Deaf Artist Jon Savage was at MSD for a wonderful week! This interview took place on Thursday, March 13, 2025.
Transcript of Video:
Deaf Artist Jon Savage came to MSD for our Deaf Artist In Residence (D.A.I.R.) event. He was here from March 10 to 15, 2025. This interview took place on Thursday, March 13, 2025.
Jaycob: Hi, I'm Jaycob Leak, and I'm a 9th Grader. I'm here to interview a Deaf Artist.
Jaycob: Introduce yourself and where you're from.
Jon:My name is Jon Savage, and I'm from San Diego California.
Jaycob: What is the purpose or goal of your artwork?
Jon: The purpose of my artwork is about my experience growing up and deaf culture. My home environment had its own culture as well. All of that became a part of me, and that's the purpose of my artwork.
Jaycob: Do your other interests influence your art?
Jon: An influence on my art is the natural beauty of my home environment. Seeing the color changes in sunrises and sunsets has been a major influence. Everyone can see it, which influenced me, and you all influence me too.
Jaycob: Was this your first time participating in DAIR?
Jon: Yes! It was my first time, and it was awesome! My first thought was I would give you my work. That wasn't so. You gave your work. That meant we all collaborated to make this happen. The DAIR program is a winner!
Jaycob: Share your experiences partnering with MSD students during DAIR week.
Jon: My experience for the week with Dair was that I focused on how to express ASL in paint. Their stories, their expressions, their ideas, all of that, we could combine all of that with colors. I saw the students view it with new eyes and a new perspective. More ideas came to them. It was important to bring ASL into it and expand on it.
Jaycob: Thank you!
Jon: Thank you for bringing me into this interview.