Deaf Culture

Tuesday, July 14, 2015

"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!

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.