Coming up on a special Arts inFocus I was blessed with a good memory.

When I'm teaching sombody how to read music I just explain everything.

DeVia is actually an art movemen and it stands for Deaf View Image Art.

The one thing about Sam is he doesn't present himself as someone with severe autism.

That's an invisible disability.

Arts inFocus is made possible, in part, by a gift from doctors Dawn and Jacques Lipson to support performance, innovation and accessibility in the arts in the Rochester community.

Vincent: Hi Kaylee, how are you?

Kaylee: Good Vincent: Good, are you ready?

Kaylee: Yep Vincent: Okay How about holding a B flat for me just to warm up?

(B flat played on flute) Vincent: When the pandemic hit I was teaching at a Catholic school in Penfield Saint Joseph's.

They started going virtual with classes.

I said I wonder if I approach the parents and say let's try doing lessons via the Internet.

I was amazed at how well it actually started going.

And it just seemed like kids almost were like more attentive or I cant put my finger on it.

That's one aspect of technology that has really helped Hi Kim, how are you?

My name is Vince Ercolomento I've been playing music since 1975.

I came from a neighborhood in the city where there were a lot of guys playing.

I wanted to be a part of that.

So the harmonica was one way to kinda fit in and then I heard some saxophone recordings that I said, oh well that'll give me a little bit more versatility and that's when I started playing.

(Saxophone solo) My visual impairment is called Retinitis Pigmentosa and it's degenerative, it's hereditary-- I have two brothers with the same thing When I was younger I could ride a bicycle and I could see music back in the day I could read music.

But over time my eyes have gradually gotten worse and worse so the reading of the music, that part of it has gone away.

So I just rely totally on ear now.

I was blessed with a good memory.

So when I'm teaching somebody how to read music I just explain everything.

- -The F to the E flat, those are two eighth notes and you're kinda not playing those fast enough Student: Oh okay.

Vincent: And I think because I'm able to visualize in my mind the information, I try and get them to do the same.

So when you close the book you have a picture of what you're supposed to be doing or what it's supposed to be.

I think if they can do that theyre gonna walk away retaining a lot more information.

That's the note you want, right there.

(Consistent flute note) Being in this situation has given us the time in a lot of sense to try and be more creative.

What else do you got?

You know, you gotta try and be creative whether it's writing music or just developing your own skills.

Okay that was better.

Good!

You got your other books?

Susan: De'VIA is actually an art movement and it stands for, (De'VIA) Deaf View Image Art.

And that's a term that was coined by a group of deaf artists and one deaf art historian in 1989.

They came together because they were recognizing there was a rising tide of interest in expressing the deaf experience.

I'm Susan Daiss.

My role has been working as essentially the lead educator.

I am an outsider.

I am a hearing individual.

How I am understanding the deaf experience is thanks to this art, and thanks to the individuals I've worked with.

Tabitha: My name is Tabitha Jacques.

I'm the Director of the Dyer Arts Center.

Located at RIT, NTID.

My role with the MAG's De'VIA exhibition was, I was Head Curator.

This is a HUGE breakthrough to have a deaf related art exhibit in a predominantly hearing museum.

It's a huge breakthrough anywhere in the United States.

One of the artists involved in the De'VIA art movement, her name is Nancy Rourke So Nancy decided to establish a De'VIA challenge.

so artists could learn about De'VIA, and then participate in expressing their own deaf experience through their own art.

It could be celebratory artwork or it could be artwork that expresses frustration and isolation.

So through that project it allowed artists from you know just the beginnings of their career to those very adept experienced artists to share their work in one place and collaborate together.

Susan: I hope that the hearing community understands the pride.

This is a community, a robust community, a dynamic community.

Tabitha: When they see the De'VIA exhibit I hope that they're proud.

I hope they leave feeling a renewed sense of pride a sense of... yeah we matter in this whole world!

Susan: What an opportunity for an art museum that celebrates the visual arts, and the deaf community that is, extraordinarily visual in everything.

That this will prove a place where we can meet.

Tabitha: I think that feeling of inspiration and... being seen.

Having their culture being seen, and having their culture become part of the mainstream and the majority culture was huge.

adn their was a sense of validation among the community.

You know that we do belong in this space, and we belong in the Dyer Arts Center and the Memorial Art Gallery.

The one thing about Sam is he doesn't present himself as someone with severe autism.

That's an invisible disability.

Photography is something he likes so much that he is very focused.

A camera, itself, is very much a therapeutic tool.

I was at Hochstein and first I was drawn to music and then they put my camera in my hands and my first ever picture I took was at Hochstein.

