www.deafchildren.org
That Deaf Cartoonist: Matt Daigle It was at a Smithsonian Museum exhibit that Matt Daigle, aged 12, saw an exhibit by Gary Larson, The Far Side cartoonist. It was then and there that Matt decided to become a cartoonist. At this point, Matt had already shown talent in art and had become the school’s resident artist creating numerous banners and clip art for the school paper. At T. Roosevelt High School in San Antonio, Matt was recognized as one of the top three cartoonists among high school publications in Texas. Matt earned a bachelor’s degree in advertising design from Northern State University after having attended the Rochester Institute for Technology. There, he received the Outstanding Non-Traditional Student Award and was recognized as the university newspaper’s most valued employee. Matt’s passion for art led him to jobs as an adjunct art instructor at Gallaudet University and as a media manager with a nonprofit organization. In 2003, Matt’s “In Deaf Culture...” cartoons were published for the first time in SIGNews and have been a mainstay ever since. In 2006, Matt’s breastfeeding artwork was selected from over 500 entries to be used as an international breastfeeding symbol used worldwide; his symbol can be seen anywhere from the Minneapolis/St. Paul International Airport to restaurants in New Zealand and Japan. In 2008, Matt began a series of cartoons specifically for sign language
interpreters, which launched his greeting card business. Today, Matt continues creating cartoons and has two full-color books available for pre-order: Adventures in Deaf Culture and Extreme Interpreting, both available at www. mdaigletoons.com/order.html. A new webcomic is under development, That Deaf Guy. This comic strip is loosely based on Matt’s life as a father, husband, and artist who experiences the funny and outrageous world around him. Editor’s Note: With T.S. Writing Services, Matt created The Endeavor’s new design. Visit Matt’s websites at www. thatdeafguy.com and www.mdaigletoons. com.
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