Introduction

"Deaf people can do anything hearing people can do, except hear."

- I. King Jordan

"The Deaf community is hungry to see itself in the most positive way."

  - Lupe Ontiveros

 

  

Hello! Welcome to my gallery!

The name of my gallery is entitled "Deaf Culture." 

This gallery is located through www.blogger.com.

My name is Ashley Keaton and I run this gallery.

The type of work I am going to exhibit is, obviously, based on the concepts of Deaf culture, the Deaf community, and DEAF PRIDE! It will include paintings, sculptures, and more! Enjoy!

Exhibit Introduction

Life Through the Eyes

I have decided to title my exhibition Life Through the Eyes because this is an accurate statement of how Deaf people conduct their daily lives. Everything is done visually. 

Deaf people have faced countless acts of  discrimination throughout history, and some of these unpleasant experiences are reflected into the work I will exhibit. 

 Just some background information of myself: I am a hearing person but I love everything about Deaf culture! I was introduced into the Deaf world a couple of years ago when I started taking American Sign Language classes. I immediately fell in love with their language, history, and cultural ideas. Deaf people truly are incredible.

The following are a few things I learned during my ASL classes that I feel are important things hearing people need to know about the Deaf. There are two types of deaf people: D/deaf. The capitol D or lowercase d refers to their cultural identity. (Throughout my exhibition, I am referring to members of the Deaf world.) The Deaf community does not view themselves as "broken" or "hearing-impaired." The term impairment refers to something that is disabled, weak, or damaged. It is offensive to refer to a Deaf person as hearing-impaired; they prefer to be called Deaf. Deaf people are PROUD of who they are and the identity they can claim in a majority-hearing world. Deaf people do not feel they are disabled; they are a simply a group of individuals who make up linguistic and cultural minority.  

The Artists

The following is the list of artists I will be showing throughout Life Through the Eyes.

• Chuck Baird
• Uzi Buzgalo 
• Connie Clanton
• Theresa Coughlan
• Susan Dupor
• Ellen Mansfield
• Thad Martin
• Nancy Rourke
• Robin Taylor
• Mary Thornley

 Exhibition Statement

My exhibition is going to based on the many aspects of Deaf culture: the history, language, struggles, controversies, discrimination, but above all, the PRIDE and LOVE that Deaf people have for their culture! All the artworks are connected through this common theme. All of the artists are actually Deaf or hard-of-hearing themselves. I was able to locate and research many different artists from all over the world which had "Deaf-influences" in their creations. By this, I mean artworks had something to do with Deaf culture one way or another. I didn't have any specific type of process in selecting artists. I first had to find artworks that met the requirements (which was not easy!) and then selected the ones I liked best. I tired to include artworks that related to the Deaf but each held their own individual meaning. 

I hope that this exhibit can be more of an educational experience for hearing viewers who don't know what "Deaf" truly means. Hearing people tend to connect the word Deaf with hearing-loss, but in reality it means much more than that; it is an identity. 

Art No.2

Art No. 2

• Artist: Chuck Baird
• Title: Art No. 2
• Media: Acrylic on canvas 
• Dimensions: 24 in. x 30 in.
• Date: 1993  

