From Deaf Shame to Deaf Same will be displayed at George Bothwell Library’s Creation Cube from May 25 - June 25, 2022. A small gala to open the exhibition will take place at 11am May 25
This installation is a collaboration between the  Deaf and Hard of Hearing (DHH) Program at Winston Knoll Collegiate, SK Arts’ Artists in the Schools program, and Deaf Crows Collective.
From Deaf Shame to Deaf Same illustrates collective experiences of young Deaf and Hard of Hearing artists who have grown up with ‘deaf shame:’ a sense of depression, isolation and humiliation around their hearing loss, that to varying degrees has impacted their emotional, social, linguistic and academic development since birth.  ’Deaf same’ is a metaphor for each person’s awakening to the Deaf Community, a space where acceptance, belonging and a meaningful existence becomes possible.
The youth have shared their various journeys from ‘deaf shame’ to ‘deaf same,’ a space to which they belong and contribute, and the profound experience of exploring deafhood, and discovering an identity that focuses on their unique strengths as individuals, not on what the world thinks they lack.
 From Deaf Shame to Deaf Same is based on stories the youth shared about growing up Deaf or Hard of Hearing. The stories chosen for this installation are based on personal narratives that resonated with most or all of the students, such as feeling alone at the dinner table while a hearing family talks around them, or being bullied in a school yard by hearing peers. From Deaf Shame to Deaf Same invites the viewer into these experiences through a series of dioramas and photographs, as well as written descriptions by the students.
The project has in various stages been supported by Deaf mentors Allard Thomas and Dr. Joanne Weber, staff and teachers at Winston Knoll Collegiate, and a partnership between DHH teacher Michelle Grodecki and project artist Chrystene Ells, supported by Regina Public Schools and SKArts.
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Deaf Shame to Same Installation locations and dates:
May 25 - June 25, 2022 - George Bothwell Library Creation Cube (Dunlop Art Gallery) (Regina, SK)

Thank you to The Deaf Shame to Same sponsors, partners and funders!