Conclusion

Collie supported Deaf artists and their production of artwork, including the De’VIA movement, because she saw her own life experience reflected there. Ever mindful of the uniqueness of her own experience as someone born into a Deaf family, though, she also believed strongly in the importance of full communication access for deaf and hard-of-hearing people everywhere. That belief, along with her great loves of nature, friendship, family, and her wife, Kat, can be seen in the collection she amassed over the years. Collie’s belief that art was a representation of the artist can be seen in her own needlepoint and cross-stitch works; even if she herself is not shown in the work, her love for the person who was intended to receive the work comes through very clearly, and shows very brightly the kind of person Collie was.