Objectives
You will…
• learn the difference between Deaf artists and De'VIA
artists
• understand the De’VIA is an important part of Deaf
Culture and Deaf History
• observe the various De’VIA themes and artworks from
different De’VIA artists
• explore ways to include De’VIA in your classroom
What is De’VIA?
De'VIA is short for
Deaf View/Image Art
http://www.facebook.com/pages/DeVIA-Artists/189802827726501
De’VIA ?
• There is a difference between
Deaf artists and De'VIA artists.
• Deaf artists are those who use art in
any form, media, or subject matter,
and who are held to the same
artistic standards as other artists.
• Example…
Redmond Granville
De’VIA ?
• De'VIA is created when the artist
intends to express his or her Deaf
experience through visual art.
“Deaf art expresses the values of Deaf culture—
the beauty of sign language and its
painful oppression, the joys of Deaf bonding,
communication breakdowns between signers and
non-signers, the discovery of language and
community, and the history of Deaf people,”
– Chuck Baird
http://www.gallaudet.edu/clerc_center/chuck_baird_shares_his_vision_of_deaf_art_and_culture.html
Viva De'VIA
In 1989 nine Deaf artists came
together to discuss Deaf art and
came up with the name
Deaf View/Image Art (De'VIA).
The 9 Deaf artists
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
Dr. Betty G. Miller, painter;
Dr. Paul Johnston, sculptor;
Dr. Deborah M. Sonnenstrahl, art historian;
Chuck Baird, painter;
Guy Wonder, sculptor;
Alex Wilhite, painter;
Sandi Inches Vasnick, fiber artist;
Nancy Creighton, fiber artist;
Lai-Yok Ho, video artist.
Viva De'VIA
• “De'VIA represents Deaf artists and perceptions
based on their Deaf experiences. It uses formal art
elements with the intention of expressing innate
cultural or physical Deaf experience. These
experiences may include Deaf metaphors, Deaf
perspectives, and Deaf insight in relationship with
the environment (both the natural world and Deaf
cultural environment), spiritual and everyday life.”
(De'VIA Manifesto, 1989)
• De'VIA may also be created
by deafened or hearing artists,
if the intention is to create
work that is born of their Deaf
experience (a possible
example would be a hearing
child of Deaf parents).
www.rit.edu/deafartists
http://www.deafart.org/
De’VIA Themes
Milan Italy
by
Mary Thornley
• Hands
• Sounds
• Faces
• ASL
• Resistance
• History
• Homage
Homage to
Clerc
by
Jean
Boutcher
Resistance vs. Affirmation Art
Resistance Deaf Art
Audism
Oralism
Mainstreaming
Cochlear Implants
Identity Confusion
Eugenics
Affirmation Deaf Art
Empowerment
ASL
Affiliation
Acculturation
Acceptance
Deafhood
Betty G. Miller
Betty Miller is one
of the first Deaf
American artist to
express her Deaf
experience
through her
artworks.
• Dr. Betty G. Miller of
Philadelphia, PA was born to
deaf parents in Chicago,
Illinois. She is a well-known
professional Deaf Artist who
taught art at Gallaudet
University for 18 years.
• In 1971, Betty G. Miller began
expressing her Deaf
experiences through her
paintings and drawings. Since
then her work has inspired
several Deaf visual artists to
create work based on their
Deaf experiences
Betty Miller
Artist's Statement
• "Much of my work depicts the Deaf
experience expressed in the most
appropriate form of communication:
visual art. I present both the suppression,
and the beauty of Deaf Culture and
American Sign Language as I see it; in
the past, and in the present. I hope this
work, and the understanding that may
arise from this visual expression, will help
bridge the gap between the Deaf world,
and the hearing world."
Betty Miller’s Resistance
Deaf Artworks
Amenslan Prohibited
Education Deaf
Betty Miller’s Affirmation
Deaf Artworks
Growing in ASL
Deaf Picnic
• Chuck Baird was born
deaf in Kansas City and
along with his three
older sisters, went to the
Kansas School for the
Deaf.
