Sign Fest, a local annual visual arts performance offering sell-out performances for 15 years, is back. The University of New Mexico's Sign 214 Lexical Semantics class in the Department of Linguistics is host to the event, scheduled for Thursday, April 22 at Popejoy Hall.
Auditions are scheduled for Saturday, March 27 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at McKinley Middle School, 4500 Comanche Rd. NE. Anyone wishing to audition may try out.
The class is taking responsibility for everything - publicity, fundraising, auditions to select community talent, the show itself, props, make-up, everything, said Phyllis Wilcox, associate professor and course instructor.
We are terribly excited about this because it is a rare event when deaf people can perform on stage, especially in such a lovely place as Popejoy Hall, she said.
Dr. F. Chris Garcia will be guest of honor because he was instrumental in helping Wilcox implement the baccalaureate degree in Signed Language Interpreting in 1983.
We are thrilled that he will open the program with a few remarks about establishing that program; it's become a nationally known program attracting students who hope to become professional interpreters from all over the nation, she said.
Garcia was dean of Arts and Sciences (A&S) when the opportunity arose to move signed language from Communicative Disorders into the Linguistics program in A&S. Her program is in great demand. The result was that we were on the cutting edge nationally and internationally both in terms of signed language and research. I am proud of this success stories, proud to have had a hand in this flourishing, blossoming program, Garcia said.
Thomas J. Dillon, III, who was appointed executive director of the New Mexico Commission for Deaf and Hard of Hearing Persons by Governor Bill Richardson, will offer a few remarks to the deaf community.
Dillon points to Richardson and the state legislature as strong supporters of the state's deaf. He said, The Deaf and Hard of Hearing Child's Educational Bill of Rights, sponsored by Rep Dan Silva and Senator Cynthia Nava, passed and was signed by the Governor. This legislation is huge step forward to ensure that deaf and hard of hearing children in our public schools will no longer be isolated due to their communication disability.
This, and other recently passed legislation, provides huge steps forward and an indication of what is to come under the administration of Governor Bill Richardson for the benefit of the New Mexico deaf and hard of hearing population, Dillon said.
So many positive movements for deaf people are taking place in our state, Wilcox said.
Dr. Sherman Wilcox, chair of linguistics, will present the graduate, undergraduate, signed language research and publication awards to linguistic students.
Dance, stories and skits in ASL and Japanese Sign Language, poetry in signed language, and everything will be interpreted to be entertaining for deaf and hearing alike. A montage of various acts and performances taken from previous Sign Fest shows will also be featured.
Sign Fest was held from 1979-1993, so this rejuvenates the spirit of the former events. As Sign Fest's last year, organizers hope all those who enjoyed previous shows will come to celebrate the final Sign Fest.
Tickets are available at www.tickets.com . Parking shuttles will be available at University Blvd. North of Tucker.
Contact: Carolyn Gonzales (505) 277-5920
Posted by kwentworth at March 25, 2004 04:11 PM