How may Deaf Culture become Mainstream Culture?

During the Experiential Term, we learned ASL and immersed ourselves into Deaf culture. We worked as a group to make a micromentary that answered a question that we were passionate about answering. We all had roles that we took on during this project. We learned how to work together and listen to each others ideas. What we are most proud of is how our micromentary came together. We worked really hard on it. Watch our video below!

  
How May Deaf Culture Become Mainstream Culture? from GCE on Vimeo.

We learned that as early as 1000 BC the Deaf were discriminated against due to their permanent loss of hearing and outrageous claims that deafness was a sign from God to show his anger towards humanity. In the eighteenth and early nineteenth century, there were very high limitations in educational opportunities for Deaf children in America. In the 1800’s there were about 30 deaf schools that opened across America. The Cobbs School, Alexander Graham Bell School and Gallaudet were the first schools to present curriculum based on oral learning and ASL for both educational and cultural purposes. 

We watched Sound & Fury a documentary following a 5-year old girl with the desire to learn spoken language by getting a cochlear implant. Her parents were deaf and proud members of the Deaf community and feared losing their daughter to the hearing world. This showcased the struggles of being a member of both the Deaf community and the hearing world. There is much controversy surrounding cochlear implants which is believed to be a cure to deafness. This technology is controversial because it threatens the survival of the thriving Deaf language and Culture. 

Today, it is easy to see the importance and prominence of Deaf culture in schools, sports, and Art. We visited the Children of Peace School in Chicago that focuses on integrating hearing and deaf education. We were surprised to see hearing, hard of hearing, and deaf students learning in the same classroom. We also attended a basketball torment for the Deaf where Deaf teams from as far as Boston competed for the title of champion. I was in awe by how highly athletic these players were and how everyone knew each other. We witnessed the same type of talent and friendship when we watched the documentary Deaf Jam, which showed a group piece performed by Aneta, a Deaf poet and Tahani a spoken word poet .

Red Line Project

The purpose of this action project was to experience organizing and realizing a nonviolent intervention in my own city, practicing Satyagraha with the real world implications. In Global Peace we learned about Satyagraha which is Gandhi's principle for nonviolence. Satya means truth, graha means insistence in favor with the truth. Satyagraha means insistence of the truth. We used Satyagraha to understand how to make a nonviolent action happen.What I learned during this action project was to not be afraid of what you believe in. If you think something should be a different way protest or use any nonviolent way to solve the problem. I used a sheet of 198 methods of nonviolence actions to help me find a action that I want to take, which was number 179- Alternative Social institutions. What was most challenging about this action project was going out in the public to complete my action. What I enjoyed most was taking action in my own city!

  My action project was to document segregation and violence. I pick this action because there is still segregation in Chicago that many people don't know about. I want to change that, I did my action project with one of my class mate RD. We both feel really strong about this topic and wanted to find away to stop it. There should not be any segregation in Chicago all people should be equal no race should be treated any lower. Segregation should have stopped a long time ago but is still going on. People should care because segregation causes violence. I think nobody should treat any one lower because of what skin color, race, or religion. Segregation causes violence by people being separated and thinking they own a certain neighborhood. People thinking one side of the neighborhood is bad because of what race lives there when its just how the public marks the neighborhood as, and people not knowing segregation causes the violence.


We planned to schedule a date to take our action which was Wednesday Dec 11, 2013 on a FE day. We came up with a plan that we got inspired by a organization that is called "The Red Line Project" their form of nonviolence is to show that there is problems and violence on the red line. "Chicago is a city of neighborhoods, and The Red Line Project helps readers better understand and connect with them. The site covers news and urban issues in neighborhoods located near Chicago's Red Line El stops". Our plan was to show that there is still segregation in our city. We went on the red line our first stop was Chicago and the train was so packed. As we started going on down less white people were getting on. By Sox-35th the train was empty. On 47th there was mostly African Americans, we documented the train ride. We wanted to show that people do not go by 47th because of the people and history, which causes segregation.

                                                                                                Created by JV 

I think our action went really smooth the success was getting to actually do our action during school rather than going after. Another success was getting all the footage that we needed I really like how our video came out. When people were looking at us on the train felt so great because we really stood out. When we got to tell them about our action felt good because a lot of people were surprised to hear what we were taking action on. The only thing that I would change would be communicating more to the public. Overall my action went really good and I will definitely do it again!

"The Red Line Project". redlineproject.org. 2013. Web. December 9, 2013.

Beautiful Art

The purpose of this action project was to document our art pieces, which was my sticker that I had to screen print and hand them out to the public. The art piece was the class installation that we made to see how people will interact with them, but also how the artworks change. We made a video that will show how our artworks changed over time and to see how our YOU ARE BEAUTIFUL installation was created and put in the public. What I learned was documenting our artwork is really important because I got to see how two of my stickers changed. We will see how our class installation will change especially since we placed it in a park. I got to see how our massive art piece went from boring to BEAUTIFUL. What was most challenging in this project was letting go of all my art pieces. I spent so much time working on them and really got attached, it was hard putting them out in the public knowing that they won’t last. What I enjoyed most about this project was making this video, it was really fun watching all my art pieces change.


                                                          Created by JV

Original don't die as a copy!

The purpose of this action project was to plan and build a series of artworks that will spark interactions within a community. I chose to do a quote which was “ You are born Original Don’t die as a copy”. The meaning behind the quote is, don’t fake who you are just to impress somebody, just be yourself. Having to change the quote to fit on the sticker was the most challenging part in the project. I really like my design and I didn't want to change it at all because it means so much to me. What I enjoyed most about this project was making my sticker came to life. I want to post my sticker up and see how people react to them. What I learned during this project was I need to be open and free to get inspired  because that is what makes the best art pieces.

