Unit 6: Deaf Culture and Diversity

Grades

• 9-10
• 11-12

Subjects

• Art
• Social Studies

Overview of Lesson Plan

• Culture results from a group of people coming together to form a community around common experiences and shared interests.  Culture contains a set of social behaviors and beliefs, a history, and a language.  A culture may also share art, humor, and common stories.  The Deaf culture contains all of these elements.

  Deaf art, as with the art of any culture, emerges from the history, experiences and language of Deaf people.  Art uses metaphor, symbol, movement, color, light, and form to convey messages.  In this lesson, students explore Deaf culture through the visual Deaf arts.

Standards

• 1. Apply an understanding of culture as an integrated whole that explains the functions and interactions of language, literature, the arts, traditions, beliefs, values, and behavior.

  2. Compare and analyze patterns for preserving and transmitting culture.

  3. Articulate personal connections to time, place, and social/cultural systems.

  4. Analyze the role of perceptions, attitudes, values, and beliefs in the development of personal identity.

Objectives

• 1. To understand Deaf culture through its visual art.

  2. To understand the metaphors of Deaf art as expressions of Deaf culture, identity and personal experience.

Questions to Consider

• 1. In what ways are Deaf culture and identity expressed through Deaf visual arts?
• 2.  How do the themes, metaphors, and symbols of Deaf art compare to those in the art of other groups?

Resources and Materials

• 1. Artworks at www.Deafart.org:
  
  a) 20 Deaf artists:  Common Motifs.
  
  b) Selected Touring Works.
  2. Deafeyes Exhibit (see Exhibiting Artists links at bottom of screen).
  3. Through the Eyes of Deaf Artists.
  4. Paula Kluth, “Deaf Culture”

Activities and Procedures

• 1. Class Discussion: Review the reading of the essay on “Deaf Culture” (Kluth, 2006) and discuss:
• a) What is Deaf culture?
• b) How does it compare to other cultures?  Give examples.
• c) In what ways is Deaf culture unique?
• 2. Class Discussion: Tell students that in this lesson, they will explore Deaf visual arts.  Discuss the characteristics of works of art that give clues to the culture from which it emerges:  color, shape, texture, medium, symbol, and theme.  If students have difficulty, use the following links and ask:
• a) What culture produced this?
• b) How do you know?  What clues are there?
  Mexican art:  http://www.mexconnect.com/mex_/travel/jcummings/ph55diegokahlo.html
  Asian art: http://www.asia-art.net/
• 3. Group Discussion: In pairs, have students explore images of Deaf art on the following websites:
• a) Artworks at www.Deafart.org:
  20 Deaf artists:  Common Motifs
  Selected Touring Works
• b)Deafeyes exhibit (see Exhibiting Artists links at bottom of screen)
• 3a. When students have finished, ask:
• a) Based on these images, what are the characteristics of Deaf visual arts?  
• b) Do color, shape, or texture identify something as Deaf art?  Give examples.
• c) Do metaphor, symbol, or theme identify something as Deaf art?  Give examples.
• d) What can you learn about Deaf culture from Deaf art?
• e) What can you learn about Deaf identity from Deaf art?
• 4. Group Discussion: Have students read “Through the Eyes of Deaf Artists.” Individually or in pairs, students choose a Deaf artist to study through online research.  They can choose from the article or from the online exhibits.  As they study individual artists, have students consider the ways in which Deaf identity is expressed in the individual’s art.
• 5. Group or Class Discussion: In small groups or with the class as a whole, students present their artist to the class.  Encourage students to address the following:
• a) The ways in which the artist represents Deaf culture.
• b) The ways in which the artist represents his or her Deaf identity.
• c) The characteristics of the art that are unique to Deaf culture.
• d) The characteristics of the art that might be found in art from other cultures.
• 6. Follow-up: As a follow-up activity, invite members of the Deaf community to come and talk to the class or plan a multicultural exposition to present the arts and crafts of the Deaf community.  

Eras

• 1980-Present

Disability

• Deaf

Topics

• Culture
• Deaf Art
• Deaf Culture
• Deafness

Copyright

• (c) 2006 Syracuse University. All rights reserved.

Author(s)

• Susan Gabel, Ph.D.

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