Name: Gallery Talk with artist Lynda McKinney Lambert
Start: 2025-10-09T17:00:00-04:00
End: 2025-10-09T19:00:00-04:00
Location: UPMC Jameson Hospital - North Campus

Gallery Talk with artist Lynda McKinney Lambert

Art & Education at the Hoyt’s latest exhibit in Hoyt Atrium at UPMC Jameson is more than just an exhibit. It’s a triumphant story of an artist redefining how she expresses herself after suddenly going blind.
Before Lynda McKinney Lambert’s abrupt loss of sight in 2007, she was already an established artist, educator and poet teaching full time at Geneva College.
The condition known as Ischemic Optic Neuropathy came out of nowhere. It is defined by a painless lack of blood flow to the optic nerve. As the nerve is starved of oxygen, it begins to die. The first symptom to develop is blurriness followed by rapid vision loss.
The despair that could have followed this abrupt change in the artist’s life was replaced by a determination to continue living and producing art. With the help of the Blind & Vision Rehabilitation Services of Pittsburgh and a good team of doctors she learned to use adaptive equipment to accomplish just about anything she set her mind to.
Lambert acquired three different kinds of Closed Circuit Televisions (CCTV) to accomplish different tasks. She also uses a special BeadOnIt’ board whose silk backing helps prevent the fine beads from slipping out of place.
While Lambert still has trouble with color, her grandchildren’s devotion pulls the hues she asks to work with, no more than two colors at a time. And she relies heavily on her sense of touch to help envision the design as it unfolds. Hence the shift from painting and printmaking towards more dimensional work.
“With the aid of a CCTV, I could begin making mixed-media fiber artworks for the first time. Instead of painting with brushes and paints on canvas, I started to use a thin needle to … paint with tiny beads and gemstones.”
In fact, Lynda has continued to exhibit and publish her art and poetry since losing her sight. Twelve of the featured beaded works at UPMC Jameson have won awards in juried competitions throughout the country. However, her visual work isn’t the only talent on display. Lambert’s award-winning poetry is also on view offering further insight into the artist’s experience as she transitioned from seeing outwards to inwards.
Join Lynda on World Sight Day, October 9, for a special tour of her exhibit.
See more: https://hoytartcenter.org/word-and-bead-a-life-tapestry/