There seems to be a stronger and more defined Deaf art culture in America as compared to the UK. This is perhaps highlighted by the comparison of the following two artists.
Google, 1972. Ameslan Prohibited. [image].
This picture depicts two shackled hands with chopped off fingers. It is a piece of resistance art, which encouraged American Deaf people to reveal their own childhood experiences of discrimination through art.
Google, n.d. America. [image].
The stripes of the US flag can be seen incorporated into the ASL sign for America. This is seen as affirming image of the rich lives that deaf people enjoy.
Both Betty Miller and Chuck Baird are part of De’VIA which stands for Deaf View Image Art. The difference is that they are on different sides when it comes to paintings for De’VIA. Betty Miller is about resistance where as Chuck Baird is about positivity and empowerment. Both types of De’VIA are created when Deaf artists want to express their Deaf identity and experience through there art. Baird’s work particularly demonstrates one of the norms of Deaf American Culture, that of having a positive attitude towards deafness.
