Reflections Through a DeafLens

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Transcript:

Hello! For Jane's Picks, I've selected Bernard Bragg, known by most of us as "BB." There are many reasons for my choice. He's an artist, actor, director, translator, playwright and teacher. BB is a second generation Deaf actor. His father was an actor and director in the New York City area. While growing up in a Deaf family, his father provided him with theatre experience and naturally through osmosis and constant exposure to theatre, BB became a professional actor. He was one of the people who played a key role in the formation of the National Theatre of the Deaf during the 1960s. He has traveled around the world several times. He recently decided to do a one-man show, Theatre in the Sky, flying to and performing in cities throughout America. This fall he will perform in seven cities.

We may wonder, why is he doing this? Yes, because it's entertaining but also there's an additional motive. He's raising money to support both the National Association of the Deaf (U.S.A.) and the World Federation of the Deaf. Money from his performances will be divided equally between NAD and WFD. During the recent WFD conference in Spain, BB was there doing a number of things including directing a children's production, Babel. During WFD's closing ceremony, BB, along with the president of NAD, presented the president of WFD with a check for $25,000. The money will be used to support Deaf people of the world, especially those in developing countries.

Now we would think BB was done, but no, he's still performing and is looking to raise money for NAD. His goal is to reach the same amount he raised for WFD.  BB told me he's determined to do this and if there is any remaining money, it will go to WFD.

That would probably be enough but no, I've discovered that he has also established endowments at different universities. At California State University at Northridge, he established an endowment in his name to support Deaf artists, filmmakers, actors, and theatre. He has done the same for NTID at RIT and at Gallaudet University.

I'm really impressed with what he's doing. I imagine you are too. I like that he's supporting Deaf people of the world and Deaf artists. BB will be performing in Washington, D.C. this week. I'm going to be there in the audience, enjoying his show. If you're curious and want to see his show, click on the link below to find his touring schedule. He will be performing in Rochester,  Philadelphia and other cities. If you want to contact him, do it.

Oh, yes, on the banner above, you'll see the fingerspelled word R-e-f-l-e-c-t-i-o-n-s. You might be interested to know that the concept behind this creative way of fingerspelling the word belongs to Bernard Bragg. Back in the early days of the National Theatre of the Deaf, during the 1960s, BB, working with actors, came up with this idea and they brought it to life on stage. So for all these reasons and more, Bernard Bragg is Jane's Pick, for sure! 

Click here for more information and touring schedule for Bernard Bragg's Theatre in the Sky: http://www.nad.org/site/pp.asp?c=foINKQMBF&b=3266677

Jane

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Pencils and pens are a staple of Jane's life. She shares mementos from her childhood.

Transcript:

You know, I really like this flat pencil. Carpenters usually use this type of pencil for rough, framing, not really for fine work, just for outlining. I enjoy using this pencil, I wonder if it's still made entirely of wood?

It seems like pencils were always a part of my life, my family's life. Every single day my father made sure he had a pen and paper in his shirt pocket. In our home, on a table, by the front door, we always had paper and pen handy, in case someone rang our doorbell.

I remember receiving my first fountain pen; you're probably thinking, it was a quill! Anyway, I guess it must have been during my sophomore or junior year at the residential school when my parents gave me my first pen, an Esterbrook. See, here, I'm removing the cap; notice the red tips and the white barrel. Here's a little lever to pull down to draw up the ink. It can get a bit messy and I usually have to find a tissue paper to wipe off the extra ink. Nevertheless, I love the feel of the pen, the way the ink flows. I still use fountain pens and have several.

I remember my mother once saying…she used pencils and pens a great deal too, often she'd do a lengthy hunt in her purse for a pen…anyway, "Come, we're going to the store," Mom said. We got on the bus, getting off at Ward's Corner, a little shopping area. We went into one of the shops, a small one with stationery, pens, pencils and pretty knickknacks. As we walked up to the counter, the nice saleslady greeted us. Mom pointed to an object in the glass case, the saleslady took it out. Mom held it up close to her shoulder. It was a lead pencil connected to a pin by a retractable chain. I stood awed as she pulled the pencil up and down. "It comes in different colors," she said, "Navy blue, black, red, and white, which one should we get?" We deliberated and decided on black, thinking it'd go with anything. Notice the pin on the back, you can pin it here. From that point on, mom's hunting days for pencils were over.

Pencils were always prominent in our lives, we'd write all the time to communicate. Over the years, the pencils evolved into different types of writing instruments. typewriter, computer and once long ago, the linotype. We always had some form, a something we used to communicate with, to express what we needed to say. Thinking about this made me think about artists and how they communicate. A dancer communicates by dancing, a writer by writing, an ASL poet or storyteller expresses through the beauty of ASL…a form of expression. A painter expresses with a brush, a stylus, an instrument used to paint. A sculptor with his or her hammer and chisel. There are many forms of artistic expressions.

