What's New

Join VSA arts of Minnesota in recognizing artists, educators, volunteers, arts venues and producing or performing organizations who enable more people with disabilities to participate in the arts. Nominations for the Arts Access Awards are being taken until August 22, 2008. Send up to two pages with information about nominee and nominator and why the award is deserved. News clippings or photos may be attached. A form is available from Forms/Guidelines. Awards will be presented in September 2008.

Program Purpose: To provide a unique, engaging opportunity for students and staff to learn about the abilities of people with disabilities in the arts.

Program Description: VSA arts of Minnesota Arts Ambassador Program is designed to bring professional artists with disabilities into classrooms to engage people of all ages and abilities in a presentation discussing the Ambassador’s art form, disability and work as a professional artist. Each presentation is generally 60 minutes and includes demonstrations and hands-on learning. VSA arts of Minnesota’s Arts in Education Coordinator will work with a designated teacher/administrator to determine what (if any) presentation accommodations will need to be made based on age, disability and/or classroom setting.

Through this program, students and staff are able to gain experience, knowledge and understanding about:

• various art forms including visual arts, music, dance & movement
• disability culture
• the importance of and need for inclusion of people with disabilities in the arts
• the similarities that connect the human spirit of us all

VSA arts of Minnesota Arts Ambassadors are located throughout Minnesota and have presented within elementary classrooms, middle and high school settings, transition programs, as well as at the Minnesota Children’s Museum.

Eligibility: Any interested party in Minnesota is eligible to request a visit from an Arts Ambassador of their choice.

Costs: Participating groups will be charged a small fee to offset a portion of the program expense. The total charge for this program is $100 for metro area locations, $150 for greater Minnesota.

What to Submit: Interested parties are asked to complete an Application Form within the Arts Ambassador Brochure under Forms/Guidelines and send requested information via email (amie@vsaartsmn.org) or mail to VSA arts of Minnesota. We will then work to contact your requested Ambassador and coordinate the presentation.

Program Purpose: To enhance creative expression and personal development through arts experiences for students with disabilities and their peers.

Program Description: VSA arts of Minnesota’s Artist in Residence Grant Program provides administrative and funding support to schools and educational settings throughout the state of Minnesota who are interested in having a teaching artist work with students and staff. Residency programs are designed by coordinating teachers and teaching artists with support from VSA arts of Minnesota’s Arts in Education Coordinator. These programs vary in length and time, dependent upon the needs of the school.

Teaching artists who work with VSA arts of Minnesota are professional artists with expertise in one or more arts disciplines and have skills in working with children, youth, and teachers in school settings. In addition, these artists are familiar with various disabilities and effective methods for adapting techniques and differentiating instruction to reach all learners.

Eligibility: Any public or private school in Minnesota with students with an IEP or 504 plan can submit an Artist in Residence Request Form. The request may be initiated by a teacher or administrator. This person serves as the primary contact for VSA arts of Minnesota and the identified teaching artist. A minimum of 15 students with disabilities are required to participate per residency program and receive a minimum of 5 direct contact hours with the teaching artist.

Deadline: Applications are processed on a first-come, first-served basis. As a statewide organization, we work to distribute residencies throughout the state.

Residency Costs: Schools developing an Artist in Residence program can request funding from VSA arts of Minnesota in the range of $500-$1250. Schools are asked to provide support funds of $250 to help support their residency.

What to Submit: Interested parties are asked to complete the Artist in Residence Request Form under Forms/Guidelines and send this completed form to VSA arts of Minnesota.

Artists with Disabilities Alliance Meeting

Time: Wednesday, June 18, 2008, 6:00 PM - 8:00 PM – Tara Innmon, facilitator, phone: 612-376-7779.

Location: Walker Church, 3104 16th Avenue S., Minneapolis (on 31st Avenue South, one block south of Lake Street, between Cedar and Bloomington Avenues; use the door on the east side or elevator near the front on the northwest side of the building).

Description:

• Artists with disabilities are invited to these informal networking meetings. Writers, visual artists, performers, all are welcome.
• We typically start by having each participant share briefly what is going well in your art life, what is difficult, and what support you would like from the group.
• Tonight we will continue discussion of how to use about $900 in AWDA funds for group or individual artist needs. A committee will report on planning for a retreat to build group cohesiveness, do art and discuss potential activities at greater length – and about the possibility of applying for a Metro Regional Council grant. We could use a volunteer grant writer if we choose to apply. Individual artists can ask for expenses of up to $30 to cover fees for classes or other projects. Other possibilities include promoting a September 20 evening of performances by artists with disabilities or publicity for a visual art exhibit/sale – both at Walker Church; assisting with accessible website design costs; paying for guest speakers, interpreters, etc. Other ideas are welcome. VSA arts of Minnesota is also proposing that whatever money we and six other groups of artists with disabilities haven’t committed by September be put toward an event that could serve all – like a mini-retreat or day of workshops, presentations, etc. - helping cover transportation and other costs.
• Vote on whether to spend AWDA money ($307 in our account) to help promote Open Flow meetings one Sunday afternoon a month. We provided $80 to cover the first three meetings for light refreshments and $2 per person to help cover parking, bus, light rail or Metro Mobility costs. To vote on this, we need a quorum. (FYI: An artist who left the state also donated to VSA a number of Metro Mobility passes for use in VSA’s silent auction or possibly for artists attending our meetings.)
• Visual artists who wish to participate in a September AWDA art exhibit in the Walker Church gallery, or performers who wish to audition for a performance evening on the Walker stage on Saturday, September 20, 7:00 PM, should come to the meeting or contact James Livingston, phone: 612-721-9284 or email: james.livingston_less_mined-arts@hotmail.com.
• Set the August meeting date & location. Possible summer picnic event or outing?
• Bring a sample of your art to share – visual art, writing, music, etc.!
• The last half-hour of the meeting will offer two 15-minute plays by artists with disabilities and to offer feedback.
• AWDA info: 612-332-3888, email: jon@vsaartsmn.org; or Web site: Artists with Disabilities Alliance (AWDA) (www.Angelfire.com/mn3/awda).
• Fragrance-free, please, so all can participate.

