Artist Statement

 Hi I'm Kassandra Luyando a senior at Hunter college double majoring in Media Studies and Sociology.  I'm also a graduate of LaGuardia Community College with a Degree in Deaf studies. Learning American Sign Language was a childhood goal of mine. I obtain more insight on the Deaf communities most brilliant, resilient artist and advocates of their community. Chuck Baird is a famous Deaf painter of the De'Via Art movement challenging this idea that US education system had castrated Deaf language by forcing them to speak instead of signing. Many of his paintings reflected his reality and movement, which ultimately made him a stable in the community. Christiana Sun Kim a Deaf musician and performance artist that redefined sound as something we could follow and relate too without the need of hearing it. Both of these artist reflect the type of artistry that I tend to immerse myself into because most of my material comes from my memory and experiences. 

Living in the South Bronx wasn't always pleasant but in my home I built a studio sanctuary. Every painting, sketch and picture mirrored an emotion and memory. In the middle of dealing with grief, happiness and sorrow I developed the love for creating artwork. Later I decided to volunteer for my community whether it was cleaning Soundview park or aiding a LGBTQ youth homeless shelter. All of this shaped my perception and imagery on creating a moment with in your artwork. Whether it's capturing the daily commuters and the diversity we're blessed to live amongst use anything you can for inspiration for it can be endless.