Photography JV ORIGINAL 2013*

Name: [JV]

Title: [Original Don’t die as a copy]

Size: [3 x 4 and 1 ⅓ x 4] 

Materials: [Silk Screen, Screen-printing ink, and Labels]

Date: [November 2013]

The written message in public art is for artist to express themselves. I want the public to see my artwork and be inspired by my sticker. I watched a movie called Style Wars, it is a 1980's documentary about graffiti artists in New York City. Their art work made people talk about the art piece. People talked about their graffiti even if they didn't understand the art work. Even people who hated it would still see the art and see the person’s name. The graffiti artists would tag their name and art piece on the train. The artists would graffiti trains because the trains go all over the city, so many people will see the artist name. 

I want that feeling of being seen that the New York artists had. The intended purpose for my art piece was to tell people to be themselves, and not trying to fake being something they're not. I want to provoke honesty in my message. I want the public to be inspired. I hope that my message actually mean something to at least one person. I came up with this idea because I do not need to fake my personality to be friends with somebody. I like to be completely myself with everybody. The design of my art piece is two puzzle pieces, one with a design that says Original. The other puzzle piece says Don’t die as a copy with no design.  I picked this quote and design because it speaks to me. The original quote was “You are born original don’t die as a copy”. I cut out the first part of the quote because it was too long. My message is to just be your self. The process to build my sticker was to screen print.

YOU ARE BEAUTIFUL ACTION PROJECT:

The purpose of this action project was to plan and build a massive art piece and put it out in the public. We built a bus stand and will document it to see how it changes over time. The most challenging part about this action project was trying to decide how I will decorate my letter. The most enjoyable part about this action project was getting ideas and decided to decorate my letter with candy. 

                                             

                                                                                                  Photography JV CANDY Letter 2013*

Name: [JV]

Title: [You are Beautiful]

Size: [12 x 15]

Materials: [Cabinet wood door, white pencil, black and pink paint, paint brush, varieties of candy, hot glue gun, acrylic gel] 

Date: [November 2013]

The idea and intended purpose for the You Are Beautiful installation was for the class to pick one idea that each classmates came up with. We all agreed on the bus stand idea because we thought it would be really fun making one big installation and see how the public will react. The You Are Beautiful project is by Matthew Hoffman who is a Chicago-based artist he created the You Are Beautiful idea. Matthew’s sticker went worldwide because people love his idea. He did multiple of public art in Chicago that brought lots of communities together. 

The aesthetic enhances the art piece because we all got a different letter and decorated it differently. All of the letters are different shapes and sizes with different colors and textures.  All of our ideas for the letters will make the bus stand look really cool. We are also making the bus stand out of doors, which will also make the bus stand look really unique. The idea come from the Chicago art museum which was originally a homeless house. Then one of my classmates recreated the idea and turned it into a bus stand. Each student was assigned to pick a letter and got to design it to put on the art piece.

I picked the letter U and there are 7 pieces to my letter. I decorated my letter with all different kinds of candy using a hot glue gun. I did this because it will make my letter look very eye catching with all the varieties of candy that I used. I cut my letter in 7 pieces going from smallest to biggest, I did this to give it a cool effect.

We are Beautiful

The purpose of this action project was to occupy and transform a public space with an art piece. For my art piece, I had to get two photos of people who I think are beautiful. I also had to choose a letter that would spell out You Are Beautiful. I chose the letter U. My class decided to put our art work in our garden walk way so everyone can see our artwork! What was most challenging about my art piece was wheat-pasting my photo in the U shape. What I am most proud of is how my photo came out. I love both kids that I choose that are beautiful both are really important in my life.

Photography JV 2013*

NAME: [JV]
TITLE: [We are Beautiful]
MEASUREMENTS: [15 inches by 320 inches]
MEDIUM: [wheat-paste, xacto knife, corrugated plastic, and inkjet on paper]

Public art to me is an art piece that has been planned with the intention of being sited by the public, usually outside and accessible to all. The intended purpose of this You Are Beautiful project was to occupy and transform a public space with an art piece.

We were inspired by JR who is a street, photography, and graffiti artist. He did multiple street art pieces that we got ideas from which were Face 2 Face and Inside Out. The Face 2 Face project tried to show that beyond what separates them, Israelis and Palestinians are enough alike to be able to understand one another. JR placed images of Israelis and Palestinians in Israeli and Palestinian to show people that no matter what race or religion, people are alike. JR’s art work made conversations. The Inside out project transforms messages of personal identity into pieces of artistic work, black and white photographic portraits. We used JR’s art idea by taking pictures of people making them black and white and putting them in a public space. We also got inspired by Matthew Hoffman who is a Chicago-based artist he created the You Are Beautiful idea. Matthew’s sticker went worldwide people loves his idea he did multiple of public art in Chicago that brought lots of communities together.

We took our inspiration to create our art piece by taking pictures of people that we think are beautiful. The process of making our You Are Beautiful letters was first to get pictures of people who are beautiful I had two, I pick my baby cousin and little brother because both of them are really important in my life. I also had to pick a letter to paste my photos on. To spell You Are Beautiful I pick U to paste both of my photos front and back. The materials we used were wheat-paste, xacto knife, corrugated plastic, and inkjet on paper. We cut the photos into 4 sections, than we did the same with our letter. Second we sketched out our letter shape on the corrugated plastic so our pictures can stick on something. We placed the pictures both on front and back. Cutting off any access around the letter. Third we wheat-pasted it so the pictures can last long during the harsh weather. Finally we installed our Public art. The measurements 15 inches by 320 inches.

Photography JV 2013*