IBCF Teams Up with NO SEE TEE for Commemorative ISBVI Shirt at the 2024 Gala

By: Seth Johnson

This year, Through the Looking Glass Gala attendees will have a unique opportunity to purchase a very special t-shirt commemorating Indiana School for the Blind and Visually Impaired (ISBVI), while also supporting the Indiana Blind Children’s Foundation (IBCF).

The photo shows two mannequins wearing black T-shirts with white line drawings on them. The mannequins are positioned side by side. The T-shirts have a design that appears to be abstract or architectural in nature, featuring various geometric shapes and lines. The background behind the mannequins is light-colored, possibly a wall with some light and shadow patterns. Known for her unique design work, Shannon Floyd of No See Tee has designed one of her custom, blind contour drawing t-shirts, which features a design inspired by ISBVI’s iconic tower building. Since founding NO SEE TEE in 2007, Floyd has put all sorts of blind contour drawing designs on t-shirts, postcards, handbags, and more, while depicting everything from architectural elements to passers-by.

“What I’m doing is looking only at the image of interest and never down at the paper, so I have no idea what is actually happening on the paper. I mean, I think I do, but I really don’t know until I actually finish and then look at it,” says Floyd, who’s an artist by trade. “So you never lift the pen, and you never look down. It’s basically an exercise to learn to draw what you see instead of what you know.”

Floyd says she started NO SEE TEE with the hope that her designs would spark conversation amongst strangers.

“It’s like a piece of artwork except you’re wearing it, and the lines will be the communication between people,” she says. “Because they are erratic, everyone sees them differently, and they cause people to stop and start a conversation, which can then build a friendship.”

Fittingly, it was one of these conversations that brought Floyd in contact with IBCF. While talking with Sangiovese Ristorante owner Chris Evans one day, Gala founder and Co-Chair Lindsey Jordan noticed the NO SEE TEE shirt he was wearing and asked about it. As one thing led to the next, Chris connected Lindsey with Floyd, which led to NO SEE TEE’S partnership with IBCF for the 2024 Through the Looking Glass Gala.

Now, at this year’s Gala, attendees will have exclusive access to purchase a special t-shirt commemorating the ISBVI tower before construction begins on the school’s new co-located campus with the Indiana School for the Deaf. A limited number of shirts will be available for $50 plus tax before and during the event, with $10 of each purchase being donated to IBCF.

Click on this link to pre-order to secure your commemorative ISBVI Tower Tee. Add the following code, TOWER-T-gala-007, in the discount code box at checkout and your t-shirt will be waiting for you at the NO SEE TEE tent at the Through the Looking Glass Gala for pick-up. Limited sizes of the commemorative ISBVI Tower Tee will also be available for purchase at this year's TTLG Gala event. Be sure to pre-order today to ensure you don't miss out! (Note: If you would like to take advantage of the complimentary shipping, write "comp shipping" in the special instructions box prior to clicking on the checkout box.)

In reflecting on her approach to the ISBVI t-shirt design, Floyd says she put a lot of time and consideration into the project.

“I tried to represent the school, so as I walked through it, I tried to think not only for myself but for anyone walking around, whether they’re a visitor or someone that’s staying here, going to school here, learning here, or working here,” Floyd says. “I don’t just draw something to draw — it means something.”