Anderson Center Deaf Artists Residency Capstone Presentation & Discussion

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Learn about the rapidly evolving field of Deaf Arts! Meet artists from across the country who are working at the vanguard of cultural expression in literature, film, visual arts, and performance based in American Sign Language and the Deaf experience. The Anderson Center Deaf Artists Residency Program public Capstone Presentation & Discussion is being held in the Tower View Barn on Saturday, June 26 at 7:00 p.m. Five artists are spending the month of June living in community at the Center, sharing ideas and conversing in ASL, and making substantial progress on their individual artistic works. Each artist will offer a presentation on their creative practice and residency experience before participating in a Q&A.

Open to the Public, this event is presented in American Sign Language (ASL) with voice interpretation provided for non-signers. All are welcome and admission is free. Registration is encouraged but not required, unless additional accommodations are being requested. Tactile interpretation requests to be submitted at least 2-weeks in advance through the registration form or by emailing stephanie@andersoncenter.org.

Now in its fourth iteration, the goal of the Deaf Artist Residency Program at the Anderson Center is to create artistic and organizational networks that support the development of the Deaf Arts as a distinct cultural area within the larger context of American Culture. Founded by local Deaf Artist and activist Cynthia Weitzel, the program has grown since its inception in 2014. With the addition of the 2021 cohort, the Deaf Artist Residency Program has connected and supported 23 artists. The program is made possible thanks to a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts and a partnership with Gallaudet University.

The 2021 Deaf Artists-in-Residence are:

Youmee Lee, Visual Artist (Rochester, NY)
Focus: Printmaking
Through art, Youmee Lee explores her intersectional experiences as a Deaf Korean American woman. She is studying drawing and printmaking. She is studying drawing and printmaking as an MFA candidate in Film and Animation from Rochester Institute of Technology. Youmee’s niche is intertwining handmade Korean paper, hanji, with other artforms like ceramics and animation, where she brings stories to life.

Jenna Fischtrom Beacom, Writer (Columbus, OH)
Focus: Fiction
Jenna Fischtrom Beacom is a longtime deaf activist / advocate, who has a special interest in deaf representation in the media. She holds a Master’s degree in Deaf Education and is currently writing SIGNS & PORTENTS, the Young Adult novel she wishes she’d had when she was a newly deaf teenager. She lives with her husband and daughter in Columbus, Ohio.

Cristina Hartmann, Writer (Pittsburgh, PA)
Focus: Fiction
Cristina Hartmann is a DeafBlind writer whose fiction and non-fiction stories explore how our perception can shape our relationships. Her articles have been featured on Vox, Newsweek, Medium, among others. She is a graduate of Cornell University and the University of Pennsylvania Law School and was once a regulatory lawyer.

Sara Stallard, Writer (Campbell, CA)
Focus: Creative Nonfiction
Sara Stallard loves art, books, cats, and urban landscapes. She drinks coffee, collects rocks, and goes hiking whenever she can. She taught high school English for 10 years and now serves as coordinator of education resources. As a Deaf writer, she explores how ASL influences her use of English. Notable works include her column, Coffee Shop Notes, focusing on Deaf creativity, and “What That ASL Dialect?”

Charlie Ainsworth, Filmmaker/Writer (Austin, TX)
Focus: Screenwriting
A native of Saint Paul, MN currently based in Texas, Charlie graduated from Gallaudet University with a double BA in History and Theatre Arts. He is the founder of Angry Deaf People Productions, an independent film company focused on telling Deaf-centric and Deaf-driven stories, with a goal of becoming a contributing force of the “DeafTalent” movement. While Charlie loves producing and directing, his true passion lies in screenwriting.

About the Anderson Center

Concluding the celebration of its 25 years in 2021, the Anderson Center – in its historic setting of Tower View – offers residencies in the arts and humanities; provides a dynamic environment for the exchange of ideas; encourages the pursuit of creative endeavors; and serves as a source of significant contributions to society. One of the North’s top artistic destination points, the Anderson Center has served the national arts and humanities community and the citizens of Minnesota since 1995. From the grounds of Tower View, a grand national registered historic landmark in the scenic Mississippi River town of Red Wing, Minnesota, the Anderson Center supports and showcases creativity and innovation at the intersection of art and ideas.

The Deaf Artist Residency Program is a program of the Anderson Center at Tower View. This event is supported in part by an award from the National Endowment for the Arts and by support from Gallaudet University. This activity is made possible by the voters of Minnesota through a grant from the Minnesota State Arts Board, thanks to a legislative appropriation from the arts and cultural heritage fund.

Featured Image: The 2021 Deaf Artists Residency Cohort. Standing from left: Sara Stallard and Charlie Ainsworth. Sitting from left: Youmee Lee, Cristina Hartmann, and Jenna Beacom.