Deaf Salad vs. AGBell’s Dream Salad

Deaf Salad vs. AGBell’s Dream Salad
11 × 14 inches
Oil on canvas
February 2012
SOLD

Description:
This painting celebrates the diversity of the Deaf community while contrasting it with a vision of assimilation represented by the Alexander Graham Bell Association.

The Deaf Salad is filled with a variety of vegetables, each symbolizing members of the Deaf community and its allies: lettuce represents Deaf people, tomatoes represent Hard of Hearing people, onions represent Children of Deaf Adults (CODAs), celery represents oral Deaf people, cucumbers represent hearing people, red bell peppers represent interpreters, and carrots represent late-deafened people. Together, they form a colorful and vibrant salad, reflecting the richness, diversity, and shared values of the Deaf community.

In contrast, AGBell’s Dream Salad contains only cucumbers. The cucumbers represent hearing professionals who support speech and listening as the primary approach to Deaf education while excluding American Sign Language. The single-ingredient salad symbolizes uniformity, assimilation, and the absence of cultural and linguistic diversity. It is intentionally portrayed as plain and tasteless in contrast to the richness of the Deaf Salad.

The concept of “Deaf Salad vs. AGBell’s Dream Salad” was inspired by the teachings of Clayton Valli at Gallaudet University. This painting honors that metaphor by illustrating the strength and beauty found in diversity, community, and the inclusion of American Sign Language.