• Biographical Information: Chuck Baird was born deaf in 1947 in Kansas City. He attended the Kansas School for the Deaf. He earned his BFA in Painting in 1974 from the Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT). In 1980, he joined the National Theater of the Deaf where he was an actor and set designer. He was in charge of painting the sets. He moved to San Diego in 1992 and worked as an in-house artist for DawnSignPress but eventually ended up moving back to Kansas about a year later. When he was back in Kansas City, he designed his own painting and sculpture studio. Chuck was a well-known Deaf artist who created many different works of art that many Deaf people could relate to. He unfortunately passed away in 2012. (Biography1) (Biography2)
• Artist's Statement: "Art is my whole life. When I sign 'art', a ray of light represents the ray of Hope. Those flying objects in front of myself represent my various mediums."
• Background Information: "This is the second in the 'Art' series, the first of which is on the cover of his book Chuck Baird: 35 Plates.  These are crisp illustrations, seemingly drawn in mid-air, of the sign for 'artist', a concept that is essential to Chuck. In the first painting, the sign is seen from the viewpoint of the signer/artist, but in the present work, it is seen from the viewpoint of the receptor/viewer."
• Connection to Theme: I felt that this piece connected to my theme because it is the perfect painting to describe Deaf artists. Chuck painted himself actually signing the word "art" in his picture; how cool! He then painted various art tools flying around him which expressed the different types of art he creates. The light coming from his hand represents hope, which Deaf people sometimes desperately need in this society. They are constantly belittled and looked down at for their so-called "disability" and sometimes being Deaf in a hearing world can become overwhelming and hard. Deaf people need outlets to express themselves, their culture, and their passions. I feel this painting is a light of hope and inspiration for Deaf people to find a passion and embrace themselves to it, whether it be art or something else. It encourages the Deaf community to find a way to express who they are. Chuck Baird has many other amazing paintings, however, I chose this one in specific because I think it ties in with my exhibit very well and makes a great first post. It is an ASL art creation of the word artist. Chuck took a word and turned it into a painting... Deaf people can be incredibly creative!

Artist statement and background information (ctrl + click here) 
Painting information (ctrl + click here) 

Global Deaf Connect

Global Deaf Connect

  

• Artist: Nancy Rourke
• Title: Global Deaf Connect
• Media: Oil on canvas
• Dimensions: 30 in. x 40 in.
• Date: 2011

• Biographical Information: Nancy was born deaf in San Diego. She says she began painting at the age of six. She later on graduated from the National Technical Institute of the Deaf and Rochester Institute of Technology in New York and earned her master's degree in computer graphic design and painting. She was in the graphic design field for 20 years, and it wasn't until 2010 when she focused her career on Deaf art. She was very excited to finally be able to express her feelings and experiences through her paintings. Nancy continues to paint today and sells her work online. She is a popular artist within the Deaf community. (Biography)
• Artist's Statement: "My work has a centralized focus that makes a theme; resistance, affirmation and liberation art.
  I create words, images, colours and all of the construction that show blue tapes, yellow lights, hands, eyes, elephant, horse, strings, cracks, bandaids and so on.  Primary colours are what I use. I also use monochrome for reinforcement. These elements make a big exposure to both Deaf and Hearing society."
• Background Information: "This painting is about the Deaf people around the world who are connected. Regardless, of their whereabouts, their cultures and language, the Deaf people connect instantly because they are Deaf. Each country has its own abbreviation. American Sign Language: ASL, French Sign Language: LSF, Italian Sign Language: LIS, etc. This is a second version of the original painting Unity of Global Signing."
• Connection to Theme: I believe this piece connects to my theme because in the Deaf community, people are very close. They are more like a big, giant family. This is an important aspect of Deaf culture. It is crucial to maintain strong relationships within the community in order to continue to be a member. I love how Nancy involved Deaf people from all around the world in this painting and not just in the United States. As discussed in the background information section, it is true that all Deaf people automatically connect even if they've never met. For example, if a Deaf person from California met a Deaf person from Paris, they would instantly click and become great friends and always stay in touch; it's just how they are and how their culture is. They make up a cultural and linguistic minority, so it is a good chance that all Deaf people will be close with one another. The hands in the painting are signing the word "relationship." Deaf people from all over the world have close relationships simply because it's their culture. I chose this painting because Nancy's work is very unique and different from a lot of other artists I've seen. I like how she uses the same, basic colors and still can create beautiful and meaningful messages from them. Nancy is a wonderful example of a Deaf artist and she has many, many other Deaf-related artworks. 