I wonder what your favorite form of art is. Do you have only one or do you enjoy art in general? Perhaps you enjoy films? You know, a filmmaker communicates by using his/her camera to communicate what he or she wants us to see.

What's your favorite art form? There are all kinds. I'm curious to know what you enjoy. Will you let me know?

Jane

Jane introduces a new feature on her site.

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Transcript: Hello, it's great to have you here. From time to time, I'll be talking about perhaps a book, a film, a play, a piece of art work, perhaps a painting; maybe a person or a group; or maybe something from TV. I'm calling this category, "Jane's Picks." My first selection is CJ Jones. My reason for picking CJ is that he's been around for a while. He's a veteran actor having been with the National Theatre of the Deaf and the Children of a Lesser God touring company. He's performed with Deaf West and has appeared in television programs, such as Frasier, Sesame Street, and Rainbow's End, among others. He has also been in films. You can see all this on his website. it's easy to remember his URL, http://www.cjjoneslive.com/. CJ is really an interesting person. He's multi-talented, and is coordinating a huge upcoming event scheduled for October 25-27, 2007 here in the USA. The event is "The International Sign Language Theatre Festival" in California. For details, see CJ's website. Who is CJ? Surely you remember seeing him several months ago on PBS's documentary Through Deaf Eyes. That was CJ in the opening part of the film, riffing. He's a comedian who understands the power of laughter. He helps us to keep things in perspective. His wisdom of laughter feels good–he makes us feel good to laugh. It feels good to watch CJ. Check out CJ Jones at http://www.cjjoneslive.com/. Thank you, Jane

Jane discusses the blogroll on her site. She offers her blogroll as a resource–a place for people to find Deaf artists and also for anyone who wants to learn about the arts and entertainment industry.

Hello, glad you can join me. You know, it’s really astonishing; the Internet is a wonderful and amazing tool. In my search throughout the world, the Internet has yielded wonderful resources and helped me find links to Deaf artists. It has helped also in identifying resources which can support, encourage, and empower aspiring Deaf artists. This is one of the reasons for this blogroll. There are quite a few links here and they’re categorized into groups, e.g., actors, storytellers, poets; Deaf filmmakers; Deaf film festivals…you’ll note this particular category is rapidly growing as different parts of the world host Deaf film festivals.There are more categories: visual artists, writers, e-zines for the web. I have been trying to find information for “The Industry” category by including links to professional associations, organizations of different fields. Links on how you can market your film, how you can find the right kind of acting teacher.

I love libraries and they’re included. We are truly fortunate to have both Gallaudet University and The Rochester Institute of Technology libraries. They offer wonderful collections on Deaf Culture and Deaf Artists.There’s also a category for “Museums.” I have strong interest in this category and I’m hoping to see more links here. I also hope to see the Literary Society (LS) links grow. I think it’s an important one because Literary Society of the Deaf meetings were one way where Deaf people in the past shared information. I remember as a child, my parents took me to these meetings and I enjoyed watching current events; storytelling and debates.

We have several wonderful Deaf librarians who are promoting the resurrection of Literary Societies of the Deaf and I hope with time this category will grow.

I also have one category called “X Y and Z,” it’s all cool stuff.

I hope you will enjoy the blogroll. I’ve just scratched the surface, it’s a beginning. There are many more Deaf artists. I hope to dispel the myth that “Deaf actors are few and far in between,” and that there is a “scarcity of Deaf artists.” I am looking forward to dispelling the myth and if you can help, that would be cool.

Thank you.

Jane

Greetings, this is my first vlog and with your support, I look forward to many more to come.

Transcript:

Hello, I’m Jane. Welcome to Reflections Through a DeafLens. We will be focusing on art by Deaf people in different disciplines. I hope you will join me in future discussions. I’d like to make clear that the original idea of signing “R-e-f-l-e-c-t-i-o-n-s” this way is not mine. The concept belongs to NTD, The National Theatre of the Deaf. The company was established in 1967 and during the first year of their national tour, a group of friends and I went to see them perform. It was incredible, spectacular and stunning. There were four different productions and one of them was a collection of poems. Entering the stage, confident and assured, Richard Kendall, a Deaf actor, using both hands, fingerspelled the word “R-e-f-l-e-c-t-i-o-n-s,” the lower hand reflecting the top. My friends and I, deeply moved by the simplicity of the moment and the power of American Sign Language (ASL), were awed. The moment pierced our consciousness, filling us with pride of our language and culture…so I’m hoping our future discussions here will reflect the same. Thank you.

While you are here, take a look at the blogroll. Enjoy!

Jane