Artist uses art to triumph over his struggle with dyslexia
Lindsey Bever and Misty Daniel
reporters
An eight-foot tall school desk makes a bold
statement in Eric McGehearty’s Transparent Words art exhibit, which
opened Sept. 16 in the Carillon Gallery in the Performing Arts Center
on South Campus.
McGehearty has struggled with dyslexia, which limits his ability to read,
for his entire life.
Unable to read books or write down thoughts, he triumphed over his condition
in both his art and his college studies.
“
The written word has been the backbone of civilization for centuries.
Without it, the ability to succeed is hampered,” he said in his
artist’s statement.
McGehearty’s work was inspired by his personal struggle with dyslexia.
He created the sculptures to express the educational struggles he has
overcome.
This concept is clear in his creation of an acrylic book with bits and
pieces of unreadable words bound in steel backing, which he calls “Synapse.”
“
The issue of reading started me on this path, but before then, I knew
I wanted to deal with ideas of personal struggle,” he said.
“
Even though I deal with issues of reading, I don’t think my work
needs to be depressing. Some of my pieces are intended to express frustration,
but others are intended to lighten the mood and are more uplifting,” he
said.
Using everything from steel and copper to acrylic and concrete to express
his ideas, McGehearty says he does not have a favorite medium.
“
The idea is the material … it’s all about the concept,” he
said.
“
Collision of a Fourth Grader” is McGehearty’s venture into
post-modernism.
This black and yellow school desk appears to be smashing at high speed into a
wall with, as McGehearty says, “accoutrements of learning thrown after
the impact.”
While describing this piece McGehearty explained, “It’s fun; it’s
more humorous than some of the work.”
The artist’s newest work is “Sky’s the Limit,” an eight-foot
tall school desk.
“
This piece took three months to create. I put a school desk up high and used
a ladder to reference climbing it … the clear desktop makes it more attainable,” he
said.
McGehearty said his works are meant to raise awareness for learning disabilities
and show the frustration and disappointment that he feels at not being able to
pick up a book and read it.
For McGehearty, books are forever closed, and this part of his life is what his
art details.
With the use of concrete, steel, copper, plastic, bronze and, of course, books,
McGehearty allows the world a glimpse at the frustration that dyslexia causes.
From “Rhythm of Unreadable Books” to “Transparent Words,” each
piece is stunningly creative.
McGehearty began his college career at University of the Ozarks, where he found
a support system to help him complete his degree.
A group of students on campus were paid to read the textbooks and record them
on tape for him.
This process allowed McGehearty to access the texts and complete his class assignments.
When McGehearty transferred to the University of North Texas to begin work on
his master’s degree, he found that UNT lacked this support system.
The college did not pay students to read, and often only parts of the assignments
were taped for him to listen to.
It was only after he was placed with disability services for the blind that things
began to improve.
No matter how tough the challenges, McGehearty was destined to succeed.
While studying art, his focus shifted from painting to sculpture. McGehearty
decided to use his artwork to communicate the idea of inaccessible text and its
implications.
Although his reading has improved over the years, the artist says he still cannot
read much more than a paragraph to a few pages at one time.
However, after completing his master’s last year at UNT, which is where
he says he developed maturity as an artist and discovered his own style of communicating,
he began teaching.
McGehearty has taught Design I and II and is teaching Art Appreciation on SE
Campus.
His Transparent Words exhibit is open to the public through Oct. 13.
