Arts Access Newsletter September 2009

The cuisine of India, as created by award-winning cookbook author Raghavan Iyer, will be featured at the annual Autumn Auction & Cabaret of VSA arts of Minnesota. The fund-raiser is Sunday, September 20, from 2:00 PM to 5:00 PM at the new ŌM Restaurant, 400 First Avenue N. in Minneapolis. It will include a talk by Iyer, Indian small plates prepared by the ŌM, music by renowned veena player Nirmala Rajasekar and an arts-focused silent auction.

A native of Bombay, Raghavan Iyer is a Certified Culinary Professional and an award-winning cookbook author, culinary educator, and consultant to numerous national and international clients. He is a frequent guest on national radio and TV programs. Iyer is co-founder of the Asian Culinary Arts Institutes, dedicated to the preservation, understanding, and enjoyment of the culinary arts of Asia.

Nirmala Rajasekar began her performing career and musical journey at age 13 with a solo veena concert in Bangalore, India, in the ancient style of Carnatic music. Since then she has become one of its best practitioners, taking the music of her veena to many parts of the world. She will be joined by two percussionists and student vocalists.

Shakun Maheshwari will offer the traditional art of Henna for interested attendees.
A silent auction will include original artwork as well as tickets to arts events, art classes and supplies, dinners and other gift items and services. Small plates of Indian cuisine from ŌM’s new menu will be served.

Co-sponsors are Mackall, Crounse & Moore, PLC; Park State Bank; Jean Stephen Galleries, Minneapolis.

Access Services: The event is wheelchair-accessible and fragrance-free. ASL interpreters: Betsy Boyd & Claire Alexander; Audio Describer: Rick Jacobson; CART services: Paradigm Reporting & Captioning.

Tickets: $40, $45 after September 11. 612-332-3888 or 800-801-3883, voice/tty.

For More Information:

• ŌM Restaurant (www.omminneapolis.com)
• Raghavan Iyer (www.raghavaniyer.com)
• Nirmala Rajasekar (www.nirmalarajasekar.com)
• Shakun Maheshwari (www.shakuntaladesign.com)
• Asian Culinary Arts Institutes (www.asianculinaryarts.com)

Minnesota artists with disabilities can apply to receive a Career Advancement Grant of $1,250 from VSA arts of Minnesota. Seven grants will be awarded to individuals in any art discipline - visual, performing, written, media, etc. This year’s grants focus on rewarding upcoming artist projects. The program’s goals are to:

• recognize excellence in arts produced by persons with disabilities;
• provide tangible encouragement and financial awards to artists with disabilities who wish to undertake creative projects to benefit their careers;
• identify Minnesota artists with disabilities whose art is a serious pursuit guided by a personal, artistic vision.

The program is open to any Minnesota resident with a disability. Grant applications will be automatically mailed or emailed to previous grant entrants and will be available on our Web site by September 10. Persons whose artwork was prepared for educational credit are not eligible, as are the 2008 grant recipients.

Applications must be postmarked or delivered by Friday, November 13, 2009.

For more information, call 612-332-3888 or 800-801-3883, voice/TTY, or email jon@vsaartsmn.org. Please specify if you need a format other than print or e-mail (PC diskette, audiotape, Braille or large print).

VSA arts of Minnesota thanks the Jerome Foundation for supporting emerging and growing artists with disabilities for 14 straight years!

Michael "The Hook" Deutsch lived the life of a blues musician - playing wherever and whenever he could - until he died of a fast-moving cancer on June 24. Michael loved to play the Blues.

His unique piano style, which involved putting a rubber stopper over the hook on his left arm so that he could play his bass notes, brought the Blues home to everyone who had the chance to hear him. As an Arts Ambassador for VSA arts of Minnesota, he shared his talents and thoughts about disability in classrooms - and he often performed at ADA celebrations, Children’s Museum gigs and a national VSA arts gathering.

To learn more about Michael, go to: Michael "The Hook" Deutsch (www.michaelthehookdeutsch.com).

Loretto Allee, 64, and Leonard G. Allee, 66, Tonka Bay artists.

Milton Evenson, 70, Saint Paul video artist and writer.

George Raymond, 88, Elk River photographer & donor.

Nicole Zapko, a Twin Cities performer who is Deaf, presented vignettes from her one-woman show, "A Look in the Mirror - The Memoir of a Deaf Performer," on July 24 at the 19th anniversary celebration of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) at the Minnesota Department of Health in Saint Paul. Zapko premiered her show last winter at Dreamland Arts, 677 Hamline Avenue N., Saint Paul.