That's how I found out that I was in love with photography.

The journey with Sam was very, very interesting because we started photography at 10 years old with his music therapist and the goal was always for him to shoot people.

So the first person he shot was congresswoman Louise Slaughter.

He was actually part of her campaign in 2012 and what I realized is that when he's looking through the lens, he's making eye contact with people.

Because they are staring at the lens and so that's how he started making eye contact with people.

I first started off shooting nature a lot.

And then I moved on to fashion photography.

You meet new people.

So many great people through photography.

How we met Julia, we posted on Facebook.

We were looking for a photographer for about three years.

Someone to mentor Sam, to teach him how to shoot.

At first it was hard because I was still learning.

She teaches lightning, poses for fashion, all kinds of stuff.

I have a program called Portrait Cares.

We take photos for people who can't afford senior photos.

Like high school students.

Sam was part of the yearbook staff and a couple of the seniors couldn't afford to get their photos done.

So Sam did them and it seemed like it fit, because he'll be able to meet young people during the process which is a further social experience for him.

Autism isn't something that you need to be scared about, but you also have to remember that if you were working with a person with any disability, you have to separate the disability from the personality.

This is a different way of a brain working and understanding the world.

So for now, I want to focus on my business taking high school senior photos and then travel the world capturing beauty.

Katie: Hey Sam, good to see ya!

Sam: Hey how's it going?

- Good, good, glad to be checking back in with you.

So I know that you and your mom had this big road trip planned to go down to Louisiana in the spring but that obviously got pushed around during COVID So I'm curious what you've planned to do instead.

So what we planned to do instead for Autism on Routes 11 & 20 is going up to the tippy top of New York State is to meet with families along the way and go to different spots and get more photos for my business and everything.

- Very cool.

And I also heard that you're going to be practicing your driving on this trip as well, right?

- Yes I am.

- Are you excited about that?

- I'm very excited.

I'm kind of nervous honestly because I never really been on...

I mean we're going to be going on the routes and everything which they're really really small roads and they're very very narrow and everything because they're motorcycle routes so It's gonna be fun,it's gonna be a really really good experience - That's awesome!

So other than the roadtrip kinda getting pushed around what else have you been doing during COVID?

- Trying to focus on my photography stuff, my photography business.

Trying to get clients and everyt but obviously that hasn't really been going so well for senior pictures.

COVID has really really affected the Arts industry and I'm sure a whole bunch of other people feel the same about that.

- Absolutely.

Has your, kind of focus shifted?

Maybe from portraits to more landscapes where you can go out and shoot while being socially distant?

That's why we're going to be taking this trip is to, you know, get our minds off COVID and in the process just getting pictures and everything.

It's gonna be a really fun trip.

- That sounds awesome.

- I know, right?

- Well I wish you great weather and a safe drive.

- Thank you.

- Awesome, good to see you Sam.

- Good to see you.

(ADRIAN) HELLO MY NAME IS ADRIAN ESPOSITO.

I AM A FILMMAKER.

WHEN I FIRST BEGAN MAKING DOCUMENTARIES THEY WERE MORE HISTORICAL AND EDUCATIONAL.

I MADE MY FIRST DOCUMENTARY WHICH WAS ABOUT MY GRANDMOTHER AND OTHER PEOPLE WHO LIVED THROUGH WORLD WAR TWO IN EUROPE AND ASIA CALLED AGING TREES OF KNOWLEDGE.

MORE RECENTLY I MET OTHER PEOPLE WHOSE LIVES WERE ALSO TRANSFORMED BY WORLD WAR II.

I WANTED TO TELL THEIR STORIES AS WELL.

IT IS ONE THING TO SEE NEWSREELS OF WORLD WAR II, IT IS ANOTHER TO HEAR A REAL PERSON'S EXPERIENCES AND THOUGHTS.

(ADRIAN) THAT WAS REALLY THE BEGINNING.

ONE OF THE FIRST NARRATIVE FILMS I ACTUALLY DID, I DIDN'T DIRECT IT, IT WAS CALLED BURY MY HEART WITH TONAWANDA.

JOHN, WHAT ARE YOU DOING?

AND WHAT IS YOUR NAME YOUNG MAN?

MY NAME IS JOHN, WHAT'S YOURS?

CHIEF RED SKY, NICE TO MEET YOU, JOHN.

(ADRIAN) I WROTE AND EDITED THAT FILM.

IT'S MY FIRST ATTEMPT, I WOULD SAY, AT TRYING TO DO STORYTELLING AND BRING OUT THE IMPORTANTNESS OF NATIVE PEOPLE ALONG WITH PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES, ESPECIALLY DOWN SYNDROME.

