Dyer Arts Center showcases work of Ann Silver

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A retrospective of the work of artist Ann Silver runs at NTID’s Dyer Arts Center from March 3 through April 22.

A world premiere look at the career of internationally known artist Ann Silver’s deaf-centric work will be on display in the Dyer Arts Center at Rochester Institute of Technology’s National Technical Institute for the Deaf from March 3 to April 22. A reception will be held from 5 to 8 p.m. Friday, March 31, in the arts center.

Silver, who was born deaf, is a founding member of the historic Deaf Art Movement of the 1960s and 1970s that preceded the De’VIA movement, which represents deaf artists and perceptions based on their deaf experiences. She is an advocate for the recognition and inclusion of deaf art in both the art world and in academia. Her work has been displayed in exhibits around the country including at the Central Intelligence Agency/CIA Gallery in Virginia; the Dishman Art Museum at Lamar University in Beaumont, Texas; the Deaf Way international arts festival in Washington, D.C.; and the First National Deaf Art Touring Exhibit.

Silver has published and lectured widely. Her visual arts background is varied including book jackets, logos, studio art, graphics, greeting cards, Deaftoons and art direction. She holds a bachelor’s degree in commercial art from Gallaudet University and master’s degree from New York University. After working as a designer/art director for major book publishing companies in Manhattan, Silver moved back home to Seattle, where she created her most iconic work as a master of Deaf Pop Art. Most recently, she and Jim Van Manen, assistant professor in the Department of ASL-English Interpretation at Columbia College Chicago, have formed an art/design partnership named Silver Moon Brand.

“We are honored to be able to showcase this retrospective in the Dyer Arts Center,” said Tabitha Jacques, director of the center. “It’s rare that we can do an exhibit that documents how an artist’s work has evolved over the decades. Ann Silver’s periods are so unique and different, and are influenced by the cultural events of each decade.”

Silver’s biography, Ann Silver: One Way, Deaf Way, contains more than 200 images of her art. For more information about Silver’s art or her biography, go to her Facebook page or her website.