John O’Neill – Photographer/Designer
My photographs are design experiments that provide opportunities to explore visual form, line, texture, and color. Rather than install meaning into my photography, I’m most concerned with capturing beauty and focus on doing so through elements that are in transition or decay. Since I started to use a camera to conduct design experiments over 20 years ago, I’ve asked myself, “Why does an image require conceptual meaning to have value?” My photography is meant to be a pleasing distraction from a chaotic and loud world where everything is trying to gain attention.
Further, I’m a disability advocate and designer who brings awareness to ableism and disability rights. I serve as an Assistant Professor of Graphic Design at the University of Minnesota Duluth, where I teach graphic design, user experience (UX) design, and accessibility.
My design work has been exhibited and awarded by:
- HOW International Design Awards
- Creative Quarterly
- Graphis
- Center for Plain Language
- Association of Marketing and Communication Professionals
- Graphic Design USA
I’ve presented nationally and internationally regarding graphic design, user experience, and accessibility. I’m also a published author who speaks about web accessibility.
I have a BFA in Graphic Design from Virginia Commonwealth University, School of the Arts and an MFA in graphic design from Rochester Institute of Technology, School of Design. I have previously taught graphic design at Virginia Commonwealth University, Virginia State University, and Chowan University.
Deanna Geneva Lorianni – Poet/Writer
I believe that language holds infinite power in our lives. To be responsible, caring, and engaging with that power is one of the most incredible strengths we can embrace.
As a writer, I’m fascinated by the sounds of each syllable and how rhythm and meter affect how we connect to meaning. How each line break within a poem has its own life. You can read the lines individually or collectively and experience powerful feelings and stories sound by sound, word by word, break by break.
I’m also a clear communication strategist and trainer focusing on plain language, and co-own the communication strategy firm Zuula. From my creative to my professional work, my aim is to use language to engage and empower — and connect over our shared expression.
I have a BA in English Literature with concentrations in Creative Writing and Linguistics from Virginia Commonwealth University. I’ve spoken nationally and internationally on clear communication, plain language, and communication accessibility. My work has been awarded by the Center for Plain Language, the Public Relations Society of America, and the Virginia Film Office. I also write short fiction, creative memoirs, and screenplays.
I’m an animal and plant lover, and a believer in equality and respect for our Mother Earth and all who call her home.
