Dyer Arts Center Exhibits

Remembering the Mosaic Work of Melissa Skyer

This exhibition, which reveals the diverse realms of Skyer’s life, a life that mirrored the wetlands she both explored and safeguarded, serves as an homage to the artist and as a guiding force, encouraging us to probe the in-between spaces and moments, where life thrives in its full complexity and beauty. The exhibit is on display March 1 to May 17, 2024, in the Ohringer Gallery on Dyer’s second floor.

Skyer was an RIT/NTID alum and the daughter of retired NTID staff member Solange “Sally” Skyer, who worked as an academic advisor for NTID’s Business Studies students.

[ID: A beige background of a poster with a mosaic shell image in the center. It’s made with blue, white, brown, and pink tiles. Above the mosaic is the title of the exhibit, “Brilliance.” Below the mosaic, text reads: remembering the mosaic work of Melissa Skyer.]

Dyer Arts Center at Rochester Institute of Technology’s National Technical Institute for the Deaf will showcase Rubbena Aurangzeb-Tariq’s exhibition “Matchlight: Illuminating Deaf Identity, Mental Health and the Therapeutic Process of Art,” which opens January 19 and runs through May 17, 2024, in the Dyer Arts Center’s William Gallery in LBJ Hall on the RIT campus.

Aurangzeb-Tariq is a London-based artist and art therapist whose body of work interweaves her artistic practice with her therapeutic approach, exploring the intersections of deaf identity, immigration, and womanhood. Her artwork serves as a reflection of her personal experience, challenging societal norms and conceptions while offering a unique lens through which to view the complexities of deafness and mental health.

[ID: Poster of a square oil painting with a scarlet red background containing a pattern of text arranged in a non-linear manner. It includes words and phrases like "EXPRESS THE,” "OF WORD," "TRANSLATING THE DEAF-SELF”, and “BSL BRITISH SIGN LANGUAGE.”  On the bottom right hand corner of the painting is a self portrait of the artist covering her face. It is rendered in blue. Overlaying the poster at the top are words in white: MATCHLIGHT: Illuminating Deaf Identity, Mental Health and the Healing Process of Art. January 19 - May 17 2024. Across the bottom of the poster is a photo of the artist a young woman with dark hair and dark shirt holding out a cube. To the right of that is a red background the words in black: Matchlight Events at Dyer: 01.19.2024 4PM-6PM, Artist Talk and Opening Reception: 01.20.2024 11AM-4PM, Art Therapy Workshop for Professionals: 01.22.2024 TBD, Creativity: My Therapy.]

Join us for a closing reception and dance party featuring, You Don’t Need to Hear to Listen and Anthrophony of Motherhood Intersections with Disability, two thought-provoking exhibitions that explore the themes of disability, motherhood, and communication. The event is 5:30 – 8:30 p.m. Friday, December 1, 2023, in the Dyer Arts Center’s William Gallery in LBJ Hall.

Dyer Arts Center is pleased to welcome Rochester’s own DJ Key-Yo for a dance party to close out these groundbreaking exhibits. No registration is required to attend, and the event is free. Light bites and drinks will be provided.

For more information, contact Fran Flaherty, director of Dyer Arts Center and Advancement for Deaf Culture, at dyerartscenter@rit.edu.

[ID: Background is a photo from the immersive installation of Laurie Shapiro’s You Don’t Need to Hear to Listen. The walls are colorful and psychedelic with a blue hand-made lantern in the center of the image. The text on the image reads: You Don’t Need to Hear to Listen, Anthropology of Motherhood Intersections with Disability, Closing reception and dance party. December 1, 2023 5:30 – 8:30 PM, Dyer Arts Center, LBJ Bldg 52 Lomb Memorial Drive, Rochester, NY 14623]

Artist Laurie Shapiro will make her Rochester debut with “You Don’t Need to Hear to Listen,” a poignant exploration of her personal journey as a hard-of-hearing individual and how it has influenced her artistic expression. The exhibition is a captivating and introspective experience that encourages visitors to contemplate the profound connection between art, life, and the human experience. It is featured as part of Dyer Arts Center’s “Anthropology of Motherhood: Intersections with Disabilities” curation.