She will be performing it again October 1-30, with voicing by Patty Gordon. For more information: 651-645-5506 or Dreamland Arts (www.dreamlandarts.com).

Audio Description - the art of turning what is seen into what is heard - enhances the experience of attending a show or art exhibit for people who are blind or have low vision. In early December in Duluth, Rochester, Twin Cities and NW MN, VSA arts of Minnesota will conduct trainings for new audio describers and distribute audio description equipment, thanks to funding awarded to the State Arts Board. If you are interested, contact VSA arts of Minnesota.

Other disability-related shows this fall include:

• Anodyne Artists: Treasured Alliances, September 17-26, Saint Paul, phone: 651-642-1684, Web site: Anodyne Arts (www.anodyneart.org).
• Interact Theatre: Northern Lights/Southern Cross: Tales from the Other Side of the World by Kevin Kling, with Australia’s Tutti Ensemble, October 24 - November 8, at the Guthrie’s Dowling Studio, Minneapolis.
• Leili Pritschet & Silk Road Dance Co.: Hidden Yearning, November 7-8, Brady Educational Center, University of Saint Thomas, Saint Paul.
• Deaf Blender Theatre: I Never Slept with Helen Keller, November 12-22, Saint Paul, Web site: Deaf Blender Theatre (www.deafblender.org).

The Access to Performing Arts calendar is at: Theater and Movie Listings, or call 612-332-3888.

The Artists With Disabilities Alliance (AWDA) held a statewide retreat June 12-14 at Macalester College in Saint Paul. Funded by the Metro Regional Arts Council and the National Arts and Disability Center, it aimed to facilitate networking, spur creation of art and enhance opportunities for careers in the arts. About 40 artists with disabilities attended from Duluth, Mankato, Bemidji, Hinckley, Underwood and the Twin Cities. Nearly everyone was able to share their art form during an Open Mike, and additional performers included Kip Shane, Jim  Hanson, Nancy Donoval, Rebecca Kragnes, Tony Wentersdorf, Carei Thomas, Leslye Orr, Dan Reiva and Sam Jasmine.

Workshop presenters included John Minczeski, Creative Writing; Tara Innmon, Dream Sculpture; Barbara Nordstrom-Loeb, Movement; Springboard for the Arts, Arts Career topics.

Continued networking is being planned by the AWDA group in the Twin Cities, the Arrowhead Alliance of Artists with Disabilities in Duluth, and We-R-Artists in Saint Cloud, as well as the smaller groups of artists in the Mankato, Mora, Fergus Falls and Bemidji areas.

Thanks to the Retreat Committee for "Connecting Through Creativity"!

VSA arts of Minnesota contracts artist with disabilities to exhibit their work throughout the state. If you are interested in hosting an exhibition or would like to apply to exhibit your work, please contact Jenea at our office or go to: Visual Art Exhibitions - and Exhibition Opportunity Application.

Recent work by Saint Paul artist Kathryn Stemwedel is now on view through October 31 at Park State Bank, Warehouse District, 430 1st Avenue N., Suite 104, Minneapolis. The exhibit is free and on view during normal hours 7:30 AM to 4:30 PM Monday through Friday.

The fiber art of Lisa Dietz, Golden Valley, is on display through December at Vision Loss Resources 1936 Lyndale Avenue S., Minneapolis. The exhibit is free during normal hours, 7:00 AM  to 5:30 PM, Monday through Thursday.

Thirty-six works of art by 25 Minnesota artists with disabilities are on display through September 30 at the Institute on Community Integration (ICI) on the University of Minnesota East Bank Campus. "Changing Landscapes" is a revolving display of artwork created by artists with disabilities.

This exhibit, coordinated by VSA arts of Minnesota, is open during normal hours, 8:00 AM to 4:30 PM, Monday through Friday, in Pattee Hall, 150 Pillsbury Drive SE.

For more information: Institute on Community Integration - Changing Landscapes: Supporting Artists with Disabilities (http://ici.umn.edu/news/art/default.html).

(See also: Arts & Disability Symposium).

Art created by 12-year-old Saint Cloud artist Roland Kosbab is now touring children’s museums across the country. Roland’s "Underground" work was selected for the national "All Kids Can…CREATE!" exhibit - first displayed at Union Station in Washington, D.C in June and now on a two-year cross-country tour. Eighteen Minnesota students with disabilities in K-12 submitted artwork, and Roland’s was chosen as our state’s participant. An online version of the exhibition can be found at: VSA arts All Kids Can Create (www.vsarts.org/PreBuilt/showcase/gallery/exhibits/CelebratingWhoIam).