Chuck Baird’s
Resistance Deaf Artworks
Mechanical Ear
Oppression
Chuck Baird’s Affirmation
Deaf Artworks
This simple exchange is symbolic of the breakthrough from isolation and loneliness (that
many deaf children feel before they meet other deaf people) to the welcoming arms that
draw a deaf newcomer into the fold of the Deaf culture
Indianapolis, Indiana
http://www.warrenmillerart.com/welcome.html
Warren Miller’s Resistance
Deaf Artworks
Interview
Family Tradition
Warren Miller’s Affirmation
Deaf Artworks
Videophone
Dummy Hoy
• Susan Dupor was born deaf
and has an older brother who
was born hard of hearing.
Susan Dupor
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."
Audism
An attitude based on pathological thinking, which results
in a negative stigma toward anyone who does not hear;
like racism, sexism, audism judges, labels, and limits
individuals on the basis of whether a person hears and
speaks.
Ann Silver
• Born deaf into a hearing family in
Seattle, WA, in 1949, Ann Silver
attended public schools.
• As professional support services did
not exist, her childhood education,
she says, "was 90% guesswork, 10%
art."
For over three decades, Silver has been a driving force for the
recognition and inclusion of Deaf Art in the world of art,
architecture, public art, and academia. Latest addition to her
repertoire are several murals integrated into the walls of a building
at the Washington School for the Deaf in Vancouver, believed to be
the world's largest ASL-based public art.
Guy Wonder
• A 3rd
generation
Deaf man, Guy
was raised in a
Deaf family
and attended
a residential
school for the
Deaf in
Vancouver,
Washington
Video Clip
“Guy Wonder Discusses His Artwork”
Grandpa’s Treasures
Welcome Friends
Dr. McGregor
He helped with establishing a national organization for
Native American Deaf individuals (now called
Intertribal Deaf Council).
Self Portrait Gourd
Orkid Sassouni
Girl Talking
Scott Upton
• Scott Upton is Deaf and is from Canada.
Scott is a desktop publisher, graphic
designer, digital artist and pressman. He
lives and works in Kingston, Ontario.
Dolphins
Love
Lee Ivey
Bernard Bragg
Deaf Power
De’VIA Lessons in your Classroom
Deaf Artists in America:
Colonial to Contemporary
by
Deborah M. Sonnenstrahl
Gallaudet University Deaf Collections and Archives –
“Search the Artwork and Artifacts Catalog”
http://www.gallaudet.edu/library_deaf_collections_and_archives.html
• “Understanding De’VIA by Nancy Rourk”
• “Nancy Rourke 2011 Paintings De’VIA/Deaf Art”
• “Interview with Deaf Artist nancy Rourke”
• “American De’VIA Artist: Chuck Baird and his Journey
(2010)
• “Charles Wildbank, Deaf Artist”
• “De’VIA Artist- Pam Witcher”
www.rit.edu/deafartists
www.rit.edu/deafartists
De’VIA Themes
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Hands
Sounds
Faces
ASL
Resistance
History
Homage
1. “Expressions of
Culture”
2. De’VIA
3. “De’VIA Posters”
www.rit.edu/deafartists
Viva De'VIA
Introduction
Hands
Sound
Faces
ASL
Resistance
History
Homage
www.rit.edu/deafartists
By last name:
A-F
Animation
Papermaking
Cartoons
G-P
Ceramics
Photography
Q-Z
Digital Art
Printmaking
Mixed Media
Sculpture
Painting
Stained Glass Textiles
Explore an Artist
• What kind of artist is Matt Daigle?
• Did Matt grow up in a hearing or a deaf family?
• Pick your favorite art work from Matt Daigle to show
to class (via Internet) and explain why you like it.
• What kind of medium does Scott Upton use?
• Where does he live?
• What was his first design?
• What is his favorite design?
• Pick your favorite artwork from Upton to show to class
(via Internet) and explain why you like it.
www.rit.edu/deafartists
Artist Interviews
Collage
http://www2.bakersfieldcollege.edu/tmoran/asl1%20posters.htm
http://www2.bakersfieldcollege.edu/tmoran/asl1%20posters.htm
Homage
http://www2.bakersfieldcollege.edu/tmoran/asl1%20posters.htm
www.rit.edu/deafartists
Forming of Me by Heath Focken
Pink Girl by Emily Cooper
Questions to ask your students
• What is your opinion about the Resistance and
Affirmation artworks .
• Do you find ways to express your frustrations and
triumphs in life? If so, how?
• What are the advantages and disadvantages of
being deaf?
• Who is your favorite deaf artist and why?