Next AWDA Meeting Time:

Tuesday, July 15, 2008, 6:00 PM - 8:00 PM at Anodyne Artists Company, 825 Carleton Street, Saint Paul. Anodyne is a day center for visual and performing artists with disabilities. They have a gallery and performance/rehearsal area. They are located one block north of University Avenue on Carleton, east of 280 and Raymond, and west of Cretin/Vandalia. Monique Bourgerie will be facilitator, 651-747-6637. Member Dan Reiva’s Fringe Fest play, "The Virginity of Astronauts," is being rehearsed here by The Electric Telescope Theatre Co.

You’re Invited to AWDA Open Flow

Time: Sunday, August 10; 3:00 PM – 5:00 PM. Please gather at 2:30 PM.

Location: Hennepin Center for the Arts, 528 Hennepin Avenue Minneapolis, Room #301 (one block west of the end of the light rail line)..

Description: This is an opportunity to share your art, creativity and thoughts. Come and appreciate what others share. Silent or heard, you are welcome. We usually serve refreshments and offer $2 per person or Metro Mobility passes to help cover parking, bus, light rail or Metro Mobility costs. Drop in!

For further information: call Bonnie at 651-644-2249.

Therapeutic Art Instruction

Therapeutic Art Instruction for children and adults with disabilities is available in individual and group sessions offered in the convenience of your home. Sessions focus on art instruction and using the process of making art to promote daily living skills. Use art to develop fine motor skills, improve problem-solving skills and increase attention span. For more information, contact Danelle Griner at 651-698-2859 or Dmgriner3@aol.com.

Courage Cards, part of nonprofit Minneapolis-based Courage Center, is conducting a nationwide art search to find artwork for its 2009 original fine art holiday greeting card collection. Celebrating its 50th anniversary as a holiday card company, Courage Cards seeks artwork that is suitable for holiday greeting cards – such as Thanksgiving, holiday traditions, winter city scenes and landscapes, wildlife, Christmas traditions, and multicultural and international peace.  Art that depicts major city scenes in Minneapolis, New York, Chicago, other cities and "Main Street USA" images are also needed. A total of about 40 images will be selected on the basis of theme, artistry, imagination and marketability.  

Artists receive a licensing fee for each piece of artwork selected and national exposure from the distribution of more than one million catalogs and promotional pieces. A photo and profile of the artist is on the back of every card.

The Courage Card Art Search guidelines may be downloaded from Courage Cards & Gifts (www.couragecards.org). Entries will be accepted through October 31. Winners will be announced in April 2009. For more information, e-mail artsearch@courage.org or call 763-520-0211. All proceeds from card sales benefit Courage Center, a nonprofit rehabilitation and resource center that advances the lives of children and adults experiencing barriers to health and independence.

Click on the MCA Web Sticker to let your state or federal government representatives know that the arts need funding support. VSA arts of Minnesota receives state funding via the Minnesota State Arts Board Operational Support program and federal funding through VSA arts in Washington, D.C. via a grant from the U.S. Department of Education's Arts in Education line item.

Sample letter to share information about VSA arts of Minnesota with Federal legislators (Word document)
Sample letter to share information about VSA arts of Minnesota with Federal legislators (Rich Text Format - RTF)

VSA arts of Minnesota exhibits work from artists with disabilities around the metro area! Artworks displayed are for sale. All profits go to the working artist.

Janice Essick, Mathew Zimdars, Mike Shanley

All these artists work at Interact Center for the Visual and Performing Arts in Minneapolis.

Showing July 1 - October 31, 2008.
Park State Bank,
430 First Avenue N., Suite 104, Minneapolis, MN.

Tara Arlene Innmon

Showing May 1, 2008 - August 31, 2008.
Vision Loss Resources,
1936 Lyndale Avenue S. (at Franklin Avenue), Minneapolis.

Exhibition Opportunities Info & Registration (PDF document)
Exhibition Opportunities Info & Registration (Word document)
Exhibition Opportunities Info & Registration (RTF document)

The VSA arts International Young Soloists Award annually recognizes outstanding young musicians (25 or younger) with disabilities and supports and encourages them in their pursuit of a career.  All types of music are accepted – country, classical, jazz, rap, rock, bluegrass, world, etc.  A committee of distinguished music professionals selects the award recipients who receive $5,000 and the opportunity to perform in a concert at The John. F. Kennedy Center for Performing Arts in Washington, D.C.

This fall, VSA arts of Minnesota is inviting individuals interested in applying for the Young Soloists Award to perform a “test run” in front of a review panel of students and professors at the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities campus.  Performing artists will receive comments in regards to their performance, identifying strengths as well as areas of improvement.  Following this panel later in the fall, VSA arts of Minnesota will be accepting and reviewing applications for the state’s Young Soloists Competition. The top 2-3 individuals from our state will then be forwarded onto Washington D.C. to be reviewed as part of the national Young Soloists Competition.

To receive information about the panel review, please contact VSA arts of Minnesota directly at (612) 332-3888 or craig@vsaartsmn.org.