In 1997, the University purchased the well-known art work entitled Milan, Italy, 1880, created by Deaf Canadian, Mary J. Thornley. You may remember seeing this work on posters that were distributed during the Deaf Studies IV held in 1995, in Woburn, Massachusetts.

You are invited for the unveiling on March 11 at 11:00 AM in the Atrium of the Gallaudet University Kellogg Conference Center. You will have the unique opportunity to experience this event and meet the artist, Mary Thornley who will give a presentation about her experience and creation of Milan, Italy, 1880. Dr. I. King Jordan, Gallaudet University's president and Dr. Deborah M. Sonnenstrahl, former professor in the Gallaudet Art Department will be giving presentations during this exciting event. A reception will immediately follow the unveiling.

After the DPN March, please attend the opening of a show featuring works of Mary Thornley in the Art gallery on the second floor of the Washburn Art Building, beginning at 5:00 PM. Ms. Thornley will again be giving a presentation. There will be light refreshments served after the presentation, and you will have the opportunity to view and purchase works created by this wonderful artist.

Mary Thornley was born in Elkhart, Indiana in 1950. She earned her BA from the Indiana University at South Bend, 1987 and her MFA from the University of Washington in Seattle, 1990. She has been exhibiting her works in Boston, Seattle, Rochester for the National Technical Institute for the Deaf and Deaf Artists of America Gallery, Deaf Women United Art Exhibit, and Vienna, Austria for the World Federation of the Deaf and much more. Her paintings could be found at Deaf Children's Society of British Columbia in Vancouver, BC, Deaf Artists of America Gallery in Rochester, NY, and AT&T Relay Center in Seattle, WA and other places around in the country. Currently, she is living in Harrison Hot Springs, BC in Canada.

In her own words:

Art is rich in rebellion, massacres, and wars of the effects thereof. My well-known painting purchased by Gallaudet, Milan, Italy 1880 participated in this established traditions. A footnote for DPN, the rebellion that changed the history of Deaf people in America. In 1997, I studied Rolland Penrose's Scrapbook, 1900-81. Rolland Penrose, a surrealist painter and acquaintance of many of the leading artists of this time, including Picasso, submitted a painting to the Royal Academy in 1940 which was rejected because it contained words considered offensive. Penrose substituted another that was considered acceptable. This painting appeared to be a confused tangle of arms with hands standing like trees in a wood. Knowledgeable people realized the hands were actually spelling out the word 'shit' in the 'deaf and dumb language'. This was considered a clever comment on arts censorship.

I wondered how many times and in what ways ASL was used in art, recognized or not. I wondered how often it had been 'appropriated' by artists such as Penrose. I wondered how Penrose had learned that bit of fingerspelling (the book didn't explain) and why, and what it would have taken to make someone like Penrose realize the censorship inherent in this exhibition that went beyond the minor bit of inconvenience to himself in that there probably were no deaf artists selected to show at all.

Artists have 'borrowed' from Deaf culture without proper attribute or understanding in much the same way Europeans borrowed from African, Asian or Native American art.

Titles and lectures dealing with art as 'visual language' proliferate in brochures of class offerings prepared by art schools and university art study programs. Yet Deaf students or artists may only access these offerings through an interpreter. Once they do so, they find no mention of deaf contributions to art in the study program.

Art imitates life; art work as we know it ignores the existence and contributions of Deaf people while its adherents insist the work of artists is "visual language."

Please join in the recognition of "Milan, Italy, 1880" and Mary Thornley. Share with us her perspective of this beautiful and significant work.