Dinner Table Syndrome
Dinner Table Syndrome
- Creator: Ellen Mansfield
- Date: 2024
- Location: Boise City Hall, 1st Floor, Arts & History, Work Room, Unit J, Shelf/Drawer 2
- Types: paintings (visual works), acrylic paintings
- Materials: acrylic paint, ceramic tile
- Collection: James Castle House Artist in Residence Works
A series of three ceramic tiles. Their backgrounds are painted red and colorful floral patterns decorate the surface. Collaged over the surface of each tile are an array of symbolic icons. Each tile has a dinner plate at center. The plates encompass images of portraiture, hands gesturing American Sign Language (ASL), and text. A spoon, knife, fork, and napkin accompany each dinner plate. When I visited the James Castle collection and archives, I learned that one of Castle’s preferred approaches was to have three pieces of papers together so that he could create art on each piece, connecting each other. This inspired me to create this series. Additionally, I was struck by the museum’s notecard featuring Castle’s handwritten “PLEASE.” All three tiles feature a white plate upon a floral tablecloth. Each reflects a different era for the deaf individual. The floral pattern is from an old dress I wore in 1980; the plates, silverware, and napkins are what were in the Castle House studio kitchenette during my stay. The portrait of James Castle is taken from a photograph during the residency. The fingerspelling card is from JCCA and a book of the one-handed (American) and two-handed (British) manual alphabet. The three tiles are intertwined by a vine. Ellen Mansfield is a proud De'Artivisit (Deaf View/Image Art) artist who combines art and Deaf rights advocacy. Her goal is “to engage people—to show how Deaf artists use art to fight for our social and political rights, and how we tell the stories of our journeys to become fully authentic Deaf people. It is my wish that this collection will engage people by showing how art can call people to respond to injustices and how it can tell stories our journeys to becoming fully authentic Deaf people and De’VIA artists.”
