Michael {Mutchnick} Richard

MOSHER '69 Will Remember

Michael {Mutchnick} Richard

born 1948 - died August 28, 2006

Mutchnick

Photo by Tom Keller

Michael Richard, a photographer, had acute congenital amblyopia in his left eye and lost vision in his right eye as a result of the resection and radiation of a large tumor (choroidal melanoma). Richard was born and raised in NYC before moving to Los Angeles to continue a career in music. He began to photograph in the mid 1980's as a secondary, though meaningful, artistic endeavor.

But he thought it impractical, though not impossible, to continue after losing most of his sight quite suddenly in 2002. A class at the Braille Institute in Los Angeles, taught by former LIFE magazine photojournalist Jack Birns (now losing his sight) was the catalyst and influence that gave him the confidence to photograph again. By the end of 2005, Richard had participated in at least 18 exhibits including "Blind at the Museum" at the Berkeley Art Museum. He won a First Place in Photography award at the Philadelphia Museum of Art in "Art Beyond Sight", an exhibition sponsored by National Exhibits by Blind Artists.

In his own words:

I have also become active in the arts and disabilities community as both a photographer and musician and have found this to be one of the most rewarding experiences of my life.

In his own words from his web site:

As a photographer I seek chiefly to document and celebrate the profound and inherent dignity of all things, while endeavoring to reflect on their interconnected essence. Also I seek to evoke a sense of continual adaptation due to an evolving perception demanded by the impermanent, ever changing but natural order. I pursue these metaphorical goals mainly through three avenues of visualization. The recognition of the interpenetration of seemingly disparate visual elements which blurs the boundaries of their physical nature and renders the photograph a document of a newly formed organic composite. Also, an abstracted realism achieved through extreme and sometimes exaggerated close-up/cropping, and finally the majesty communicated through the macroscopic overview contribute to communicating the emotional content and the underlying meaning in the images.

Moreover, now that I am an artist with a disability, my purpose/message has changed considerably. I feel I must try somehow to communicate the importance of allowing the disabled community to state their artistic case, on their own terms, and on a level playing field, i.e. without the predisposition of others. I feel driven to share in my celebration of the work of other artists who are disabled and if possible to inspire those with a disability to seek out their artistic goals and dreams.

Blind Photographer, Musician Michael Richard, 58
By The Los Angeles Times

Date of Publication: September 15, 2006 on Page A10

[ Michael Richard passed away on August 28, 2006, due to complications from cancer. He was 58. His creativity and courage will be an inspiration to us all.]

LOS ANGELES — Michael Richard, a rock musician and amateur photographer who became legally blind four years ago but continued performing and taking photographs that he exhibited around the country, has died. He was 58.

Richard, a longtime resident of Los Angeles, died of cancer on Aug. 28 at Providence St. Joseph Medical Center in Burbank, his wife, Patrice Hughes, said.

A malignant tumor behind his right eye that was removed by surgery in 2002 and a congenital eye condition left Richard able to see only gauzy shapes, "like the most extreme soft-focus photo you can imagine," he said in a 2003 interview with the Los Angeles Times.

With the help of his wife, who drove him to locations around the city, he went on taking pictures using a manual camera, adjusting the settings with the help of a magnifying glass. He also worked in the dark room and developed his own prints.

He was known for his black-and-white images of buildings, street vistas, outdoor sculpture and other urban sights shot at angles that turned them into tactile, abstract forms.

As a blind artist, he felt "driven" to help other disabled people "state their artistic case on their own terms and on a level playing field," he wrote in a recent statement about his work. He wanted to help artists with disabilities, "seek out their artistic goals and dreams," he wrote.

Richard adjusted to his condition with the help of a photography class he took at the Braille Institute in Los Angeles. He found out about it when he went there to learn how to use a cane. He signed up for the class expecting lectures on the history of the art. After years of taking photographs, he assumed that his blindness had put an end to it. "I figured photography was out of the picture," he told the Times. "I couldn't see to focus, so, how could I shoot photographs?"

The class was taught by a professional magazine photographer who offered tips on what model of camera to use, places to have film developed and the like. Richard got inspired.

His began exhibiting his photographs at centers for the blind, optometry schools and art museums. His work was included in a show about blindness and the visual arts called, "Blind at the Museum," at the Berkeley Art Museum in Berkeley, last summer. More recently he began exhibiting in shows at galleries including LA Artcorein downtown Los Angeles and at two major art fairs, Photo LA and Photo San Francisco.

"Michael was exemplary," said Christine Leahey, an advocate for artists with disabilities, this week. "He worked independently. He was an emerging artist whose work sold in mainstream exhibitions which helped legitimize him in the world of high-end art photography."

Photography was Richard's second love, his wife said this week. He was a professional musician who played guitar and sang, with a compact disc, "Wires of the Acropolis" on Cool Records, to his credit. He played guitar for television music, videos and radio advertisements. On stage, he played back-up guitar for several big-name performers including Little Richard and The Coasters. He also played with club bands around the Southwest.

He was born in Brooklyn, and graduated from the City College of New York, where he studied music before he moved to California. His first marriage ended in divorce. He and Hughes married in 1998 after more than 20 years as a couple. In addition to his wife, he is survived by his daughter from his first marriage, Jennifer Henry of Orange. He is also survived by three grandchildren.