Embedded Files
Shared Signing Community
Shared Signing Community
Historian Kathleen Brockway coined the term "shared signing community" to refer to spaces where both Deaf and hearing community members communicate in a visual language. Her research has uncovered several of these spaces, where a critical mass of Deaf individuals laid the foundation for community-wide cultural shift.
Credit:
Shenandoah County Library Archives
Original Author: Souvenir Post Card Co., New York
Created: 1908
Medium: Material Culture, Photographic postcard
Looking to Lantz Mills
Nestled in the Shenandoah Valley, Lantz Mills was once home to a thriving shared signing community, a unique space where both Deaf and hearing individuals shared a commitment to--in the words of Rachel Kolb--a shared value of mutual understanding. While the town has since faded, the collaborative ethos behind Lantz Mills informs our vision.
Order a poster here!
About the Artist:
Ellen Mansfield is a multimedia artist working in clay, painting, sculpture, and printmaking. Inspired by nature, her work has been exhibited across the United States. She has participated in artist residencies and leads Deaf art workshops. She is based in Frederick, Maryland.
Follow her work: Tilestroke Studio on Facebook | @_ellen_mansfield_artist on Instagram
The below videos were commissioned from Hunta Williams by the Library of Virginia for the Lantz Mills Traveling exhibit, https://www.lva.virginia.gov/events/exhibitions/lantz-mills, and are used with permission of LVA and the creator.
LM 1About Lantz Mills
LM 2Lantz Mills Continued
Deafownbisiness.mp4Deaf-owned businesses in Lantz Mills
Hollar.mp4Hollar family in Lantz Mills
Questions?
Questions?
Contact hello@commonthreadrva.com
to get more information on the project
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