Meet Fred Beam

We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Fred Beam. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Fred below.

Fred, thanks so much for taking the time to share your insights and lessons with us today. We’re particularly interested in hearing about how you became such a resilient person. Where do you get your resilience from?
My resilence came from my interior spirit and my being deaf in African American culture. After I became Deaf at age of three from chicken pox and high fever, Becoming an artist was a journey that I took. I found my passion and a way to overcome many barriers related to expressing myself in the environment where I grew up in an era where oral method was believed to be the best mode of communication. (Hearing Environment where there is no sign language or some communication barriers.). I was born around the time when there was civil right movement and black entertainment was on the rise. Visual arts was not something that was seen in my past, Everything I have learned was from watching my black and white TV with no caption and my family interaction. Not being able to hear and express myself verbally effectively with my family, I ended up turning to drawing and painting what I see and feel. It was my release from time to time. I recalled my time when I went to Tampa Bay Oral school for the Deaf at age of 3. I fell in love with line dance and mastered it over time.. It was my first artistic expression.

I also remembered at very young age. (about 7 years old). I watched American Bandstand . I saw a little boy looked like me. His name was Michael Jackson. I tried to mimick his move. My mother saw me and tried to discourage me to pursue that skill. She didn’t see any future in that field for a child who is deaf.

After that, I went to Seminole Elementary School. i was placed in self contained classroom deaf students in it.
When I was in third grade, my teacher encouraged me to use my artistic skill , decorating the classroom door for Christmas door competition. I had to start from my original drawing. We came in 3rd place in the whole school. It gave me a sense of an accomplishment in that field. They also had summer program where deaf students do arts and craft. I was so excited to be a part of that and not only I was looking forward to arts…I was also looking forward to swimming at public pool (it was one of the activities that is part of the program). I could not miss one of those classes because it was a place where I felt belonged, There was deaf students like me. But I was the only African American student in that program. as I get older, My parents, both were teacher want me to be challenged in hearing class. I ended going back to hearing environment. I was the only deaf student in hearing class with no interpreter. Of course, I went back to my safe haven, drawing and painting.

As I get older, I kept taking art classes until I graduated from high school. When I became Senior at King High School , I was encouraged to submit my artwork in one local art competition at Temple Terrace Arts festival. I ended up won 1st place. I was surprised that they even picked my work over hundreds of artists in my area. That gave me a validation that I was a true artist.

I kept drawing and painting people, animal and nature. I didn’t have a sense of knowing my identity in arts. I remembered I was looking for someone like me grewing up. I never see or meet one person who is like me ( black deaf artist). I ended up shifting my attention to dance , acting and performing. It was my way of expressing myself in other way. Strangely, it happened after a dance teacher at National Technical Institute for the Deaf recognized my athlete enpowerment on the basketball court. I got hooked after that for a long time.
i noticed that when I was at age of 20’s, I was trying to find some artifacts about black deaf artists. There was not many of us in the print. I was burned up inside and spoke to few deaf artists who were not colored. I asked why is there none of “us” in the print such as book, Their answer was “well, I have not seen any of their work in arts gallery or any offical display.. I turned inward and started to paint some pictures of Deaf Black heroes….but my work didn’t seem to fit in deaf arts world . After that, I decided to put it aside and focused on my performance and dance. I started to learn more and more about who I was as Black Deaf artist, especially performing arts.
Until………COVID Pandemic came up, At that time, I could not perform in public. On top of that, Black Lives Matter Movement came up. It was all over the news. Since I could not release my artistic outlet in public . I ended up turned to painting.. BLM movement taught me to speak out against the wrong doing and our past struggle and resilence.. I decided the specific color. style and theme to show people who we Black Deaf people really are. It got a lot of attention from those who has gone through Black Deaf Arts movement.
So now, I am here as curator, patron and Black Deaf Artists. I want the world to see :”us” in the mainstreamed society. I am also in the field of performing arts. i have came a long way…

Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?
1. My website related to being an Virtual Artist/ Performing Artist (below)

https://fredbeamstudios.com/

2. My work as Outreach Coordinator of NTID Sunshine 2.0

https://www.rit.edu/ntid/sunshine2.0

What is so special about my brand , “BlackDeaf” Arts?

I have gone through the experience of being outcast/excluded:

1. in Black Community because of my deafness. They just dont know Deaf Culture or Their value. They don’t take the time to find a way to communicate or include them in many of their functions or events. I had to fight and/or compromise to my part of being Black in that community to fit in.

2. in Deaf Community because of my blackness. They just dont really know the Black culture of their experience. In many deaf function, the history of Black Deaf community and their involvements were rarely involved in the mainstreamed Deaf Community. Sometimes, they forgot that there is a diversity in Deaf Community. I had to be part of their culture…and not able to bring out my blackness too much. It is aother compromise.

All my life, I had to be one or the other. Being “Black Deaf” has been an issue for me because people questioned me in the past and asked me what am I first. Black or Deaf. ? at this time, I had to give them the final answer. I am BOTH (interwented as one). I am not one half and the other half. By saying that I am half this and that, It make me less than a person..I am really both. The whole me is BLACKDEAF.

So my brand is BLACKDEAF Arts.

As a visual artist, lately I have incorporated African American culture/image with American Sign Language in most of my art work. It represent both cultures in my artwork. At this stage , I use 4 colors ( gold, bronze , black and white). I feel that it is important to me as BlackDeaf artist. I remembered my trip to Sengel, Africa way back then. I saw the African made a primitive art. They used the sand (tan), wood (brown), shells (white, and coal (black) to create a picture on their canvas. It is from their home culture. So I had this idea and made it my own. I want to remind the people that to me, Gold is “our soul”, Bronze is “our skin color,” White is “Our future/Hope” and Black is ” Our past/struggle”. I remember showing my work in those colors. The deaf person who is from Africa or Carribean island always reacted well to it and said…This is My Home and My Language.
So the brand BlackDeaf Arts is here to stay because our people can identify with my work.

My brand also includes my part in performing arts and media.

My next exciting projects are sumbitting my work to future arts festivals, exhibition, book prints and mural so that DeafBlack Arts can be seen and have a place in our society as a whole.

Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
The three qualities that I believe is important to me is:

1. Knowing Thyself. Knowing who you are inside and out.
2. Creating your own work, even though there s not one like you out there and get yourself branded.
3. Keep researching , collecting information and sharing with people who need to learn more about yourself and your
culture.

My advices for those who want to develop or improving :
1. Taking classes or training (skill development) . It will help you to master the skill to create your own work)
2. Finding your circle who can help you to nagivate with your career. such as mentor, teacher or professional who believe in you.
3. Getting Marketing and Business Skills is a must if you want to set up your art business. It will help you to get recognized and make money.

How can folks who want to work with you connect?
Yes, I am looking for someone who can partner with me or collaborate with me. I have been doing this for a long time to let people know that BlackDeaf Arts exist. I am hoping that someone can help with marketing, and set up a business plan with me. I am looking for someone to sponsor me, promote my work or bring me to their educational setting because it require a group/team to make it a successful and recognizable brand.

What I am saying is…

Many educational settings need to learn about diversity in the field of Arts. They should have a curriculum, about BlackDeaf/BIPOC study and their accomplishment in this world. Also our history. We need to preserve that for our future generation and lift up our people in their career.

Contact Info:

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