“Sam Gant (1954 - 2000), born deaf, was a gifted artist participating in the NIAD program in Richmond, CA, who conveyed in his art what he could not say in words. As a child, Gant enjoyed assembling model airplanes and cars. Becoming increasingly angry at not being able to communicate with the hearing world, he was kicked out of a number of special schools because because of his behavior. In 1986 he found haven at NIAD where he began to paint, spilling out a ‘lifetime of feeling, intelligence, emotion, and expression.’ His paintings are abstract, with rich and dark colors and repetition of shapes and symbols that had meaning for him. It is said that ‘his painting and sculpture evoke a sense of isolation and loneliness.’” - Self-Taught, Outsider and Folk Art by Betty-Carol Sellen