Dyer Arts Center opens 2017 with three exhibits

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Amanda Lee Silver, Still, from “Homeland,” 2016, Photograph, part of the “(Re)Invention” exhibition

The Dyer Arts Center, located in Lyndon Baines Johnson Hall at Rochester Institute of Technology’s National Technical Institute for the Deaf, starts the new year with three exhibits opening Friday, Jan. 27.

The first, “(Re)Invention,” a traveling exhibition from the Kennedy Center, is designed to give visibility to the work of artists with disabilities throughout the United States. The exhibit presents artists whose work exemplifies themes of renewal and self-discovery. From the unexpected whimsy of an animation, to a bold series of self-portraits, this work is intended to engage, challenge and delight viewers. Collectively, these works of art seek to captivate and ask visitors to explore ideas of self, community, legacy and collective memory.

“The aim of this exhibit is to broaden our understanding of disability and the arts and to create new contexts,” said Tabitha Jacques, Dyer Arts Center director. “These 15 artists give us examples of how art can be used to rewrite a personal narrative. They are present in their community and in the world and are motivated to use their creativity to send a strong message of inclusion and unity in the arts.”

The exhibit runs through March 4. One of the artists, Victoria Dugger, will be at the Dyer for an artist workshop on March 3, along with hard-of-hearing RIT alumna and artist Rea Walsh. Students from Rochester School for the Deaf also will attend the workshop, which will be followed by a reception 5-7 p.m.

For more information, go to the VSA International: "(re) invention exhibition features 15 outstanding young artists with disabilities" article.

The faculty artists from RIT/NTID’s Visual Communication Studies Department will exhibit works from their personal collections Jan. 27 to Feb. 25, with an opening reception Jan. 27.

The third exhibit, “Shakespeare in American Deaf History,” will run Jan. 27 to March 4. In conjunction with RIT/NTID’s Performing Arts program and RIT’s Cary Collections, programming will accompany this exhibit, such as deaf actress Monique Holt on Feb. 1, and a performance 5-7 p.m. Feb. 17 by RIT/NTID’s traveling theater troupe Sunshine 2.0 with a presentation by director and performer Fred Beam on Diversity/People of Color in Deaf Theatre, with a special focus on Shakespeare.