started to lose his sight when he was diagnosed with Retinitis Pigmentosa.

“What I get out of taking photos is the event not the picture. I do the large prints to get sighted people thinking. Talking with people in galleries builds a bridge between my mind’s eye and their vision of my work. Occasionally people refuse to believe I am blind. I am a visual person. I just can’t see’.

Pete was funded in 2012 to attend the Los Angeles Photo Exhibit which took place January 2013. This provided him with the opportunity to showcase his new artwork and make connections and network with other artists in the community. Approximately 25,000 people attended this art show. Pete sold two pieces of his artwork totaling $1000 in sales at the exhibit.