IT WAS VERY, I THINK, IMPORTANT TO BE MADE.

I DON'T THINK WE'VE EVER SEEN A FILM THAT COMBINED BOTH DOWN SYNDROME AND THE NATIVE AMERICAN ELEMENT.

WE WERE ABLE TO PULL IT OFF UNDER HARD CONDITIONS, IT WAS A VERY LOW BUDGET, INDEPENDENT FILM.

THE REASON I FOCUS ON DISABILITY IN MY FILMMAKING IS BECAUSE I MYSELF HAVE A DISABILITY, ASPERGER'S WITH AUTISM.

ONE OF THE REASONS I WANTED TO DO DIFFABILITY HOLLYWOOD WAS BECAUSE I HAD SEEN OTHER DOCUMENTARIES LIKE HOLLYWOOD CHINESE, WHICH WAS ABOUT THE CHINESE AND ASIAN COMMUNITY IN HOLLYWOOD FILMS, THEN I SAW ANOTHER DOCUMENTARY CALLED, REAL INJUN, WHICH WAS ABOUT THE HISTORY OF NATIVE AMERICANS IN HOLLYWOOD FILMS AND TV.

AND THEN I THOUGHT, WAIT A MINUTE, WHY NOT DO A DOCUMENTARY ABOUT SOMETHING THAT'S IMPORTANT TO ME, PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES IN HOLLYWOOD FILMS AND TV.

(DANNY WOODBURN) EVEN THOUGH WE MAKE UP TWENTY PERCENT OF THE POPULATION, WE DO NOT MAKE UP TWENTY PERCENT OF THE POPULATION OF CHARACTERS ON SCREEN, WE MAKE UP LESS THAN ONE PERCENT.

(ADRIAN) ONE OF THE MAIN GOALS FOR DIFFABILITY HOLLYWOOD IS TO EVENTUALLY SEE PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES LIKE DOWN SYNDROME OR CEREBRAL PALSY AS THE ACTION HERO IN MOVIES.

YOU KNOW, NOT JUST AS THE VICTIMS OR SAINTS OR WHATEVER, BUT TO SHOW US AS THE NEXT JASON STATHAM FOR EXAMPLE.

I GOT THE LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD BECAUSE PEOPLE BELIEVE IN ME AND MY FILMMAKING.

I'M AN IMPORTANT FILMMAKER THAT'S PRESENTING MAJOR AND SERIOUS ISSUES TO THE PUBLIC.

I THOUGHT IT WAS A REAL HONOR TO GET THE LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD.

WHAT WAS REALLY SPECIAL FOR ME TO GET THAT WAS NOT THE AWARD ITSELF BUT WAS SEEING PEOPLE TELL YOU HOW MUCH IMPORTANCE IT IS TO THEM IN THEIR LIVES.

"OH, I'M GOING TO SHOW THIS AT MY COLLEGE," OR "OH THIS WAS AN INTERESTING, INFORMATIVE FILM, ADRIAN," OR "THIS IS THE NEXT CULT CLASSIC."

OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT.

I THINK THAT'S THE BIGGEST PAYOFF.

I KNOW THERE ARE A LOT OF MISCONCEPTIONS ABOUT PEOPLE WITH ASPERGER'S AND AUTISM AND SO FORTH MAKING THEIR OWN MOVIES OR NARRATIVE FILMS OR WHATEVER BUT I WOULD SAY I'M LIVING PROOF THAT THAT'S A MYTH THAT'S BUSTED.

I HAVE DONE FILMS, I WILL KEEP DOING MOVIES, AND I FEEL THAT JUST BECAUSE I HAVE ASPERGER'S I'M NOT GOING TO LET THAT HOLD ME BACK.

Katie: Hey Adrian, good to be talking to ya.

Adrian: It's good to be talking to you too Katie.

- So it's been 3 years since we first shot your Arts In Focus.

A lot has happened in the last 3 years and a lot's happened in the last 6 months.

So tell us about the last 3 years.

- So in the last 3 years I've worked on a documentary called Greetings from Tromaville, which is about Lloyd Kaufman and his movie company, Troma Entertainment.

And I wrote and directed Clowns in the Woods which is my first directorial debut as a filmmaker because mostly I've done documentaries.

- How was that learning experience your first time directing?

- I was directing it along with my friend Kurt Markham we both were directing it and we would take turns.

Since a lot of the scenes were done outside it was a race against time because sometimes it looked like it was gonna rain you know I wanted to get shots done so it didn't rain.