Artist's statement (ctrl + click here)
Background information (ctrl + click here) 
Painting information (ctrl +click here) 

Dragonfly

Dragonfly

• Artist: Theresa Coughlan
• Title: Dragonfly
• Media: Fabric/quilt
• Dimensions: 45 1/4 in. x 41 in. (unframed)
• Date: 2009

• Biographical Information: Theresa was born in Ashland, Oregon. She says she started drawing as early as the age of two. She became fascinated with different fabrics and textures as she was growing up and even created different things with an old sewing machine. She even learned to knit at the age of 16. She later on attended RIT for Weaving and Textile Design. Her teachers at RIT are who influenced her to start quilting and she fell in love it. She decided to further her education and graduated with her master's degree in Rehabilitation Counseling for the Deaf from Western Orange University in 2007. (Biography)
• Artist's Statement: "I created my first ASL quilt and was amazed. It was not that hard, I kicked myself for allowing fear stopped me in the first place. In no time, I created another ASL quilt.....I was sure that I had found my style! Still continue making more ASL quilts after 18 ASL/deafness theme quilts."
• Background Information: "This Deaf art is created by Theresa Coughlan. She has incorporated quilting with ASL (American Sign Language). The handshape with the three fingers means “bug”. The “D” for dragonfly. Notice the hands on the tree? They represent the leaves. I think deaf art is so interesting."
• Connection to Theme: I love Theresa's work! From the quilts I have seen that she designs, they all have a Deaf style and theme, which ties in perfectly with my exhibit! Theresa's work is unique because she is the only Deaf artist I found who makes quilts so I felt I had to show off one of them. I wanted to include Dragonfly in my exhibit because it was my favorite quilt out of all of Theresa's creations and was also very colorful. I think this piece connects to my theme because it shows how creative Deaf art can be. Deaf artists can literally take something as simple as a dragonfly on a tree and turn it into a Deaf-based masterpiece. The person (who doesn't have ears, hinting that they are Deaf) stares in amazement at the dragonfly as the sign the word "bug." Hands are making up the leaves on the tree, for obvious reasons. I love this piece so much because it shows how creative Deaf people can be in showing off their culture! I love how Theresa expresses herself and her culture through this simple quilt.
 

Artist's statement (ctrl + click here) 

Background information (ctrl + click here) 

Quilt information (ctrl + click here)

Communication Barrier, "No ASL, Not Complete"

Communication Barrier, "No ASL, Not Complete"

• Artist: Ellen Mansfield
• Title: Communication Barrier, "No ASL, Not Complete"
• Media: Oil on canvas
• Dimensions: 16 in. x 20 in.
• Date: 1982

• Biographical Information: Ellen was born deaf in Manhattan,  but grew up in new Jersey. She was one of the unfortunate Deaf children who was ineffectively taught at an oral school. She graduated with her BFA in Illustration from the School of Visual Arts in New York City. She loved all different forms of art and when she moved to Maryland, she realized how much she had reflected her Deaf identity in her artwork. She feels her life and artwork blossomed when she based it around Deaf culture. She currently has a home studio titled Ellen's TileStroke Studio, where she designs all kinds of art. She has explained that her main goal is to tell a story of Deaf culture and sign language. I feel she has achieved her goal. (Biography)
• Artist's Statement: "The face shows no eyes and mouth as I lost my Deaf identity. The brown stripe across my body symbolizes that I am willing to leave behind half of my body and get out of this trapped life. My arms are upward to reach out for ASL."
• Background Information: "This is done is the cubist style, like Pablo Picasso’s work. It represents my memories of misery and suffering from attending public schools."
• Connection to Theme: Ellen's painting connects to my theme because it represents that Deaf people don't always feel happy and proud of who they are. Sometimes, it can be a tough struggle. Ellen claims that this painting is based off her experience in public (hearing) schools and I think this is a great representation of what can happen when Deaf people are forced to be educated through oralism (non-signing education). Deaf people are not meant to be taught orally; it needs to be done visually with sign language and this painting proves exactly why. Ellen probably felt lost and alone while attending a public school and was losing who she was. Oralism strips away the Deaf identity and prevents Deaf people from being able to communicate through the language they were destined to. It destroys their culture! It's like throwing a hearing person into a Deaf classroom and saying, "Sit here and learn. No talking, only signing." It just won't work. In the painting, the artist is seen literally reaching up for what she said was ASL. She was in desperate need of her true identity, not the identity her hearing school forced her to have. This painting is very powerful and sends a good message to hearing people, which is the reason I chose to show it: Deaf people need to be educated in Deaf schools; it is what they were designed for and it is what will be most effective throughout their many years of education.

