Susan Dupor was born deaf and has an older brother who was born hard of hearing. She grew up in Madison, WI, where she attended “hearing impaired” mainstream programs from kindergarten through 12th grade. In 1987, she enrolled in the National Technical Institute for the Deaf (NTID) as a cross-registered RIT student majoring in Illustration. She subsequently transferred to the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, where she earned her Bachelors in Fine Arts.
She then worked for a year in an animation studio before going on to earn a Masters in Science in Deaf Education and Art Education from the University of Rochester and NTID. She taught at NTID for three years before she moved back to Wisconsin, where she teaches art at the Wisconsin School for the Deaf. When not teaching, she paints and spends time with her husband, who is a woodworking furniture designer.
“As an artist who is Deaf, I am constantly exploring my identity as a Deaf woman. I have been painting within this theme for the past ten years and my perspective has changed throughout the years. There were moments when I vented my emotions, and others when I wanted to celebrate the uniqueness of Deaf culture and seek the ironies of being Deaf in a hearing world.”
“Growing up in the caption-less seventies, I spent many hours guessing the plots and dialogues on TV. With my attention diverted to drawing, I covered page after page, inventing my own story lines. I still enjoy storytelling through art. My paintings may leave viewers guessing the plot.”