So I wasn't too picky or fussy to get it done perfectly.

- So did you like directing?

- Oh, yeah I did like directing it.

I actually lost some weight directing this film, I went down to 271 pounds.

I would say if anything, filmmaking is a very hard experience and difficult, but in the long run it's good because you get to see the end result plus along the way when you're filming you do get to lose some weight.

(laughs) For me at least.

- Well that sounds like a good project a sign of a good project.

- Expect to see Clowns in the Woods next year it has a long way to go to being finished with editing and sound.

- Yeah, these things take time I know how it is (laughs).

- But we will have a premiere at the Cinema Theater in April which is across from Highland Park Diner.

And from there I'm gonna enter it into film festivals and hopefully it will get recognition.

A lot of people who worked on the film like cast and crew feel it's going to be a cult classic.

We shall see.

- Awesome!

Well I'm really excited for you and I'm excited for everyone to see Clowns in the Woods.

- Thank you!

- Yeah, thank you Adrian.

FOR THE LAST THREE YEARS BEFORE I WON THE TINY DESK CONTEST I WAS A TEACHER.

SO I STARTED TEACHING FIDDLE LESSONS.

I KIND OF MADE A COMMITMENT RIGHT WHEN I STARTED TEACHING THAT I WAS NEVER GONNA TELL ANYONE THAT THEY SHOULD NOT PLAY BECAUSE I DON'T THINK IT'S THE TEACHERS JOB TO DISCOURAGE OR PUT UP A BARRIER TO MUSIC.

I THINK IT'S THE TEACHERS JOB TO JUST BE SUPPORTIVE AND ALLOW PEOPLE TO EXPLORE.

IF YOU WANNA TRY TO DO MUSIC OR ANY KIND OF ART THAT YOU SHOULD DO IT EVEN IF ITS NOT SUPER OBVIOUS BECAUSE I THINK PEOPLE CAN BE REALLY CREATIVE AND FIGURE OUT A WAY THAT WORKS FOR THEM AND YOU DON'T HAVE TO PLAY OR EVEN SOUND LIKE EVERYBODY ELSE BECAUSE MUSIC IS ABOUT MAKING YOURSELF HAPPY AND ALSO CONNECTING TO OTHER PEOPLE THROUGH THIS AWESOME MEDIUM.

THE TINY DESK CONTEST IS REALLY WHAT SPARKED ME WITH AVENUE OF JUST TOURING AND PLAYING ALL THE TIME.

I HAD BEEN PLAYING A LOT IN MINNESOTA BEFORE I WON THE TINY DESK CONTEST AND YOU KNOW I HADNT REALLY GIVEN IT MUCH THOUGHT AT THAT TIME I GUESS ABOUT ASSESSIBILTY.

AND WHEN WE STARTED TRAVELLING I REALIZED THAT ONLY ABOUT 30 PERCENT OF THE PLACES WE PLAYED HAD RAMPS.

SO IF I WAS A LITTLE KID WITH A DISABILITY GOING TO SHOWS AND I SAW SOMEONE WITH A WHEELCHAIR HAVING TO BE LIFTED ON STAGE IT JUST DOESN'T SEND A SUPER POSITIVE MESSAGE THAT WE WANT YOU TO BE HERE AND WANT YOU TO PERFORM HERE.

SO I STARTED THINKING ABOUT WHAT THAT MEANT AND REALIZING IN ORDER TO HAVE REAL ACCESSABILITY IN THE ARTS WE REALLY HAVE TO MAKE SURE THAT THE SPACES FOR PERFORMERS ARE ALSO ACCESSIBLE WE HAVE A LOT OF WAYS TO GO BEFORE THAT IS ACTUALIZED BUT I AM HOPING TO TALK ABOUT IT ENOUGH WHERE WE CAN REALLY MAKE SOME CHANGES.

EVEN IF YOU HAVE A DISABILITY THAT DOESN'T MEAN THAT THERE IS ANYTHING WRONG WITH YOU AND YOU CAN STILL JUST BE YOURSELF AND EVENTUALLY YOU WILL FIND THE PEOPLE WHO WILL HELP SUPPORT YOU I REALLY DO THINK ITS BETTER TO NOT TRY TO SUPPRESS WHO WE ARE.

WE WILL ENJOY LIFE MORE IF YOU JUST ARE WHO YOU ARE AND ARE YOU'RE PROUD OF THAT.

Arts inFocus is made possible, in part, by a gift from doctors Dawn and Jacques Lipson to support performance, innovation and accessibility in the arts in the Rochester community.