“There are more valid facts and details in works of art than there are in history books.”
– Charlie Chaplin

The quote by Charlie Chaplin was the very first thing that ran through my head when the DeafNation crew left curator Brenda Schertz at the Northern Essex Community College’s De’VIA art exhibit.

De’VIA (short for Deaf View/Image Art) was the art genre Schertz became fascinated in during her college years at the Art Institute of Boston. Choosing to do independent study rather than enrolling in a required music-themed course, she battled over what area of art she should research. Finally settling on Deaf art – art specifically speaking on Deaf culture and the Deaf experience – Schertz set out to research, her project specifically geared out to prove or disprove of the existence of a deaf genre: De’VIA and its’ manifesto.

De’VIA’s manifesto (1989) states that De’VIA was art containing the following elements:
•    Deaf artists’ tendency to use contrasting colors and values
•    Deaf artists’ tendency to use intense colors and contrasting textures
•    containing a centralized focus with exaggeration or emphasis on facial features, especially eyes, mouths, ears, and hands.

While going through the archives at Gallaudet University – and with the assistance of then-Gallaudet art professor Dr. Debbie Sonnenstrahl – Schertz came to the realization that De’VIA did, in fact, exist – and was very much alive in many Deaf artists’ work. Aside from affirming the existence of De’VIA, Schertz also discovered that much of the work in the De’VIA genre spoke common themes – themes of oppression, of feelings of anger and resentment, of loneliness and longing, of biting sarcasm and humor, of discovery and acceptance….

…and much more.

It’s no wonder that, when the very first De’VIA art exhibit showcased in September of 1993 at the Northern Essex Community College – lead by Schertz, along Jane Nunes – that many Deaf people connected with the art immediately. It wasn’t uncommon, in the month the exhibit showcased, to see Deaf people stand in front of the paintings, exclaiming “That’s how I feel, too!”

Schertz admits getting artists to showcase their work wasn’t easy. Many artists, she said, didn’t want to show their private pieces. Pressing that a good number of people wanted to see artwork of the Deaf experience, many artists confessed much of their private pieces was “angry art”.

“Not angry art,” Schertz insisted. “It’s real. Real art.”

The 1993 exhibit showcased works of well-known Deaf artists such as Chuck Baird and Betty Miller, also bringing to light lesser-known – and now acclaimed – artists such as Susan Dupor, Mary Thornley, Eddie Swayze, and much more.

Fifteen years later – the Haverhill-based community college presented Deaf Art Revisted: 1993-2008, in which it celebrated the fifteen years since the first De’VIA exhibit at NECC. The GURC (Gallaudet University Regional Center) co-sponsored the event, along with the Deaf Studies and Services department at NECC. Directors from both offices – Kathy Vesey and Jane Nunes (respectively) – were present at the exhibit, providing much information and history to the DeafNation crew.

Schertz took the DeafNation crew on a tour, explaining the history and background of the art exhibited. Schertz’s passion about De’VIA is unmistakable, and simply cannot be put into words. Luckily, DeafNation captured much footage of our tour, so you – the viewer – can meet curator Brenda Schertz up close and personal. Just click on the video clip below!

Many thanks to those at Northern Essex Community College – specifically Brenda Schertz, Kathy Vesey, and Jane Nunes – for their warm and generous welcome, and their willingness to educate us on the rich history of De’VIA!

Are you d/Deaf or hard-of-hearing, and want to know your academic options in the New England area? NECC may be for you! To find out more information, you can go to: http://www.necc.mass.edu/studentServices/studentDfHrd/

Want to learn more about the Gallaudet University Regional Center? You can go to the website at http://www.necc.mass.edu/gallaudet/index.html for more information.

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