Artist's statement and background information (ctrl + click here)
Painting information (ctrl + click here) 
Painting information 2 (ctrl + click here) 

Trapped

Trapped

• Artist: Robin Taylor
• Title: Trapped
• Media: Bronze, stained steel, wire, and acrylic
• Dimensions: 12 in. h x 12 in. w
• Date: 1999

Same sculpture, three different views

• Biographical Information: Although Robin wasn't born Deaf, she is still a huge member of the community. She was young when she was diagnosed with Scar Tissue Damage and an experimental pill was able to help her regain most of her hearing. However, she had a tumor removed in 1980 which left her hearing very limited. By the age of 17, Robin left home to pursue an acting career. Even after her surgery which affected her hearing, she still continued to act on stage and on TV. In the 1990s, Robin began to drift from acting and focused more on sculpting. She enjoys sculpting from her own history and theatrical background. She earned her BFA in Acting from United States International University School of Performing Arts and later on he got her MFA  in Acting from UCLA. (Biography)
• Artist's Statement: "The philosophy behind my sculpture comes from a very private place.  Many of my works deal with the emotional frustration of being between two language worlds and I use my past history, medical events and daily life experiences to create them."
• Background Information: "Trapped is about the frustration, physical pain and inner loss and rage we all feel sometimes. (It's a personal piece for me). The Wire Mask represents our façade. Our emotional and physical covers. The little girl is that very private fear inside all of us."
• Connection to Theme: As discussed in my last post regarding Ellen Mansfield's painting, Deaf people aren't always happy and proud as their culture portrays them to be. I feel it is important to talk about the negative sides of being Deaf because it can be hard if the Deaf don't have a good support system at home willing to communicate through signing. I have learned that there are many families who have Deaf children and don't bother learning sign; there is literally no communication between the child and family, but I will get more into this later on. Robin's sculpture is very emotional, raw, and vulnerable which is a big reason I wanted to show it. Deaf people portray themselves as proud of who they are and that they never want to change; however, Trapped tells otherwise. I'm sure Deaf people are proud of their culture, but at some point, they must have all been able to relate to this sculpture. It has to be frustrating, enraging, and scary at times for the Deaf to live in a majority-hearing world, even if they don't want to admit it. However, I feel this is what makes their culture so empowering and prideful. They may be afraid inside, but they don't let it show and continue to face the world with a strong and proud attitude. 

Artist's statement (ctrl + click here) 

Background information (ctrl + click here) 
Sculpture information (ctrl + click here) 

Milan, Italy 1880

Milan, Italy 1880

• Artist: Mary Thornley
• Title: Milan, Italy 1880
• Media: Oil on canvas
• Dimensions: 39 in. x 33 in.
• Date: 1994

• Biographical Information: Mary was born in 1950 and grew up in Elkhart, Indiana. She attended public school here, but later went to Indiana University at South Bend in 1987 and earned a bachelor's degree. In 1990, she earned a MFA from the University of Washington. She has participated in many different group projects and is currently living in Vancouver, BC. (Biography)
• Artist's Statement: "I work primarily in charcoal and oils.  I focus on Deaf life or Deaf experience, and the works are projections from these ruminations. My goal is to leave a body of work that says 'Deaf artist'."
• Background Information: "I choose this way of representing the oppressive attitude that existed toward sign language dating from the 1880s. And that the edict carried out in Milan, Italy in 1880—that sign language would no longer be used with deaf children but only 'oral' methods—was still in force in the year I was born, 1950."
• Connection to Theme: This connects to my Deaf Culture theme because Deaf culture contains a brutal history. I feel history is a very important part of a group's culture, therefore I needed to include it in my exhibit. Milan, Italy 1880 is based on another painting, The Executions of the Third of May 1808 by Francisco Goya. (look here) Back in the 1880s at the Milan Conference, a law was passed that banned sign language in the classrooms. Deaf people were literally being forced to speak and lipread, no matter how challenging it was for them. It stripped away their identities and left a negative impact on the Deaf people during that time. The people shooting guns at the ASL letters are meant to be the oralist people trying to eliminate sign language. I love how in her painting, Mary showed the concrete ASL letters beginning to crack from the gunfire being shot at them, but they never were completely destroyed. This shows that Deaf people went through a lot in the last few hundred years, but they overcame the discrimination and ignorance of the hearing people and have earned back their right to use ASL in the classroom! This was one of the most inspiring creations I had seen throughout my research. I believe it is empowering for the Deaf  that they should never give up no matter how many hearing people are against them.

