New mural in Idaho Falls receiving backlash from the Deaf community
Published at | Updated at
IDAHO FALLS – A mural in downtown Idaho Falls that was commissioned for the American Civil Liberties Union’s 25th year in Idaho is now facing scrutiny by members of the Deaf community.
Tucked away in an alley on the 400 block of Park Avenue, the mural appears to use a sign that many do not recognize. The mural was meant to read “ask,” “understand,” “listen” and “look.” But the signs for those words are apparently depicted incorrectly.
“I looked at it for the first time and I thought oh, that’s a really nice thought. I was impressed with that. Then I realized that I couldn’t understand what it was signing. I kept looking at it trying to figure it out,” Alexander Low, a deaf person, told KPVI.
The Idaho Falls Downtown Development corporation selected local artist Kelly Sheridan, who is not deaf, for the project to give her “a platform from which to express an idea important to the artist and relevant to the work of the ACLU,” according to a Facebook post from the group.
The Post Register reports Sheridan consulted a friend who teaches American Sign Language and did “supplemental research” for the mural.
“That being said, it’s a complex challenge to show hands in movement especially without the context of a face,” Sheridan said.
Many are saying it would have been better to hire a deaf artist or at least consult with the Deaf community.
“You have to be deaf to understand this experience. The artist herself is a hearing person. It doesn’t mean that she is a bad person — she’s good — but she doesn’t understand what it means to be deaf,” Rick Taylor, a deaf video blogger, told KPVI.
The Idaho Falls Downtown Development Corporation posted images of the work Monday along with a brief description of the project. The post has since received more than 700 reactions and more than 200 comments.
“In response to this Facebook post, allies and members of the deaf community expressed concern about the sensitivity of the piece. Our project team and the local Idaho Falls Committee have reviewed these comments and we are seeking first to understand,” the group writes. “We are proactively reaching out to members of the deaf community and advocates and inviting them to participate in a conversation about the best way to proceed.”
In the post, they also said they “do intend to act” and said they are sorry for their insensitivity.
“Regardless of our good intentions, we have offended beloved members of both the hearing and the deaf communities, and we regret that.”
There are currently no plans to alter the mural, but members of the deaf community are now looking for solutions, including working with the Downtown Development Corporation to fix the problem.
The mural is one of three the ACLU of Idaho commissioned in the state. It’s also part of a larger effort in downtown Idaho Falls to fund public art projects.