April brought a meaningful shift in my creative practice, shaped by both spontaneity and reflection. From an improv stage in Riverside to a formal ASL performance at a national gathering, these experiences deepened the connection between my visual art and performance work.

Improv ASL: Raw Expression and Community

On April 10, I stepped into a unique space at Improv ASL in Riverside, California. This was not a traditional performance. It was a community-driven stage where people shared stories, humor, and creative games through American Sign Language.

What made this experience stand out was its honesty. There was little to no rehearsal. Everything shared on stage came directly from the moment. Unfiltered expression, straight from the heart.

During the drive to Riverside, I began brainstorming around Visual Vernacular poetry. That process led to a new story titled Cloud and Orange. Instead of fully structuring it ahead of time, I allowed the story to evolve naturally on stage, shaped by instinct and presence.

This environment reinforced something important. As an artist who often works independently, stepping into a shared creative space matters. It strengthens connection, expands perspective, and opens directions that cannot be reached alone.

The Green Light Journey

I am grateful to The National ASL and English Bilingual Consortium for Early Childhood Education (NASL ECE) for inviting me to perform as an ASL Performance Artist for the opening ceremony.

For this piece, I crafted a script rooted in my early years, from pre-kindergarten through age eight. During that time, I navigated multiple forms of visual language, including home signs, Signed Exact English, and American Sign Language.

As I developed the performance, I realized that my artworks could become part of the story on stage. One key moment centered around my decision to become an artist, expressed through the artwork Sugar High.

That piece reflects a period of confusion, especially around how others tried to help me. Support was present, but the way it was delivered did not always create clarity.

Over time, I revisited those experiences and transformed them into another work, Community Light Signals. This piece opens the door to deeper conversations. It raises an important question: when people try to help Deaf children, does that help lead to empowerment, or can it unintentionally reinforce oppression?

Bringing these works into the performance allowed the audience to experience not just a story, but a journey. A movement from confusion toward clarity, from external interpretation toward self-defined expression.

New Artwork: Deaf Key II

During this period, I created Deaf Key II, continuing my exploration of identity, access, and communication. The work connects directly to the themes explored in performance and represents a shift toward clarity, confidence, and ownership of language and identity.

Weekend Art Exhibit

Following these performances, I presented an art exhibit over the weekend featuring works connected to the themes explored on stage. The exhibit created a strong bridge between live expression and visual art.

Viewers were able to engage with the work beyond the moment of performance, experiencing the same ideas through color, composition, and form.

Community Light Signals fine art prints drew strong interest, especially from professionals and educators. Many shared that they place the work in offices and classrooms as a tool for discussion.

The piece invites reflection on the meaning of help from multiple perspectives, including both the professional or teacher and the Deaf student. It becomes more than a visual artwork. It serves as a starting point for dialogue.

For collectors, these works offer more than visual impact. They carry conversation, purpose, and presence into the space they live in.

Reflection

These experiences reinforced the relationship between performance and visual art in my practice. Improv ASL brought spontaneity and connection. The NASL ECE performance brought structure, storytelling, and intention.

Both approaches are essential.

Together, they shape a creative process that continues to evolve, where movement, color, and meaning work as one unified voice.

Explore related artworks featured in this story:
Community Light Signals
Deaf Key II
Sugar High

Available at JonSavageGallery.com