To learn about Arts in Education opportunities - artist residencies, art exhibits, festivals, calls for art, professional development, classes, contact Jenea Rewertz-Targui, Arts in Education Coordinator, at VSA arts of Minnesota, 612-332-3888 or 800-801-3883 v/tty; jenea@vsaartsmn.org.  Or go to: What’s New or Forms/Guidelines. Our funding comes from the U.S. and Minnesota Departments of Education, the Travelers Foundation and the Minnesota State Arts Board.

Members of the VSA arts of Minnesota Teaching Artist Roster attended a Professional Development Day on August 6 at the Perpich Center for Arts Education in Golden Valley. These teaching artists create engaging lessons and environments that meet diverse learning needs of all students.

Schools can host teaching artists with help from VSA’s Artists-in-Residence Grant Program, which aims to enhance creative expression and personal development through arts experiences for students with disabilities and their peers.

Presenters included Amy Frimpong, senior program officer: arts in education, Minnesota State Arts Board; Craig Dunn, executive director, VSA arts of Minnesota; Erin Phelps-Stark, work experience life skills: WELS South Program, Northeast Metro 916 ISD; Nyssa Brown, music education coordinator, Perpich Center for Arts Education; and Perrin Boyd, professional teaching artist.

Thanks for all the great feedback - and to our hosts at the Perpich Center!

For guidelines on becoming, or hosting, a Teaching Artist, go to: What’s New.

Arts Ambassadors are professional artists with disabilities who can engage people of all ages/abilities. They can present and/or perform in classrooms and other venues about their art form, disability and work. View our Arts Ambassador brochure on our website or contact our office.

Thanks to all the staff and teaching artists who worked with VSA arts of Minnesota to develop residency projects in the 2008-09 school year!

• SPAN at Washburn High School, Anne Krocak, Mosaic
• Roosevelt High School, Lori Brink, Minnesota Center for Book Arts, Papermaking
• InVEST/VENTURE Program, Eileen Cohen, Clay Hand-Building
• Le Center Schools, Jane Peck, Theater/Movement
• WELS South Program, Felicitas Maria Sokec, Visual Arts/Theater/Movement
• NE Metro S. Campus, Danielle Daniel & Alphonse Bolden, Music/Storytelling
• Hosterman Education Center, Perrin Boyd, Clowning
• Denfeld High School, Liz Vandersteen, Printmaking
• Bay View Elementary, Liz Vandersteen, Printmaking
• Saint Peter High School, Sara Leadholm, Painting/ Mixed Media
• Lake Junior High School, Jenea Rewertz-Targui, Bookmaking
• Prior Lake – Savage High School, Adam Arnold, Stages Theatre Company, Theater

Augsburg College hosted 118 middle school students with developmental cognitive disabilities and their peers from 11 metro schools at the eighth annual Metro Arts Festival on April 17. Augsburg Music Therapy students engaged participants in hands-on sessions that explored visual arts, music and story-telling. Guest artist Francis Kofi (above) led a session - and performance with members of Hayor Bibimma Dance Theater - exploring traditional West Af-rican dance, movement and drumming (below). In addition to learning new forms of artistic expression, participants met new friends during a day of "moving and grooving." Thanks to all from VSA arts of Minnesota!

Imagine where you would be if you hadn’t had that one person, sometime during your teens, who helped you decide what you wanted to be when you grew up or helped you start down a path to where you are today. This fall, a new mentoring opportunity will help pair working artists with young people with disabilities interested in a career in the arts.

The Arts Mentoring Project (AMP) will aim to increase career opportunities in the arts for Minnesota students with disabilities. It is funded by Pathways to Employment, a division of the Minnesota Department on Employment and Economic Development (DEED). 

This month, AMP will seek arts-interested young people in Rochester, the Twin Cities, central and northeast Minnesota. VSA arts of Minnesota will use a list of people employed in the arts and create mentor/mentee pairs to work together over the next six months. They will explore more than the high visibility arts careers - rock musician, actor, gallery artist, dancer - and broaden the palette to include careers such as graphic design layout artist, music critic, arts administrator, advertising copywriter, lighting designer, art handler and more.

Mentoring Day in Duluth

Employers and transition-aged youth from around the state will come together at a Disability Mentoring Day at the Duluth Convention Center on October 13. Students will learn more about work opportunities and arts-related careers through the Arts Mentoring Project.

