https://www.postregister.com/news/l...cle_81d9f21a-6495-5140-883a-8772647c29b9.html
New downtown mural gets thumbs-down from deaf community
By RYAN SUPPE rsuppe@postregister.com
A new mural in downtown Idaho Falls is drawing criticism from members of the deaf community and their supporters because the painting — which was done by a local artist who is not hearing impaired — incorrectly used American Sign Language.
The mural — titled “Look and Listen” and commissioned by the American Civil Liberties Union of Idaho in partnership with the Idaho Falls Downtown Development Corporation — is meant to depict four signs in American Sign Language but the signs were illustrated incorrectly.
Many members of the deaf community responded this week to a Downtown Development Corporation Facebook post of the mural, saying members of the deaf community should have been consulted on the project.
As of Thursday afternoon, more than 170 Facebook users had commented on the social media post. Most of the comments expressed disappointment, anger or confusion in response to the mural. Others said they appreciate the intent of the mural — that communication with and understanding of marginalized groups are important — and acknowledged the freedom of the artist to illustrate that message.
Ricky Taylor, 44, of Pocatello, a deaf video blogger who is fluent in ASL, said in a text message that the signs depicted in the mural are not ASL and that he considers the project cultural appropriation.
Taylor said the mural is “absolutely cringeworthy” and an attempt to translate the sign language results in “gibberish.”
“This is cultural appropriation, using (a) hearing artist to gain some kind of inspiration porn on Deaf’s natural language — American Sign Language,” Taylor said.
Kelly Sheridan, a local landscape artist and art teacher, painted the mural. The ACLU of Idaho and the Downtown Development Corporation accepted her mural proposal from a field of more than 40 applicants, according to Downtown Development Corporation’s executive director Catherine Smith.
The mural is one of three the ACLU of Idaho commissioned in the state. It’s also part of a larger effort in downtown Idaho Falls to fund public art projects.
Sheridan, who selected the subject matter for the project, told the Post Register on Oct. 2 — before she painted the mural — that it would “respond to the theme of protecting civil liberties” and “represent the unique and special qualities of the people who live in Idaho.”
The mural includes four signs, which were meant to read “ask,” “understand,” “listen” and “look.” Two signing hands frame a silhouette of Idaho on each side.
Kimberly Swanson, 45, of Pocatello, a freelance ASL interpreter, said the mural didn’t translate to ASL.
“I honestly couldn’t make sense of any of it,” she said.
Swanson said she understands Sheridan’s concept for the mural, but the representation of signs from a hearing artist’s perspective is likely what caused the miscommunication.
Sheridan said in a statement on Facebook that she consulted a friend who teaches ASL and did “supplemental research” for the mural. “That being said, it’s a complex challenge to show hands in movement especially without the context of a face,” Sheridan said.
The Downtown Development Corporation responded to the social media criticism in a statement on Wednesday.
“Our project team and the local Idaho Falls Committee have reviewed these comments and we are seeking first to understand,” the statement said. “We are proactively reaching out to members of the Deaf Community and advocates and inviting them to participate in a conversation about the best way to proceed.”
The statement went on, “we are sorry for our insensitivity,” in offending “beloved members of both the hearing and the Deaf Communities.” The ACLU of Idaho reiterated these remarks in a statement on Thursday.
Smith told the Post Register that she stands behind Sheridan and that the artist’s intent was not to offend. The committee tasked with selecting the artist did not focus on the sensitive content of the mural, but instead focused on finding a local artist that could represent the Idaho Falls community, Smith said.
She added, “We stepped in something I didn’t understand.”
Taylor said the organizations should redo the mural, this time consulting the deaf community and preferably employing a deaf artist to paint it.
Their experience using ASL would qualify a deaf artist to create something more “beautiful and meaningful than any hearing artist could,” Taylor said.
There are currently no plans to alter the mural but that may change in the future, Smith said.
Now some deaf related news.
In Idaho, there is a new art mural titled “Look and Listen.” In the mural, colorful hands represent four ASL signs: ask, understand, listen, and look. The artist is Kelly Sheridan, a hearing woman.
Idaho Falls Downtown Development Corporation partnered with American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Idaho to pick a local artist to paint a mural about minority groups. They selected Kelly, she chose the topic of communication and ASL.
In a Facebook group page, ASL That!, Joseph Wheeler, Deaf, asked if the mural was considered cultural appropriation, because the artist was hearing.
The Daily Moth asked him to share his thoughts, here he is.
[Wheeler] Hello The Daily Moth, thank you for inviting me to explain my view on the incident in Idaho Falls with the art mural of ASL signs.
When I saw it, I first thought, ‘is the artist deaf?’
It is well known that opportunities to showcase our community’s language and culture is often taken by hearing people. For example, deaf characters in movies. There are many deaf actors out there, but those roles are often given to hearing actors who fail to represent the character accurately.