Artist's statement (ctrl +click here) 

Background information (ctrl + click here) 
Painting information (ctrl + click here) 

Family Dog

Family Dog

• Artist: Susan Dupor
• Title: Family Dog
• Media: Acrylic on canvas
• Dimensions: 56 in. x 57 in.
• Date: 1991

• Biographical Information: Susan was born deaf in Madison, WI. From kindergarten through 12th grade, she was mainstreamed in "hearing impaired" programs. In 1987, she enrolled into the National Technical Institute of the Deaf (NITD) and was cross-registered at RIT, as well. Her major was Illustration. She eventually transferred to the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and got her BFA. She worked in an animation studio and then continued her education by earning her master's degree in Deaf Education and Art education from the University of Rochester and NITD. She taught for some time at NITD and finally moved to Wisconsin and is teaching art at the Wisconsin School for the Deaf. She says in her free time, she enjoys painting. (Biography)
• Artist's Statement: "As an artist who is Deaf, I am constantly exploring my identity as a Deaf woman.  I have been painting within this theme for the past ten years and my perspective has changed throughout the years. There were moments when I vented my emotions, and others when I wanted to celebrate the uniqueness of Deaf culture and seek the ironies of being Deaf in a hearing world."
• Background Information: "This is expressive of feelings typical to isolated Deaf children living with non-Signing hearing families.  The faces of the other members of the family are blurred, which likens the experience of lipreading to the experience of listening to a TV program disrupted by static.  The deaf child, who wears hearing aids, is likened to a family pet that is patted on the head while being told 'Good girl, good girl.'"
• Connection to Theme: Deaf children of hearing families can feel very lost and alone if there aren't strong and positive communication methods taking place within the family. This connects to my theme because within the Deaf world, stuff like this unfortunately takes place. There are parents of Deaf children who aren't supportive of their child's language and chose not to learn it; it is very sad. Notice how the child is isolated and kept distant from the family by a gate; this is what it feels like to them. They are isolated, ignored, and emotionally neglected. It can lead to severe psychological problems. There is no efficient means of communication and assuming the Deaf child can lipread is just cruel and incorrect. This is why I chose to base my gallery on the Deaf world. There are many hearing people in the world who are completely unaware of the Deaf community and their values. (I can admit that I was unaware of it before I started learning about it in my ASL classes.) Society just needs to be educated about this. I just want hearing parents to be familiar with Deaf culture in case they do have a Deaf child; they need to know how to properly react and what their good options are in helping the child grow up. I chose to show this painting in Life Through the Eyes because there are negative sides of Deaf culture that people should know about. I didn't want to post strictly positive and happy images. I want people to be aware of the kinds of discrimination that takes place in our society, especially if it has to do with Deaf children.

Artist's statement (ctrl +click here) 

Background information (ctrl +click here) 
Painting information (ctrl + click here) 

Articulatus

Articulatus

• Artist: Thad Martin
• Title: Articulatus
• Media: Ceramic (all six)
• Dimensions: Six piece collection; dimensions below.
• Date: 1994 (all six)

Here are close ups of each individual sculpture. They each have separate titles.

  

1. "ooo" - 30 in. x 22 in. x 8 in.

