Art is subjective and can surprisingly be a divisive topic. For some, it’s an elective; fun to look at, nice to own. For others, it’s vital; irreplaceable and an essential aspect of humanity and our culture.
A new piece of art on the streets of downtown Chico hopes to change the viewer’s perspective. If you notice the art around town, thank Valerie Rose.
A newcomer to the Chico art scene, she is a half-deaf Child of Deaf Adults (CODA) and the artist who created the mural for Deaf Awareness Month.
Currently, the mural lies on the backside building of Grana and North Rim Adventure Sports. You can take a look at the piece from East 1st St. and Wall St.
NSPR's Angel Huracha spoke with the artist to learn more about her process, the struggles of being a deaf artist in the pandemic, and how communities can help artists with other disabilities.
This interview has been edited for clarity and brevity.
On the concept for the mural
The concept came about quite naturally. The progression started with me knowing that Deaf Awareness Month was coming up. I had actually been thinking about it since last year’s Deaf Awareness Month. I was inspired and I thought it would be great to paint a mural to raise awareness about deaf culture and sign language. I had been playing around with some ideas about how I was going to do it.
Over the summer, I asked for funding from North Valley Community Foundation, and I told them my mission about raising awareness. I didn't have the design planned out. Once I received funding, then I really sat with the design and the concepts. And there were several different signs and statements that I wanted to say. And I would say it was probably about a month or a few weeks before I started painting.
The next thing that happened was I thought of the sign for bloom, which is what you see in the mural, but you don't read it anywhere, it's just the sign for balloons, your hands opening up. So if you have your hands pressed together, and you open it, that means to blossom or to bloom. I was struggling to find a statement that I was sure about that I could say, “that's a true statement”... and so once I formed it, then that was basically the progression of everything, and then I painted it.
On what Rose hopes the piece achieves when someone views it
I really hope that when people walk by the mural, they wonder what does this mean? What does sign language mean? Maybe they learn how to do it with their hands and they don't know exactly what it means, but they're curious.
(When) they read that statement, “If everyone learned sign language, we would be happier,” if they don't understand it, that's totally fine. If they're questioning it, that's great. It means they might be thinking about something for the first time. I don't think that this is a statement that everybody thinks is true or even has thought about, but I believe it to be true and hope that maybe it could start a conversation.
On why learning sign language would make the world a better place
I 100% believe it would make the world a better place. It's my first language. It's how I came into this world. It was hard to be able to elaborate on this because it's just how I viewed the world. I knew that sign language was the language I was most comfortable with. As I've interacted with people and seen what could be, I just imagine a world if everyone knew sign. I think that it would open us up as individuals. I know that there are some people who, after learning sign language, they've come to me and they've told me that they've healed a little bit because we're so closed off from reading body language, and sign language is closer, tied to body language.
Most of our communication between individuals is through body language, and all we're striving for is to connect with each other. Especially in a world where we're so divided. I think that if we just increase our modes of communication if we had more ways of connecting if the world was more accessible, it wouldn't just benefit those who are deaf, it would benefit everyone.
On her commitment to creating art that centers on the importance of accessibility and deaf rights
For me, I think it's a little bit selfish. I really want to create this art because I feel like I have to. Growing up in a deaf family, having both parents who are deaf, I have a sister who's totally deaf, and a brother who's hearing, and I as a half-deaf person — I've witnessed a lot of discrimination and oppression. People who are close to me have been harmed and criminalized because they simply can't hear and people can't communicate with them.
That experience has frustrated me and it's not only made me sad, but angry. I have to channel that energy that's coming into me into positive change. I have to channel it into artwork, for my sanity, or my mental health. It feels like the right thing to do. Not just for getting an important message out there. But for me, for getting through the day.
On the biggest challenges on marketing or selling your work as a deaf artist
One example I can give now is if we're talking about marketing, I turned down a news interview last week because they weren't willing to make it accessible for me. I have the ability to speak and to hear some, but I'm comfortable with signing and they didn't want to provide an interpreter or let me sign first and record my voice on top of it. I also made the decision as of, maybe like four or five years ago, that I was not going to be in any video interview and not be signing. I've lost some opportunities to get my name out there because of that.
But it really is telling to what the world is like for people who are profoundly deaf, people like my parents or my sister, who can't hear at all. They simply are just neglected because there's less accessibility. So I faced some of that struggle, and 100% deaf people have more of that struggle. So that's just one example of some of the issues that we're dealing with.
People aren't willing to pay for interpreters. And that is unfortunate because there's actually a law called the ADA, American with Disabilities Act. It's against the law to not make space accessible for people who have disabilities. But that law does not get followed. I've grown up my whole life (as) the interpreter for my family. Even though I'm hard of hearing, I went to all the doctor's appointments that they (had), just everything.
On how local organizations and the local art scene can support deaf and disabled artists
I think that they can make their language more inclusive. So when we're putting out art calls, when I say we, I mean, like any institution, or gallery is putting out any sort of proposal or art call, if they literally welcome them in the language to say, we encourage people with disabilities to apply. That's something that I don't see as often, it's getting better. And then, because galleries, the gallery space, the art world, is very intimidating it is not easy for people who feel excluded to walk into a space where they're afraid they're going to be left out or discriminated against. So just welcoming them.
And then also, if there's any sort of event, presentation, or if there's an art talk or anything where an interpreter might be useful, (they might state), ‘we're having this event, request an interpreter, if you need one.’
In Chico, or in some towns where there's not a lot of deaf people. A deaf person will request that interpreter because you said that you would provide one if it's available, and then that way they can plan for it. If a deaf person shows up and there was never that request, remember the statement that they'd be willing to bring an interpreter, then they would just walk out. Being willing to hire interpreters and set aside a budget, set aside an accessibility budget, when you're doing anything. It's not just for interpreters, but it's for maybe printing larger text for people who are low vision, people who have other disabilities, making sure that there are ramps, that it's an accessible space. Set aside a budget for anything that you do to dip into it and say, ‘yes, we can do that for you’, as opposed to ‘oh, sorry, we would love to but we just don't have the funding.’
On what she wants people to feel when they view her work
I don't want to dictate or I don't want to have any expectation for how people are supposed to feel. I think this may be the closest thing would be, I hope that they would feel curious, that they would want to learn more. And not just about me, my story as a half-deaf CODA artist, but (to) learn more about the deaf world, about disabilities. That would be cool. But no expectations. I just want people to come with open minds.
On what CODA stands for
CODA is an acronym that means child of deaf adults. And that could mean one or two adults. So a child of a deaf adult or plural adults. So both of my parents are totally deaf. And being born into a deaf family makes you a CODA.
I was born profoundly deaf in my right ear and in my left ear, I had a normal range of hearing for most of my life, but when I was 28, I had a brain hemorrhage, and I lost some hearing in my left ear.
I'm really, really thankful to have that identity. I don't know who I would be without my deaf family and my language. So it's an honor to be able to paint this mural for them. And I hope that people will want to learn more.
