Children of Deaf Adults (CODA): CODA Artists

This info is form the KODA website. 

In Deaf Artists in America, Deborah M. Sonnenstrahl wrote, “There have always been American artists who are deaf… Their lives and their works offer us a glimpse into their respective worlds and invite us to broaden our understanding of the complex tapestry that is life and art.” [pg xv]  Much like Deaf artists, through time and across the world Coda artists have used art to express their unique worldview.

When Coda artists create work that depicts or describes their experiences, these works may be recognized as Deaf View Image Art, or De’VIA. De’VIA, an artistic movement founded by nine Deaf artists at the Deaf Way conference in 1989, defined a genre of Deaf Art that addressed the experiences of Deaf people as a cultural linguistic minority [“Deaf Art” by Wylene Rholetter in SAGE Deaf Studies Encyclopedia pg 149-155]. In particular, the creators emphasized, “De’VIA is created when the artist intends to express their Deaf experience through visual art. De’VIA may also be created by deafened or hearing artists, if the intention is to create work that is born of their Deaf experience (a possible example would be a hearing child of Deaf parents).” [De’VIA Manifesto, 1989] While some Coda artists overtly include aspects of their linguistic and cultural experience, others do not. In either case, the artistic expression of Codas are part of our rich cultural heritage. Read on to learn about historical and contemporary Coda artists!