Teen explores sign language as art, chosen for congressional art contest

You see a woman's face in black and white. Her hands cover her mouth and chin, her fingers gripping at her cheeks.

It is the beginning position for the sign for "sadness" in American Sign Language.

But you don't need to know ASL to understand what the woman is feeling. You can see the pain in her eyes, which pull you in to the charcoal drawing.

The woman's forehead fades into a body of water with a single boat. One person, alone, paddles between trees.

The art piece is appropriately titled "Isolation." It is one of three in a series by Anna Wright, a 17-year-old artist from Breaux Bridge.

And it was selected as winner for Louisiana's 3rd District in the Congressional Art Competition.

The piece will be displayed in the U.S. Capitol alongside winning submissions from every congressional district, and Anna is invited to a ceremony at the Capitol in June.

Visual language

Anna is creating an art collection that represents ASL and those who rely on it for communication.

She is not one of them, though, despite having 60 percent hearing loss since birth.

Anna was raised "mainstreamed" as her hearing loss wasn't discovered until she was about 3 years old, she said.

"At school, it's kind of hard to hear a lot of times, especially (in) the commons area or during lunch," Anna said on the last day of school Tuesday. "I remember last year I had a hard time with it, and I would just ignore everyone because the conversations would just be too hard to handle and it would be a lot of frustration."

MORE: These graduates want to be the voice they didn't have | What to do at every Louisiana state park | Check out the Memorial Day sale

She is only now learning to sign, as she builds her ASL collection. She has loved exploring the idea of sign language and art, she said.

"(The series) is going to express how sign language is a visual language and how you can express so much without saying a word," said Anna, wearing a paint-splattered Breaux Bridge Tigers sweatshirt on the last day of her junior year.

Art as communication

Although sign language is new to her, Anna has long been using her hands to communicate.

"I've been drawing since I could remember, I guess," Anna said. "I find it exciting and fun to just try different mediums and to explore ideas and to express yourself."

Her teacher, Liz Hebert, said Anna's art is a form of communication for her and reveals a whole new layer of the shy, quiet student.

"And then when you talk to her about her art, you see the meaning is so deep," Hebert said.

Also in Anna's ASL series so far, she has a watercolor "Grief" and acrylic on wood "Loneliness." She plans to round out the collection with more pieces later in the year.

"The hardest part would be coming up with ideas," Anna said. "... There's a lot of brainstorming and rough drafts and mess-ups and you just somehow find the idea along the way."

Getting to D.C.

The trip to Washington D.C. for the Congressional Art Competition ceremony also would include tours and meeting her congressman, Clay Higgins.

There is a GoFundMe page to help cover the costs of the trip, with a goal of raising $2,800. More than $300 had been raised as of Wednesday.

The incoming senior also is selling 100 limited edition, professionally printed 16-by-20 prints of her art piece for $150 each.

Those interested can contact Anna's parents on Facebook or the GoFundMe or purchase them in person at her exhibition at the Teche Center for the Arts on May 30.

Anna's art has earned her several local and statewide art awards and scholarships this school year.

Her second-place win in Junior Division of the George Rodrigue Art Scholarship contest earned her $1,000 and the opportunity to have her artwork tour the state for a year. 

She also will be representing BBHS at National Beta Convention in Savannah, Georgia, this summer after winning second place in painting at state.

And she currently is a finalist in the Science Without Borders International Art Contest.