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By Cadie-Mai Shaw —

Ryan Seslow: a Deaf graphic designer: 5.3

Ryan Seslow, based in New York City, creates murals, sculptures, and digital works that blend traditional art, AI, emerging technologies, and storytelling. I think the goal is to shift perception and invite people to experience the world differently through his art. As he shares on his website (https://www.ryanseslow.com/about-contact-me/), he is actively overcoming his fears by placing himself in public positions where he speaks openly about how hearing loss and being Deaf have shaped his life in meaningful, positive ways.

Education & Teaching:For the last 23 years, Seslow has been teaching studio art, digital art, graphic design, storytelling, and communications technology across both undergraduate and graduate programs in New York City. Currently, he is a professor at Borough of Manhattan Community College and Touro University. His teaching practice continually evolves to keep pace with new tools. Seslow is a multidisciplinary artist who “Welcome aboard, you have been cast into the ongoing script,” meaning he is willing to understand and learn along the way, and he will help his students in return, receiving the same energy back. https://www.ryanseslow.com/about-contact-me/

Professional Role, Beliefs & Vision:Ryan visually acknowledges the world through a unique lens shaped by his Deaf and hard-of-hearing, which is influenced by how he interprets and communicates. His work isn't just a visual translation of perception, deep emotion, and connecting experiences, which he has made into visuals such as motion, texture, shape, and digital form. “The mural unfolds across the space like a visual poem.”

https://www.ryanseslow.com/2018/06/04/communicating-my-deafness-part-1/Communicating My Deaf & Hard of Hearing Self:Seslow explores communication challenges drawn from real-life experience. https://www.ryanseslow.com/2018/06/04/communicating-my-deafness-part-1/ By animating gestures such as sign language and looping sequences, vibrating type and collages making and using expressive symbols, which translates the invisible, misinterpreted moments into a visual language that everyone can understand. In my opinion, the work is a bridge between worlds, an attempt to understand how communication feels. It transforms personal experience, allowing the audience to understand the emotions of being Deaf and hard of hearing. When collaborating on public projects, he acknowledges the lack of inclusion https://about.starbucks.com/stories/2024/deaf-artist-hopes-mural-at-dc-starbucks-starts-conversations-about-inclusion-accessibility/“We don’t have all the answers… we’re not going to solve all of the problems around inclusion, accessibility, and disabilities in one mural, obviously.”

American Sign Language within Graffiti, creating Connections:Focusing specifically on accessibility in public spaces, “a strong urge to merge the worlds of graffiti, accessibility, and community,” through projects that incorporate American Sign Language into public art. The act of representing a language in places where many people have never seen makes this https://www.facebook.com/groups/565218893829369/posts/2575383906146181/ “Art becomes a voice. A record of language deprivation, identity reclaimed, and joy built through shared communication.” Seslow creates printed cut-out letterforms that spell ‘graffiti’ across street lamps, buildings and in green areas, creating a bridge between visual language and street culture. to send a message “Language is alive. Art is alive.” https://www.ryanseslow.com/american-sign-language-asl-in-public-space-graffiti-culture-and-connection/

Creativity & Works:

Philosophy & PurposeRyan Seslow believes art is alive and constantly evolving. Art isn’t meant to stand still; it must move into new worlds. “Art wants to live in worlds, not just on walls.” Much of his practice has come from personal experience, the ways communication the glitch-based visuals reflect “the regular distortions, missing of sounds, words, and overall communication struggles that I experience daily.”https://www.ryanseslow.com/2018/06/04/communicating-my-deafness-part-1/ Instead of hiding these challenges, he visualises them so others can understand. This has opened paths to connect in these inclusive spaces to share similar experiences. Technology also plays a central role. He describes his work as part of a “sacred trinity of art, technology, and consciousness,” using digital and interactive tools to explore how he includes all his traits come from different ways of using mix media and how he can create an interactive experience having meaning behind. Ultimately, his intention is to spark awareness not just of colour or motion, but conversations about inclusivity and shared experience, encouraging people to slow down and notice the world. He opens spaces where more people can feel included, understood, and connected, which I think is extremely powerful as an artist.

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