The heart of the exhibition features a 20-foot, hand-painted vinyl tunnel installation, “We Are All Connected to Each Other Through Nature.” Resembling stained glass, the installation invites viewers to interact with and find inspiration from various angles within the gallery space. In addition, Shapiro’s printed floral drawings guide visitors to the upstairs meditation room where they can immerse themselves in an atmosphere that encourages reflection and unity.

[ID: Art exhibit with colorful floral coverings on the walls, floor, and ceiling of an upper level room.]

The Dyer Arts Center at Rochester Institute of Technology’s National Technical Institute for the Deaf invites you to Anthropology of Motherhood: Culture of Care, on view August 28 through December 5, 2023, in the Williams Gallery in Lyndon Baines Johnson Hall.

Join us to explore artworks that offer diverse perspectives on the experience of disabled artists/mothers and disabled artists/caregivers, highlighting how deafness and disability shape the experience of caregiving, parenting, and motherhood, while challenging assumptions and stereotypes. Among the 20 works in the exhibition are pieces by artists with connections to RIT/NTID, including Patti Durr, retired associate professor in NTID’s Department of Culture and Creative Studies; Laural Hartman, lecturer in NTID’s Department of Visual Communications Studies; and the late Melissa Skyer, former senior lecturer in NTID’s Department of Science and Mathematics.

No registration is required to attend, and admission is free.

For more information, contact Fran Flaherty, Dyers Arts Center director.

[ID: Painting by Patti Durr, features a blue background with drawings of several people depicted, women with long red hair, persons with dark hair and glasses, and colorful splashes of red and orange.]

View artworks inspired by the book, "Deaf Republic" by Ilya Kaminsky at the Ohringer Gallery in the Dyer Arts Center.

This exhibit is part of the Big Read: NTID initiative.

Justin LeBlanc’s Signwaves: Reimagined is on exhibition in the Glass Room starting August 1, 2022 through April 21, 2023. The SignWaves collection was originally presented during New York Fashion Week in August 2013. LeBlanc’s striking architectonic designs and willingness to take risks earned him a spot in the season 12 finale of Project Runway. Sign language is LeBlanc’s first language, which is a language requiring the whole body to be engaged while communicating with others. This translates into his collection exploring capturing energy and vibrations in sound through 3-D printing, traditional embellishments, laser cutting, and engineered print design. Through these technological designs, the 3D printed accessories capture the motion of sign language by scanning the energy and motions of words like “courage”, “joy”, and “beauty”. The unique language gives the communicator the freedom to express themselves in a way that can’t be seen through sound. This collection is dedicated to the incredible deaf community.

Harry Williams: A Retrospective on exhibition in the Ohringer gallery on the second floor starting August 1st until March 17, 2023.

Shaped by the American Dream: Deaf History through Deaf Art is on exhibition starting July 1, 2022 through April 21, 2023 located at the main gallery. Celebrating the Deaf American experience through identity, citizenship, sociality, education and movements for equality. The exhibition will be presented in both spoken English and signed American Sign Language.

This exhibition has been made possible by a $50,000 grant from the Terra Foundation of American Art – featuring artworks by thirty natural-born and immigrant Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing artists practicing in a variety of media. With over 140 artworks, the exhibition predominately features works from the Dyer’s permanent collection and selected loans from the late 19th century. The artwork juxtaposed in a variety of subject matter highlight the Deaf American experience from 1889 through 1989.

Deaf refugees bring with them an array of experiences from their home countries in terms of language, culture and education. The artworks on display in this exhibition will give visitors insight into deaf refugee experiences. Creating and sharing artwork about traumatic experiences is challenging and can promote healing.

This exhibition includes refugee artists from U.S.-based organizations such as Think Self, Deaf Can!, Deaf New Americans, Inc., and Deaf Refugee Advocacy, along with artworks by well-known deaf refugee artists of the past, such as David Bloch and Igor Kolombatovic, and an emerging artist, Samareh Harirchian.  

[ID: a collage with images- clockwise from top left: man on horse in blue shirt, woman in pink and black striped spandex smiling with two women behind her, a god of Buddhism, an ear with acupuncture needles sticking in, two buildings with a road, a photograph of woman in white wedding dress, a photograph of a lizard under Ganesh (elephant with 4 arms), and infant Krishna in the bottom left.]