[VIDEO DESC & TRANSCRIPT: Tabitha is standing in the NTID Dyer Arts Center.
TABITHA: I didn’t like art because I couldn’t draw! I also hated history, so I never dreamed of merging art and history. It wasn’t until I went to college and needed to complete an elective class and Art History was an option. So, I decided to suck it up and enroll. Then as class progressed, I realized I was somewhat good in the class and the teacher encouraged me to take a second class. I did, then a couple of internships, and bounced around before I finally dove head first in Deaf Art and curating. I had finally found my passion!
Black and white video clips of Tabitha walking across the gallery. In the center, a white border surrounds white text “TABITHA” underneath, appears in white text “DYER ARTS CENTER DIRECTOR”.
TABITHA: My name is Tabitha Jacques, and I am the Director of the Dyer Arts Center at RIT/NTID in Rochester, New York.
Black and white video clips of Tabitha opening archival drawers. Next clip, Tabitha is looking at a drawer full of art and signing to someone off screen.
TABITHA: I grew up mainstreamed. I went to Gallaudet University where I got my Bachelor’s in Art History. I went to another university for my Masters’ in Art History and Museum Studies.
Black and white video clips of Tabitha signing with someone slightly off screen. Next clip, Tabitha is looking at a computer while someone scrolls through a page.
TABITHA: When I graduated with my Masters’ degree, the economy crashed. I rotated through several jobs, first with the Smithsonian National Postal Museum for around a year until they ran out of grant money and I was let go. My next job was at Gallaudet University in Admissions. Then, next I worked at the Washington state Office for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing. I moved around a lot job-wise, but guess what never changed? I volunteered a lot at the museums. Finally, when this job was posted as available, I didn’t wait to apply! I got the job and I immediately moved to Rochester.
Black and white video clips of Tabitha walking through the archival hall and pulling out a panel of art.
TABITHA: The Dyer Arts Center focuses on deaf and hard of hearing artists by exhibiting and collecting their works and preserving them. When I arrive to work in the mornings, my goal is always to do my e-mails but that never happens the way I want to! There will be various situations that come up that need my immediate attention like: my assistants needing to discuss projects or student assistants needing feedback. We plan exhibits and which includes contacting artists and lenders/collectors. We also discuss future exhibits, plans, timelines, and scheduling. If we receive an artwork that goes in our permanent collection, we have to be sure it is properly listed in our database. As for events, which my assistants handle, they will ask for my approval or feedback and whether we’re trying to bring in revenue. Another thing I do is provide consultations as museums around the nation will occasionally ask for accessibility feedback. Everyday is always different around here! I always think about plans, challenges, solutions and many more.
Black and white video clips of the art gallery with art on the floor ready to be put up and Tabitha looking down on them. Next clip is of the art panels in the archive room.
TABITHA: We will put out a call for artists for art within a theme. After they send us their artwork, we sort them in groups by a common theme, because our space is so big we have to assign an area for common themes. We don’t just throw up art on the walls randomly, there’s a lot of work to it. You want the art to connect to each other in that space. Sometimes there will be an art piece that I kissfist and I want them to let me show it because I know of another art piece that has a similar style that would go great next to it. So I ask artists to send me art pieces and we match it up. It is almost like a memory game, I remember all of the art pieces we’ve come across and I pick it out to unify our collection.
Black and white video clips of Tabitha walking through the gallery. White text appears at the bottom center, ‘The Dyer Arts Center is unique because of its collection and exhibitions of the deaf and hard of hearing artists. There’s not many places like this in the U.S. or in the world, really.’- Tabitha” and a light blue line outlines the left side of the text.
TABITHA: You don’t have to know what you want to do at a young age, I didn’t until later in my life. However, it is important that you work hard, do well in school, be willing to learn new things even if you feel like you can’t because you can! I always encourage people to learn new and different skills because you never know which will benefit you and you never know who you meet that will guide you to your next job.
Black and white video clips of Tabitha nodding at something off screen. Next clip, Tabitha is walking through the gallery. Tabitha turning off lights in the gallery.
Video cuts to grey background with the NAD logo quickly changing in different bright colors from teal to white to black to hot pink to green to orange to teal to yellow to purple to finally the official NAD logo with copyright text underneath “The National Association of the Deaf (c) 2019 All Rights Reserved”.]