2.  "ahh" - 36 in. x 20 in. x 20 in.

 

3. "err" - 28 in. x 22 in. x 11 in.

 4. "ege" - 34 in. x 23 in. x 8 in.

5. "mmm" - 32 in. x 27 in. x 10 in.

6. "uhhh" - 27 in. x 18 in. x 13 in.

• Biographical Information: Thad was born in Sacramento in 1967. He was not born deaf; he developed spinal meningitis in 1973 and that is what caused him to become completely deaf. He was mainstreamed in a hearing school as the only Deaf student. In fact, his parents had to fight the school district in order for them to provide him an interpreter! After he graduated, he was accepted into the University of California at Berkeley. It was while he was here when he was introduced to the Deaf community and began learning ASL. In 1989, Thad graduated with his bachelor's degree in Art and English and later on earned his MFA from the same university in 1992. He was an art professor at the University of California at Davis for a short time in 1994 and in 1995 he moved to Austin, Texas. He is still living here. (Biography)
• Artist's Statement: "I focus on heads alone rather than on bodies or extremities because our heads house our minds, in which our human experiences are firmly rooted, for that is where our perceptions are processed. Our voices rise up through our throats to pour forth from our mouths; our eyes are the 'windows to our souls.' the expression on our faces mirror our thought and feelings; they are our most direct and unfiltered source of interaction. Our facial expressions are the seat of silent communication."
• Background Information: "It is a composition of heads, the details of which are named after primal sounds. The relationships within it tell a wordless story of a deaf experience: from an awakening to one's sense of self, through a struggle for footing in the hearing world, to an affirmation of one's wholeness and an acceptance of the journey to come."
• Connection to Theme: I feel this connects in with my theme in Life Through the Eyes for a couple of reasons. First, Thad explains that he likes to create sculptures based on "heads" because he feels that is the most important part of the human body. It is the area where we show facial expressions, which is such a vital key in Deaf culture. Facial expressions are in fact grammatical  in ASL. For example, when asking a who/what/where/when/why question, eyebrows need to be pointed down. When asking a yes/no question, eyebrows need to be raised up. If someone didn't use facial expressions while signing, it would be very difficult to understand them. I like how Thad included this concept of facial expressions in his artist's statement because it is so true and relates to Deaf culture 100%. Each sculpture appears to have a different facial expression, so to me, it expressed the importance of using facial expressions when signing. The Articulatus collection is also referred to as a story of a Deaf person positively and optimistically accepting their identity as a Deaf individual. I feel this relates to my theme of Deaf culture because I think it is very important for Deaf people to accept themselves and be PROUD of who they are! Accepting their identity in the world is the first step to take in order to live a free and happy life because the Deaf community is a great environment for Deaf people to surround themselves in. The shorter heads of the collection (ahh, err, uhhh) are meant to represent a person's outward workings, while the taller heads (ooo, ege, mmm) represent a person's inner workings. According to the website, "Each pairing is dynamic and reciprocal, reflecting an outward manifestation of an inward state of mind and vice versa." I decided to show these sculptures in my exhibit because I felt they looked very exotic looking and they appealed to me. By just looking at them, you immediately start creating a storyline in your head of what they mean because they have a very mysterious energy. It was also the first collection of ceramic sculptures I had seen represented as a single piece and I felt it would make my exhibit more unique and interesting. 

Artist's statement (ctrl + click here) 

Background information (ctrl + click here) 
Sculpture information (ctrl + click here) 

Cherish ASL

Cherish ASL

• Artist: Connie Clanton
• Title: Cherish ASL
• Media: Intaglio
• Dimensions: 14 in. x 14 in.
• Date: 1996

