Fred M. Beam, from Tampa, FL, has been a visual artist since he was a child. He won first place in Temple Terrace Art Competition in Tampa, FL when he was Senior at King High school. His earliest artistic work appeared in National Technical Institute of the Deaf (NTID) program pageant book (when he was a student there), several Black Deaf Advocate Pageants, Gallaudet Dance Company concert, just to name a few.

After a number of years of putting his artistic talent on hold, he decided to pursue his passion in visual arts again. His work has been displayed at many art exhibitions including Kentucky Deaf Festival, Gallaudet University, National Black Deaf Advocates, DC Pepco Edison Place Gallery, Columbia College, NTID Dyer Arts Gallery, California State University of Northridge, and more. He strongly promotes and supports the theme of BlackDeaf Arts, not Black Deaf Arts.

Fred went on and became an advocate and patron of Black Deaf Artists and purchased and displayed some of the talents of Black Deaf Artists, who are underrepresented in the World of Arts.

Director, Choreographer, Dancer in/of two international touring dance companies: The Wild Zappers, an all deaf male dance company, and National Deaf Dance Theater, a mainstreamed dance company, he was one of the pioneers in creating ASL music/dance videos and was in “Lonely Little Monster”, which won an award in Best Music Video in Disability Arts Award Ceremony in Hollywood, California. He was the first deaf choreographer in DC to work in any theater production in Washington, DC (Helen Hayes award nominated, Jesus Christ Superstar).

Performing Artist, Actor and Poet who has performed in many theater productions. Among many accomplishments in theater, he made history by performing in first the Black Deaf play, “I Didn’t Hear That Color,” written by Bob Daniel and was the first black deaf, to play the role Othello in the Shakespeare play. Beam was also the first deaf actor to play the black deaf lead character in an equity play “By the Sphere of Music” in Goodman Theater in Chicago. He also produced and directed numerous plays in his career.

Among his many accomplishments, he is proud that he was one of Essence magazine’s Real Men of the Year and also Deaf Person of the Month in Deaf Life magazine. He also received a key to the city of Birmingham, Alabama for his outstanding work in the field of performing arts.

Youtube.