FW: Press Release from University of Arizona

[Karlin, Ben]

Not NEW but fascinating info:

An accidental discovery in 1991 of a manual alphabet in a 1444 painting of
King Charles VII of France by Jean Fouquet has led Joseph Castronovo to
decipher the "artistic signatures" in over 500 pieces of art work.  Mr.
Castronovo's research documents how Medieval and Renaissance monks preserved
manual alphabets by hiding their images in art work.  Joseph Castronovo is a
doctoral student in the Department of Language, Reading, and Culture who is
proficient in American Sign Language and has studied sign symbol systems
from several countries including Sweden, England, Italy and Greece.  His
discoveries redefine how we read art work and how all children, including
Deaf children, read for meaning.

Intrigued by his original research, The University of Arizona Museum of Art
invited Mr. Castronovo to analyze the manual alphabets appearing in the 26
Retablo Panels painted in 1488 by Fernando Gallego and commissioned by a
chapter of monks who were responsible for the 12th century cathedral of
Rodrigo.  Dr. Peter Bermingham, Director of The University of Arizona Museum
of Art, on the significance of Joseph Castronovo's accidental discovery:
"Mr. Castronovo has potentially uncovered a major cache of historical
information.  This is the use of the manual alphabet 200 years before the
education of deaf children using sign language in Spain in 1620.   Mr.
Castronovo has convincingly shown, through the Art Museum's Retablo of
Ciudad Rodrigo, the "hands" at work hitherto overlooked, misinterpreted or
never given the now required hermeneutic readings.  It is fitting that Mr.
Castronovo should be the archaeologist of this lost learning."

ArtBreak with Joseph Castronovo on Wednesday, March 26th at 12:15 PM at The
University of Arizona Museum of Art will examine the signs found in The
Retablo, the origination of signing in art work, and the implications of
artistic signatures on art history and deaf education.  In assisting
children, including Deaf children, to read for meaning more effectively, Mr.
Castronovo has indicated that there is a way to use art works with manual
alphabets as a parallel or alternative literacy method.  One example will be
given during ArtBreak.  "The Sign of Artistic Signatures" is a two-part
documentary of Mr. Castronovo's discoveries and research to be partially
screened at ArtBreak and aired in its entirety on the ARTs Channel, TCI
Channel 8 ( Part I, Sunday, March 23rd, 5 pm and Part II, Wednesday, March
26th, 8 pm ).

Mr. Castronovo is currently involved in creating the Martha's Vineyard
Project, a residential and commercial development for a sign language
community here in Tucson.  Martha's Vineyard would include an international
school for visual artists to revive and further the use of manual alphabets
in art work.