• Biographical Information: Connie was born hearing in Bonneville, MS and became  deaf around the age of nine months old due to a reaction to a medication she took because of a high fever. Connie was sure by the age of nine that she wanted to be an artist. Her family later moved to Nashville, where she graduated in 1967 from the Tennessee School for the Deaf in Knoxville. She moved to Raleigh, NC and studied art at Meredith College. In 1994, she moved to Concord, NH. Her paintings can be seen on display at the Mississippi Museum of Art in Jackson and also at White Interiors in Raleigh, North Carolina. She currently displays her artwork Interior Additions in Concord, NH. As well as Intaglio creations, she also claims to enjoy painting images of the beach using oils. (Biography)
• Artist's Statement: "I also enjoy doing Intaglios which are a challenge and that is what makes them so much fun. The subject of hands is a big part of what I do in Intaglio. When I first started to sell these pieces of art people were so excited that it inspired me to do more."
• Background Information: "I wanted to express how we do value our language and communication. The meaning of this work is obvious - two hands signing and fingerspelling 'Cherish ASL'."
• Connection to Theme: This piece connects to my theme because it is so simple and accurate. I cannot physically explain how much Deaf people cherish and value their language and culture. It is unbelievable! I think that is one of the biggest reasons I fell in love with ASL is because of the people. The only word I can think of to describe the Deaf community is "pride" and that is obvious because I have used that word many times throughout my gallery. When I began taking ASL classes, I thought learning sign language would be cool because it is communicating with the hands, but it is so much more than just a form of communication. Deaf people live in their own beautiful and amazing world and I cherish Deaf culture just as much as they do. I chose to show Cherish ASL in my exhibit because it looked different than the rest of my artworks and it sent a strong message of how Deaf people feel about sign language and how much they value their lifestyle. I really love the soft colors Connie used. It makes it look very beautiful and charming. This is also the only piece I have created through Intaglio. After some quick research, it appears to be a type of printmaking. Very fascinating!

Artist's statement (ctrl + click here) 

Background information (ctrl +click here) 
Artwork information (ctrl + click here) 

6 Days

6 Days

• Artist: Uzi Buzgalo
• Title: 6 Days
• Media: Acrylic on wood
• Dimensions: 34 in. x 35 in.
• Date: 2005

• Biographical Information: Uzi was born in Afula, Israel. He was actually the first deaf child in his hometown. In order to communicate with others, he would draw. He attended the Jerusalem School for the Deaf since he was a child until his teenage years. He began studying art at the young age of just eleven years old! He studied at the Museum of Israel in Jerusalem. He studied things like lithography and sculptures. He was even a dancer in a dance group which contained both Deaf and hearing people. It was called Kol Demama. They traveled the world for years together. He used his creative abilities to contribute to this dance group which eventually led to the development of his art style. It can be described as a composition of color waves and dots; he feels this expresses the language of Deaf people. His artworks are represented in collections all over the world due to his popularity. (Biography)
• Artist's Statement: "The beauty of signed languages shaped my art style, which is a composition of colors and hands with stories of similar experiences, a way of artistically depicting the language and culture of deaf people."
• Background Information: "During the Six-Day War in 1967, Uzi and his fellow students from the Jerusalem School for the Deaf were brought to the safety of a bomb shelter. In the dark crawl space they sat in small groups around a candle. In this painting he captures the flicker of signing hands moving in and out of the light brightly playing with shadows and thoughts."
• Connection to Theme: I feel this piece connects to Life Through the Eyes because of the background story; I was fascinated with it! I love how the artist used sign language to turn a dark and terrifying situation into a beautiful one. I can only imagine how mesmerizing it must have been to see the small flicker of the candle and the movements and shadows from all the people signing. It must've been a pretty memorable event if Uzi Buzgalo decided to create something out of it. I feel this makes a strong, final post because it explains the beauty of sign language. It explains that even in that scary time hiding in the crawl space, Uzi and his students made it beautiful through Deaf culture by signing together. The group of Deaf people were together and made a situation better through their shared culture. To me, it sends the message that sign language is powerful and beautiful. That is clearly why I wanted to include this piece in my exhibit. I hope this helps give you a different perspective on sign language!

