“In the Hands”

May 2018 Materials: Plaster, Acrylic paint, epoxy
Currently on display to the public at TSHA - available to purchase, please email inquires

Artist Statement: “What does this work say? You may have to make an effort to decode it. Individuals with deafness, blindness, or both decode the hearing and sighted world every day. Many who are deaf do so through American Sign Language, a visual and tactile language, and an art form in itself. Our hands provide us tactile information, a mode of communication, a friendly touch, and a way to bring beauty into the world.” -Sarah Bowen

More about the piece: This work was created to answer the call for art from Tulsa Community College’s Center for Creativity. Their “Please Touch the Art” exhibit was made to be accessible to all, including those with impaired sight. The hands, molded from Sarah’s own, spell out “beauty” in ASL, playing on the phrase “beauty is in the eye of the beholder”, but rather….“In the Hands”. Each hand features raised braille letters so that blind folks unfamiliar with sign language could still read the message. Sarah’s work during college with the Deaf/Blind community influenced this work and the drive to create accessible art.