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.
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 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.
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.
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