Artist's statement and background information (ctrl +click here) 
Painting information (select artists, painting, Buzgalo, Uzi, view more art) 
Painting information 2 (ctrl + click here) 

Additional Works

Additional Works

In addition to the required minimum ten artworks, I would like to add a few more into my exhibit just because I really liked them and wanted to share them! I wanted to include some of these in my actual exhibit but I couldn't find all the required information about them. Enjoy!

• Artist: Jean Boutcher
• Title: Thomas H. Gallaudet
• Media: Oil
• Dimensions: 14 in. x 18 in.
• Date: 1992

I really like Jean Boutcher's portraits! They are all incredibly detailed. I chose to display this one because Thomas H. Gallaudet is a major historical figure in the Deaf community. (Other works here)

• Artist: Susan Dupor
• Title: Deaf American
• Media: Oil on canvas
• Dimensions: 42 in, x 30 in.
• Date: 1989

I feel that this painting is very powerful. In the woman's hand is a cochlear implant. The cochlear implant is a HUGE (and I mean massive) controversy within the Deaf community. Hearing people view it as a miracle, but in a way doesn't it threaten Deaf culture? Some Deaf people are open to the idea of it but many are not, and I personally don't blame them. I feel this painting describes how the United States society in a way forces the cochlear implant among Deaf people. The woman looks frustrated and angry because she feels she doesn't need to be fixed, so why are people pressuring her into getting the surgery?

I also would like to display more of Chuck Baird's art. It is too beautiful not to share!

• Title: All American Breakfast
• Media: Acrylic on canvas
• Dimensions: 34 in. x 36 in.
• Date: 1992

I love how a classifier (CL) is being used in this painting. In the Deaf world, a classifier is a designated hand shape which is very important in ASL grammar. (more information here) Instead of signing "syrup bottle" why not just show it using a CL? Classifiers make ASL an interesting and creative language. This is why I love Chuck Baird's work! He incorporates CL and actual signs into his paintings. Another example is his masterpiece, entitled Whale. 

Whale is probably my favorite of all his works! It's gorgeous and is a great representation of Deaf art.

Another artist I found was by the name of Ashley Shaffer. Unfortunately, her drawing didn't have the necessary requirements for me to include in my exhibit, but I want to share it here. 

• Title: Deaf Artist
• Media: Mixed media on sketch paper
• Dimensions: 9 in. x 12 in.
• Date: 2013

This reminded me of Chuck Baird's Art No. 2. If you look up close you can see it was done with a thin pen or marker and must have taken a lot of patience and time. I love how she wrote "Deaf" and "Artist" all over both hands. She has tons of other drawings that she sells for very reasonable prices. Again, another great example of Deaf art and Deaf culture!

Conclusion

 Conclusion

Overall, throughout this process, I learned that creating an art exhibit is not all that easy. It took a lot of time to find different Deaf or hard of hearing artists who had artworks that met the qualifications for the assignment. The most difficult part of researching was finding an artist's statement related directly to the exhibited work because the Deaf community is not well-known to many, so it was challenging finding art works where the actual artist or another person has commented on them. The "Deaf Culture" gallery idea came very natural to me because I love everything about Deaf culture and I know some people within the Deaf world have amazing artistic abilities and I wanted to be able to share that with other hearing people. I loved researching the different artists and finding all the various forms of Deaf art. I feel the job of a curator would be very stressful. It would feel like a lot of pressure trying to find the perfect artworks for the exhibit in order to connect them to a specific theme. I think I'm going to avoid that career! However, it would be an interesting job due to having the opportunity to base a career around art. Deaf culture is made up of branches of all types of different things so it was easy to find different works based on individual themes that connected somehow. During the research process for this project, I discovered that there are so many Deaf artists from all over the world who can connect together through their culture. I did not expect to come across so many different people who specialize in Deaf art. Deaf people can all connect on an individual and personal level. Their community is more like a giant family. I learned that Deaf people don't strictly connect because of their language and background; they also connect because of the art and the stories that their art tells. I hope that you enjoyed looking at Life Through the Eyes, but more importantly, I hope you can take this as an educational opportunity and walk away with a new outlook and knowledge on Deaf people!