The Artists
Johnnie Jae
Johnnie Jae is a Disabled Otoe-Missouria and Choctaw artist, journalist, and advocate whose work blends storytelling, digital media, and activism to explore themes of identity, resilience, and Indigenous futurism. As an artist for Eighth Generation, Jae brings her vision to life through vibrant designs that honor Native traditions while embracing contemporary expression. She believes in “painting your life in shades of happy,” infusing her work—whether through visual art, journalism, or advocacy—with a deep sense of joy, humor, and community. Through digital illustration, storytelling, and activism, Jae challenges stereotypes, amplifies Indigenous voices, and fosters cultural preservation, using creativity as a force for healing and empowerment.
Sarah Young Bear-Brown/tti-Ks-mi-ge-a
Hoat! Sarah Young Bear-Brown/tti-Ks-mi-ge-a is a member of the Sac & Fox Tribe of the Mississippi in Iowa – the Meskwaki Nation. She currently resides in Meskwaki Settlement in Iowa. Sarah is a mother of two young children. She went to Iowa School for the Deaf and attended United Tribes Technical College in Bismarck, ND. She walks in two different worlds; as a Meskwaki and Deaf woman.
Thomas Reid
Thomas Reid is the host and producer of Reid My Mind Radio, a narrative podcast where he combines music and sound design to feature compelling people impacted by
all degrees of blindness and disability.
A member of the Social Audio Description Collective and a freelance Audio Description Narrator, Thomas has appeared on projects for Netflix, HBO Max, Hulu, PBS and more.
Tyree Brown
Tyree Brown, a 30-year-old Christian visual artist residing in Maryland, faced a life-altering car accident in 2015 that left her quadriplegic. Art, an integral part of her life, underwent a transformative change after her injury. She lost the ability to walk and use her dominant right hand. During rehabilitation, she discovered a newfound strength in using her left hand to train it for drawing. This novel challenge presented obstacles, but her unwavering faith in Jesus guided her through the process. Through her portraits and unwavering faith, she found a means to cope with her disability and enhance her artistic skills. Tyree’s artwork serves as a powerful message, inspiring others to embrace life with a disability, finding solace in faith, creativity and hope.
Yaneris González Gómez
Yaneris González Gómez (Goga) is a Dominican activist and visual artist. Her greatest joy lies in being both an artist and a social justice advocate, using these roles as tools to resist the various oppressions shaping her reality and identities: as a woman, a lesbian, Black, and disabled. Goga’s work emerges from a place of resistance, rooted in her belonging to a rural and marginalized community and her own survival. Her graphic design has been featured in calendars addressing issues such as HIV, women’s rights, violence, and safe abortion. She also held a solo exhibition in Santo Domingo titled “Trazos de Ellas,” honoring the voices of Black women who have profoundly inspired her.
After a long career as a visual artist using her craft for social justice, Yaneris lost 95% of her vision in 2021. Despite this, her drive and creativity continue to thrive as she explores new ways to express herself in graphic design with assistance, as well as drawing and painting through muscle memory and novel approaches to interpreting the world around her.
El & Var
Two Brooklynites, both visual artists and poets in their own right, El and Var make up the dynamic OPEN DOORS Design Team. El was born and raised in Fort Greene, spending his childhood between Brooklyn and the Bronx with his close-knit family. In 2012, a tragic case of mistaken identity led to El being shot in a drive-by, leaving him paralyzed from the waist down. Despite the hardship, his spirit remains unbroken.
LeVar “Var” Lawrence also hails from Fort Greene, Brooklyn. While many of his peers were outside playing, Var found solace in drawing, nurturing a passion for visual arts that would shape his life. At 28, Var’s life took a dramatic turn when he was shot during a dice game dispute, leaving him paralyzed from the neck down. Throughout it all, Var remains a devoted family man, finding strength and purpose in the love he shares with his children: Shaequan, LeVon, Lequan, Lequasiah, Leshea, Varnaeshiah, and LeVar.
Deshaymond Solomon
Deshaymond, known as the “Blind Savage,” is a singer, songwriter, and entrepreneur redefining what it means to be blind. Losing his sight in 2015 to optic atrophy, he was met with doubt from those around him, who told him he could never achieve his dreams. Instead of accepting limitations, he made it his mission to break every barrier in his way. “In this life, so many people tell you what you can’t do and where you’ll never go. You have to know who you are and what gifts you hold,” he says. His debut album, I Am, is a declaration of identity and resilience, proving that disability does not equate to inability. Through his music, he channels the pain, triumph, and unfiltered truth of his journey, creating art that is both deeply personal and universally relatable.
Representing the intersections of the Black, LGBTQ+, and disability communities, Deshaymond uses his platform to inspire and uplift. “If I can be an example for just one person who feels unseen or unheard, then I’ve done my job,” he says. From growing up in an impoverished Louisiana neighborhood to working in corporate America before transitioning to music full-time, his story is one of perseverance. Now, as the founder of Deshaymond Media LLC, he is proving that success has no blueprint—only the will to create one. “I’ve fallen out of love with perfect and into love with myself,” he says. “Doing what makes me happy and honoring my God-given gifts is the purest form of self-love.
Fred Beam
Fred M. Beam, from Tampa, FL, has been a visual artist since he was a child. His work has been displayed at many art exhibitions nationwide. He strongly promotes and supports the theme of BlackDeaf Arts, not Black Deaf Arts.
Fred is an advocate and patron of Black Deaf Artists. He has purchased and displayed some of the talents of Black Deaf Artists, who are underrepresented in the World of Arts. He is a Performing Artist, Actor, Poet, Director, Choreographer and has Danced in two international touring dance companies. He was the first deaf choreographer in DC to work in any theater production
Among his many accomplishments, he is proud that he was one of Essence magazine’s Real Men of the Year and also Deaf Person of the Month in Deaf Life magazine. He also received a key to the city of Birmingham, Alabama for his outstanding work in the field of performing arts.
Portraits & Portals 