Another example is on YouTube. There are many hearing people who are not qualified to teach ASL making instructional videos that filled with mistakes.
There are many other examples of our language and culture being appropriated. Our community is fed up and has had enough.
When I asked if the artist is deaf, my gut said they were not. The art was not clear and had mistakes. The artist responded saying she is hearing and is not involved in the deaf community. This means our language and culture has in fact been appropriated again.
It’s disappointing to see ACLU was involved. It’s ironic because the American Civil Liberties Union’s purpose is to support human rights for marginalized groups and to combat systemic oppression by governments. And yet here we see them ignore the deaf community and bring in a hearing artist to create art that represents us.
This is very troubling and disappointing. I hope this leads to a new search for a deaf artist to create a mural. They will surely be able to match our language and culture since they possess the experiences that every deaf person goes through.
A perfect example of this is when Starbucks opened their signing store in D.C. They made sure to hire a deaf artist to paint the mural on their wall. They also had custom mugs created by a deaf artist. I applaud Starbucks for this.
It’s shameful what ACLU has done. They need to improve their search process. I hope a deaf artist is hired to represent our language and culture well.
Thanks for watching.
[Renca] Thank you for sharing.
In the Facebook group, Deaf people agreed that the signs on the mural were not clear, many said that it looked like gang signs. Several people agreed, yes, it is cultural appropriation.
One person said yes, it is cultural appropriation because the Deaf community is a minority group and deaf artists struggle to find work as artists. Often, deaf artists do not get paid for making deaf-related art, but hearing artists get paid for art using our cultural language.
The artist, Kelly commented on the original post. She said she was not a member of the Deaf community but she did check with a friend who teaches ASL and did her own research. She said she appreciated the feedback, then suggested maybe a native ASL user could paint another mural in Idaho Falls.
What do you think? Do you think it’s cultural appropriation or not?
https://www.facebook.com/IFDDC/photos/a.10153280519753804/10156905030198804/
In Idaho, there is a new art mural titled “Look and Listen.” In the mural, colorful hands represent four ASL signs: ask, understand, listen, and look. The artist is Kelly Sheridan, a hearing woman.
Idaho Falls Downtown Development Corporation partnered with American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Idaho to pick a local artist to paint a mural about minority groups. They selected Kelly, she chose the topic of communication and ASL.
In a Facebook group page, ASL That!, Joseph Wheeler, Deaf, asked if the mural was considered cultural appropriation, because the artist was hearing.
The Daily Moth asked him to share his thoughts, here he is.
[Wheeler] Hello The Daily Moth, thank you for inviting me to explain my view on the incident in Idaho Falls with the art mural of ASL signs.
When I saw it, I first thought, ‘is the artist deaf?’
It is well known that opportunities to showcase our community’s language and culture is often taken by hearing people. For example, deaf characters in movies. There are many deaf actors out there, but those roles are often given to hearing actors who fail to represent the character accurately.
Another example is on YouTube. There are many hearing people who are not qualified to teach ASL making instructional videos that filled with mistakes.
There are many other examples of our language and culture being appropriated. Our community is fed up and has had enough.
When I asked if the artist is deaf, my gut said they were not. The art was not clear and had mistakes. The artist responded saying she is hearing and is not involved in the deaf community. This means our language and culture has in fact been appropriated again.
It’s disappointing to see ACLU was involved. It’s ironic because the American Civil Liberties Union’s purpose is to support human rights for marginalized groups and to combat systemic oppression by governments. And yet here we see them ignore the deaf community and bring in a hearing artist to create art that represents us.
This is very troubling and disappointing. I hope this leads to a new search for a deaf artist to create a mural. They will surely be able to match our language and culture since they possess the experiences that every deaf person goes through.
A perfect example of this is when Starbucks opened their signing store in D.C. They made sure to hire a deaf artist to paint the mural on their wall. They also had custom mugs created by a deaf artist. I applaud Starbucks for this.
It’s shameful what ACLU has done. They need to improve their search process. I hope a deaf artist is hired to represent our language and culture well.
Thanks for watching.
[Renca] Thank you for sharing.
In the Facebook group, Deaf people agreed that the signs on the mural were not clear, many said that it looked like gang signs. Several people agreed, yes, it is cultural appropriation.
One person said yes, it is cultural appropriation because the Deaf community is a minority group and deaf artists struggle to find work as artists. Often, deaf artists do not get paid for making deaf-related art, but hearing artists get paid for art using our cultural language.
The artist, Kelly commented on the original post. She said she was not a member of the Deaf community but she did check with a friend who teaches ASL and did her own research. She said she appreciated the feedback, then suggested maybe a native ASL user could paint another mural in Idaho Falls.
What do you think? Do you think it’s cultural appropriation or not?
https://www.facebook.com/IFDDC/photos/a.10153280519753804/10156905030198804/
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