ACE Director Tabitha Jacques elevates campus culture

Gallaudet is home to the world’s largest collection of Deaf art, carefully arranged across the campus.

Walk through College Hall, and you’ll find portraits of past presidents mixed with contemporary works by Deaf, DeafBlind, DeafDisabled, and hard of hearing (DDBDDHH) artists. Colorful student-designed murals brighten the commute of drivers in the parking garage. Students and staff moving through the Student Academic Center are empowered by visual art that represents the Deaf experience.

The interactive nature of Gallaudet’s spaces is no accident. Everything is intentionally curated by the Office of Arts, Culture, and Experience (ACE) and its director, Tabitha Jacques, ’06. Bump into her on campus, and you’ll be greeted by an infectious smile and boundless enthusiasm.

Now in her third year, Jacques has worked diligently to expand the university’s arts and culture offerings. This October, ACE will mark another milestone: bringing back the historic Deaf Way brand with the first-ever Deaf Way Film Festival.

Jacques’ impact is already being recognized beyond campus. In July, she received the Champion of Belonging Award from the Association of Academic Museums and Galleries (AAMG). The honor recognizes her work at Gallaudet, as well as her leadership as former director of the Joseph F. and Helen C. Dyer Arts Center at the National Technical Institute of the Deaf.

First Steps in D.C.

Jacques’ journey to becoming an award-winning champion of arts and culture wasn’t preordained. She entered Gallaudet as a freshman following in the footsteps of her mother, Dorothy Rodriguez, E-’78. At that time, Jacques didn’t like either art or history.

That changed after she took an art history elective and fell in love with the field. She went on to earn a bachelor’s in Art History, Criticism, and Conservation at Gallaudet before pursuing her master’s at Georgetown University.

At Georgetown, Jacques immersed herself in global arts and culture. While studying with Sotheby’s Institute of Art in New York City, she visited as many museums as she could. She was stunned to discover that some museums in New York offered tours in American Sign Language (ASL). Seeing the stories of world-famous works being told in her native language was a transformative experience.

After graduating from Georgetown with her master’s in Art History, Jacques worked at the Smithsonian National Postal Museum in Washington, D.C. As she introduced Deaf peers to the exhibits, she saw first-hand how empowering arts access could be for the DDBDDHH community. Inspired by her time in New York, she spearheaded D.C.’s first-ever ASL museum tour program at the Smithsonian American Art Museum.

Says Jacques, “My work began in 2003 when I took my first art history course. 20 years later, my commitment to displaying our community’s arts and culture to the world continues to deepen as I see how instrumental it is to discovering and understanding ourselves. At the same time, it also provides opportunities for people outside of our community to see us in a different way.”

Growth in Rochester

Over the years, Jacques held different jobs inside and outside the arts. She even spent a few years at Gallaudet as an admissions counselor and adjunct professor. Later, she moved to the Pacific Northwest, and was just starting to settle into a new job when an unexpected opportunity appeared. Rochester Institute of Technology offered her the role of Director of the Dyer Arts Center. 

The Dyer Arts Center is one of the world’s foremost museums centered on the Deaf and hard of hearing experience. It was a one-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Jacques and her husband, Jim McCarthy, decided to pack up and move once again to Rochester, New York.

For seven years, Jacques brought Dyer to new heights. She managed several celebrated exhibitions, covering topics such as De’VIA, nature, and the 20-year legacy of Dyer Arts Center. She also featured underrepresented communities, giving the spotlight to Black, Latinx, and queer DDBDDHH artists. In 2018, Rochester Business Journal named Jacques one of their Forty Under 40 honorees.

While Jacques was growing the footprint of Dyer, she was also growing into her own as a leader. She didn’t know it at the time, but managing the strategic and operational needs of the Center was preparing her for a homecoming in Washington, D.C.

“I deeply cherish my time at Dyer Arts Center,” says Jacques. “Many of the artworks in the collection have become like friends for life. I like to say that Dyer was my firstborn because I invested so much time and love. I am proud to see where it is today,” says Jacques.

Coming Home

Jacques returned to Gallaudet as the Director of Placemaking in 2022. The role was originally created to oversee a planned real estate development project. Over time, Jacques took on different responsibilities that extended across the entire campus. Eventually, Placemaking became the Office of Arts, Culture, and Experience.

“Gallaudet has always been home to me and has had such a huge role in the formation of my identity. I’m thrilled to be back to contribute to my alma mater,” says Jacques.

Today, ACE oversees the National Deaf Life Museum, Linda K. Jordan Gallery at Washburn Arts Center, and public art installations across campus. Jacques’ vision is to make Gallaudet a vibrant, welcoming space that centers the DDBDDHH experience and fosters pride in Deaf arts and culture.

ACE’s work goes beyond aesthetics. The conscious ways that Jacques uses art, wayfinding, and cultural programming are important sources of restoration and joy for the community. Her work often requires bridging departments, bringing staff members together to create a collective vision for Gallaudet’s cultural landscape.

In fact, many of the art pieces on campus belong to the Gallaudet Archives department, which is run by Jacques’ husband Jim McCarthy. “Jim is one of my favorite co-workers,” says Jacques. “He and I worked together while at the Dyer Arts Center and we are again working as a team. He is a brilliant storyteller and knows all the little bits and pieces of Gallaudet history.”

Every day, Jacques and McCarthy leave work together and go home with their two children. They don’t have to go far to pick up their daughter, who is currently a student at Kendall Demonstration Elementary School on the Gallaudet campus.

Looking Ahead

The 2025-2026 academic year promises to be an eventful one for ACE. Jacques recently welcomed Curator Noel King, ’12 to the team. In September, King will curate a new exhibition at the Linda K. Jordan Gallery titled “Beyond the Waves: Deaf Art”. The show explores the legacy of the De’VIA movement in Deaf arts and the artists paving a new way forward.

The National Deaf Life Museum will host the ground-breaking exhibition “We, Native Deaf People, Are Still Here!” until December 2026. It will eventually become an online exhibition that preserves works by indigenous Deaf artists.

In October, Deaf Way Film Festival will premiere with 23 short films and feature films from around the world. The festival includes filmmaker panels, social events, and networking events for industry professionals.

Beyond the Gallaudet campus, Jacques remains active in the wider arts community. She serves on multiple committees, including the Art Bank Program under the D.C. Commission for Arts and Humanities.

“I look forward to being able to share the richness and beauty of our university,” Jacques says. “As a place, as a culture, and as a part of history. I look forward to finding innovative ways to tell our stories. I hope that everyone who steps on campus understands immediately what a special and remarkable place Gallaudet University is.

“Most of all, I hope that in the face of concerns about the Deaf community’s survival, ACE shows the world that there is so much value in the Deaf community and its place in society.”

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Deaf Way Film Festival takes place October 16-19, 2025. Get your tickets today!