This is a Design and Disability program. Register here.
Join us for a two-part afternoon program exploring how Deaf creatives use American Sign Language (ASL) to design musical and cultural experiences—reframing music as visual, spatial, and embodied. Presented in conjunction with the Art of Noise exhibition, this program features a moderated conversation and a live performance that highlights Deaf perspectives. The program celebrates Deaf-led innovation in music media and invites visitors to experience music as a designed cultural experience, shaped by visual language, gesture, and the body.
First, a moderated panel of Deaf artists and designers will discuss how ASL functions not only as a language, but as a creative design tool that shapes rhythm, emotion, and narrative. Perspectives from Deaf Broadway, ASL Slam, Deaf DJ events, and multi-media Directors of Artistic Sign Language will explore how listening itself is a designed experience, shaped by media, language, and culture.
Following the conversation, audiences are invited to experience a live performance by Deafinitely Dope that showcases ASL as a dynamic medium for musical design. Using signed language, movement, and visual composition, the performance transforms music into a multisensory experience that emphasizes rhythm, expression, and connection—rather than sound alone.