De'VIA

Deaf View/Image Art, abbreviated as De’VIA, is a genre of visual art that intentionally represents the Deaf experience and Deaf culture. Although De’VIA works have been created throughout history, the term was first defined and recognized as an art genre in 1989.[1] In 1989, a group of nine Deaf artists gathered at Gallaudet University shortly before the Deaf Way arts festival was being held there. Led by Betty G. Miller, known as the Mother of De'VIA[2], and Paul Johnston, these artists created a manifesto detailing what De’VIA is and what it includes.[3] Since its official designation as a genre, De'VIA has helped to introduce the Deaf experience to the artistic world and give a new platform to the Deaf community.[4]

De'VIA Criteria

The De'VIA Manifesto, an original copy of which can be found in the De'VIA Curriculum, outlines the major criteria of De'VIA works. According to the manifesto and its signatories, De'VIA work is:

  • representative of Deaf experiences
  • uses specific artistic strategies such as color contrast and centralized focus
  • generally within the field of visual fine arts and alternative media
  • not exclusive to Deaf artists and not inclusive of all Deaf artists[1]

A major point of De'VIA is its differentiation from Deaf Art. Deaf Art is a term encompassing all artists who are Deaf, while De'VIA art can be made by Deaf and hearing individuals, as long as it represents the Deaf experience and perspective. A hearing coda (Child of deaf adult), for example, could be a contributor to De'VIA. Similarly, a Deaf artist does not necessarily belong to the De'VIA genre if their work does not use defined formal art elements common to De'VIA, such as contrastive colors and exaggerated facial features, to portray the Deaf experience.[1]

De'VIA Manifesto Signatories

The following nine artists were those who attended Betty G. Miller's workshop entitled "Expression: American Deaf Art," which took place at Gallaudet University in May of 1989.[1] Led by Miller and her co-facilitator Paul Johnston, this group spent four days discussing the experiences and elements of Deaf art. At the culmination of this workshop and their discussions, they created a written manifesto to coin the term De'VIA and detail its characteristics.[1] The following list contains the artists that participated in this workshop and signed the manifesto:

  • Betty G. Miller, painter
  • Paul Johnston, sculptor
  • 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[1]

De'VIA Themes

Thematically, De'VIA consists of two basic categories; Resistance De'VIA and Affirmation De'VIA.

Resistance De'VIA

This branch of De'VIA includes artworks that showcase themes of audism, oralism, mainstreaming, cochlear implants, identity confusion, and eugenics.[2] All of these negative themes are brought forward as a form of protest, as resistance De'VIA conveys how Deaf people have been oppressed, colonized and marginalized.[4]

Affirmation De'VIA

In contrast to resistance De'Via, affirmation De'VIA demonstrates themes of empowerment, ASL, affiliation, acculturation, acceptance, and Deafhood.[2] Affirmation De'VIA is more positive, and celebrates expresses the joy and empowerment within Deaf culture and the attributes of Deaf Gain that Deaf people share.[4] These themes are used to express the Deaf experience in a poignant way, showing the powerful platform and perspective that the Deaf community holds.[4]

De'VIA Motifs

As in many art movements, there are common symbols (or motifs) repeatedly used among different De'VIA artists in their works. Some common motifs in De'VIA works include:

  • Eyes
  • Hands
  • Ears
  • Mouth
  • Children
  • Doors
  • Musical instruments
  • Animals[2]

These motifs can be analyzed in different ways throughout the pieces in which they appear, however the four most prevalent motifs are the eyes, the hands, the ears, and the mouth. In most cases, these symbols are used to communicate a message concerning the communication of Deaf people among each other or in interactions within the hearing world.[2]

Notable De'VIA works

"Ameslan Prohibited"

This illustration by Betty G. Miller, which can be viewed here, is an example of resistance De'VIA. Through the shackling of hands, it conveys the message that denying Deaf people access to signed languages is harmful, represented by the broken fingers. By portraying that Deaf people are injured by disuse or banning from signed languages, Miller's work expresses some of the common resistance De'VIA themes like oralism, mainstreaming, and oppression.[2]

"Family Dog"

Susan Dupor's painting "Family Dog" is also a resistance De'VIA work that visually likens the Deaf child to the family pet. Seen here, the comparison stems from the Deaf child's inability to communicate with their family due to their lack of access to language. Because of that lack of access, the child is treated like an animal which has limited communication. Dupor's piece has been found provocative by many of its viewers, and protests the audistic approaches used by hearing parents of Deaf children, and therefore falls under resistance De'VIA.[2]

"Whale"

This painting by Chuck Baird, one of De'VIA's most notable contributors, serves as an example of affirmation De'VIA. The painting incorporates the sign for whale into a beautiful seascape, where a whale would be naturally found. This juxtaposition shows the iconicity of American Sign Language and subscribes to affirmation De'VIA themes such as ASL, empowerment, and Deaf gain.[2]


References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "What is De'VIA". De'VIA Curriculum. 14 July 2015. Retrieved 26 February 2018.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Durr, Patricia (2006). "De'VIA: Investigating Deaf Visual Art". Visual Anthropology Review.
  3. ↑ "What is Deaf Art?". www.deafart.org.
  4. 1 2 3 4 Zelinski, Karly. "Deaf Visual Arts: De'VIA (Deaf View/ Image Art)". American Sign Language University. Retrieved 18 March 2018.
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