A collection of paintings designed to be felt as much as seen has gone up inside Burnsville Fire Station No. 1, and the artist behind them cannot see a single brushstroke. Annie Young, a Burnsville artist and Air Force veteran who is completely blind, has loaned several original pieces from her collection titled The Great American Experience to the city for public display to mark the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence.
The loan was announced by the City of Burnsville, which is hosting the veteran-inspired collection to mark the 250th anniversary. Young's story is also featured in a City of Burnsville story titled “Do You See What I Feel?,” in which she describes creating artwork from dreams, memories and emotions, filled with faith, hope and possibility. She asks viewers the same question that titles the story: do you see what I feel?
Young's connection to the collection's military theme runs deep. According to the city, she served a combined 14 years in uniform between active duty in the U.S. Air Force and the Minnesota Air National Guard after enlisting at age 19, following her younger sister into military service. The city credits that 14-year military career with teaching her perseverance and storytelling, qualities now woven into the touchable paintings on view at the fire station.
A Diagnosis That Changed How She Creates
Young did not begin life as a blind artist. As reported by FOX 9, she began losing her vision at age 37 due to a hereditary retinal disease called rod-cone dystrophy, which progressively damages light-sensing cells in the retina, and she became completely blind by age 40.
Her technique emerged from frustration rather than formal training. Per the Minneapolis Institute of Art, Young initially resisted a friend's encouragement to paint before eventually throwing paint and canvas against a wall in anger, a moment that led her to realize she could build up tactile, touchable layers instead of relying on sight. Her bold pieces are now designed with heavy textures specifically so they can be experienced through touch.
To work independently, Young paints using a barcode reader to identify individual paint tubes, which she labels with notes linking pigments to sensory memories like past clothing or yard flowers, the museum's account notes. Her creative inspiration often originates in vivid dreams that she translates into physical media.
Recognition Without Knowledge of Her Blindness
Young's watercolor painting “Secrets She Keeps” was accepted into the Minneapolis Institute of Art's once-a-decade Foot in the Door exhibition. The museum did not know she was blind at the time. Exhibiting at the museum had long been a career goal for Young.
Her portfolio extends beyond military themes. A 2018 trip to Antarctica with her husband to run a marathon inspired her multi-piece exhibition “Journey To Rock Bottom” at Burnsville's Ames Center, featuring tactile portraits based on global athletes' personal stories, according to FOX 9. Young frequently explores themes of endurance and focus across different human experiences in her broader body of work.
A Burnsville Resident for 35 Years
Young grew up in Rochester, Minnesota, and has resided in Burnsville for 35 years, where her local civic contributions include volunteering in elementary school classrooms and coaching Little League teams, the city says. The city's rotating public art programming supports local artists.
The Great American Experience now hangs as part of that rotating local art collection inside Burnsville Fire Station No. 1, a 44,729-square-foot facility located at 14275 Newton Avenue. As reported by Patch, the $17.4 million station opened in December 2021 and was designed with dedicated public conference space to support community events, including the annually rotating artwork now displayed there.
Young's exhibit is one piece of a larger municipal effort. Burnsville's broader 2026 America 250 civic arts programming includes a partnership with the U.S. Conference of Mayors and an invitation to local artists.
The fire station has already served as a hub for other community programming this year, including a free seminar on crisis recognition and response that Hoodline covered in January. Burnsville's civic infrastructure push has continued with a new city hall and a police expansion groundbreaking.
