Deaf Art in America: Identity, Access, CommunityMaster ClassIn-Person
Monday, May 12, 2025
9:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m
The Whitney Museum of American Art
99 Gaansevoort St. New York, NY 10014
The Whitney Museum of American Art is hosting this event.
This master class, which will take place at the Whitney Museum, offers a unique opportunity to explore Deaf art in America within one of the country’s leading contemporary art institutions.
Around the world, Deaf people and Deaf communities sometimes refer to themselves as “People of the Eye.” They tell stories, develop myths, and imagine “the planet Eyeth” as a visual counterpart to Earth. We will engage our senses to explore the history and present of Deaf art in America, with a focus on Christine Sun Kim’s work on display at the Whitney. We’ll trace Deaf art from John Brewster Jr. to contemporary artists and examine its role in American culture. Participants will receive an exclusive tour of Kim’s three-floor retrospective, All Day All Night, led by curator Jennie Goldstein. Finally, through interactive discussions and activities, we’ll explore ways to incorporate Deaf art into school curricula and practice creating visual description alt-text with an awareness of audience and perception.
A CART interpreter will help to facilitate this event.
SPECIAL EDUCATION, HISTORY, ART, ART HISTORY
Brenda Jo Brueggemann
Brenda Jo Brueggemann, Aetna Endowed Chair of Writing at the University of Connecticut and a summer faculty member at Bread Loaf School of English, began her career as a high school teacher in rural Kansas before pursuing graduate studies. Deaf from birth, she played a key role in shaping the emerging field of disability studies in the 1990s. She has authored, coauthored, or edited sixteen books—including the Deaf Lives memoir series for Gallaudet University Press—and over seventy essays on Deaf/disability studies and writing/art. Her current research explores disability and deafness in visual and literary arts. A former public school teacher, she remains committed to working with K-12 educators. This is her fourth master class with the Academy for Teachers.