September is Deaf Awareness Month—a time to celebrate Deaf people, American Sign Language, Deaf culture, and the many ways we experience and contribute to the world.

As a Deaf artist, visual language has always shaped how I understand life. ASL is not only how I communicate. Its movement, rhythm, space, and expression are deeply connected to how I create art.

My work often begins with something visual: a handshape, a movement, a memory, a color, or a moment that cannot always be fully expressed through spoken or written words.

More Than Awareness

Deaf Awareness Month is an opportunity for people to learn, but awareness should go beyond simply knowing that Deaf people exist.

It also means recognizing Deaf artists, making cultural spaces accessible, including ASL, and creating opportunities for Deaf people to share our own stories in our own language.

Accessibility should not be treated as something added at the end. When it is included from the beginning, more people can participate, connect, and feel that they belong.

This September, there are several opportunities in San Diego to experience Deaf art, ASL, and visual storytelling.

ASL at the San Diego Museum of Art

My team and I created an ASL video about Toulouse-Lautrec and His World at the San Diego Museum of Art.

Toulouse-Lautrec captured movement, performance, nightlife, and everyday human experiences through his artwork. Presenting information about the exhibition in ASL gives Deaf visitors another way to connect directly with the art and experience the exhibition through their own language.

The exhibition continues through September 20. I encourage you to visit the museum, experience the artwork, and watch the ASL presentation.

Watch the ASL interpretation and learn more about the exhibition.

Support a Deaf Artist at Sparks Gallery

My artwork Magenta Glow is currently featured in Pop Culture Remix at Sparks Gallery.

Supporting Deaf artists can be as simple as visiting an exhibition, spending time with the artwork, sharing it with others, or adding a piece to your collection. Every form of support helps create greater visibility and opens doors for more Deaf artists.

Pop Culture Remix remains on view through October 4.

Learn more about Pop Culture Remix and Magenta Glow.

The Space Between Words

My installation The Art of Conversation is also part of The Space Between Words at UC San Diego Park & Market.

The installation includes 48 individual panels that come together as one larger visual conversation. It reflects my experience with language as something physical, expressive, and alive.

Please join us for a special public reception and artist program on Tuesday, September 22, from 5:30 to 9:00 PM. The evening will bring artists and community members together to explore language, identity, creativity, and connection.

The exhibition continues through September 30.

View exhibition and reception details for The Space Between Words.

Awareness Through Experience

You do not need to understand everything about Deaf culture before connecting with a Deaf artist or attending a Deaf-centered event. Sometimes awareness begins simply by showing up, paying attention, and being open to a different way of experiencing the world.

Visit the museum. Walk into the gallery. Watch something in ASL. Spend time with artwork created from a Deaf perspective. Share the experience with someone else.

Deaf Awareness Month takes place in September, but Deaf artists, Deaf stories, and ASL deserve visibility throughout the entire year.

Visibility creates connection. Art gives us a place to begin.