If you know someone who might be interested in participating in Arts Mentoring, either as a mentor or mentee, contact Craig or Jenea at VSA arts of Minnesota.

Who has worked hard and successfully to make arts programs and facilities in Minnesota more accessible to people with disabilities?  Each year VSA arts of Minnesota recognizes artists, educators, volunteers and arts organizations with Arts Access Awards for exemplary achievements in enabling people with disabilities to participate in the arts. Their examples encourage others to create greater access in their spheres of influence. The award, this year created by Nancy Ann Miller of Eveleth, is called the "Jaehny" in honor of Jaehn Clare, a co-founder of VSA arts of Minnesota.

The 12th annual Arts Access Awards will be presented Wednesday, September 30, 6:00 PM to 7:30 PM at Vision Loss Resources, 1936 Lyndale Avenue S., Minneapolis Refreshments will be provided, and attendees can enjoy fiber art by Lisa Dietz, Minneapolis

Nominations, due by September 15, may be made in any category; e.g.: Outstanding Arts Educator Working with Students with Disabilities, Most Active & Visible Minnesota Artist with a Disability, Most Active Producing/Performing Group Involving People with Disabilities, Most User-Friendly Performance or Exhibiting Space for People with Disabilities, or other categories.

To nominate: send contact info about nominee and nominator; any relationship of the nominee to the writer; and why the nominee deserves to be recognized. News clippings, photos or web info may be attached.

Send to VSA arts of Minnesota, 528 Hennepin Avenue S., #305, Minneapolis 55403; fax 612-305-0132; or jon@vsaartsmn.org. A form is online at: Forms & Guidelines, Arts Access Award Nomination Form 2009.

The University of Minnesota’s Weisman Art Museum will host a “Symposium on the Arts & Disability” on Friday, October 30. “Changing Landscapes” will focus on strengthening opportunities for children, youth and adults with disabilities to participate in the arts. Sponsored by a coalition of University and community organizations, the event will bring together artists with disabilities, arts instructors, advocates, disability service providers, University faculty/staff/students, and others from around the state to share ideas for supporting and increasing involvement of individuals with disabilities in the arts.

The program includes keynote speaker, Tom di Maria, whose Creative Growth Art Center (http://creativegrowth.org) in Oakland, CA, is a leader in fostering and exhibiting creativity by artists with disabilities. Panel discussions will focus on Art Education, Artists, and Community Arts Programming. Several exhibits on campus will feature work by Minnesota artists with disabilities.

The event is co-sponsored by the Institute on Community Integration (ICI), the Weisman and Disability Services at the University, and by VSA arts of Minnesota, Interact Center for the Visual and Performing Arts, Rise Inc., and Partnership Resources Inc. in the community. The ICI’s successful hosting of “Changing Landscapes” exhibits by people with disabilities over the past two years gave it the idea to try to reach a larger audience with the message of inclusion in the arts. Co-coordinators are Pat Salmi and Megan Dushin.

The event is free and open to the public, but pre-registration is required. For more info, go to: Institute on Community Integration, Changing Landscapes: Supporting Artists with Disabilities (http://ici.umn.edu/art) or call Pat at 612-625-9700.

More than 1,500 people stopped by VSA arts of Minnesota’s tent for a make-in-take art project on May 30-31 during the Flint Hills 2009 International Children’s Festival at Ordway Center for the Performing Arts in Saint Paul.

Our activity tent highlighted "Flights of Fancy," where individuals were able to create and decorate a miniature parachute from basic supplies.

Thank you to our volunteers Pam, Wendy, Eric, Nicole and Filipa for helping young artists when they needed an extra pair of hands!

Craig Dunn, Executive Director, VSA arts of Minnesota.

I am often asked by friends and family members why, after learning that I have headed up VSA arts of Minnesota for 17 years, I continue in the position when it is seemingly such a struggle to keep a small nonprofit afloat. The primary reason is that I find the work that we do important, exciting, innovative and occasionally, for the people that we serve, life-changing. Who wouldn’t want to stay with an organization like that!

Here is what we have to look forward to in the coming year. First, 2010 marks the 20th anniversary of the signing of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), and we will be one of the many state organizations working to put on an event in late July to recognize this landmark legislation. Second, in June of next year, VSA arts will host an international arts festival at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., which will showcase hundreds of performers, artists, writers and speakers, with and without disabilities, from around the world. Third, as mentioned elsewhere in this newsletter, we will embark on a new phase of arts career development work for young people with disabilities through a mentoring project sponsored by a division of Minnesota state government. Although not mentioned in the article, this initiative will also include a Call-for-Art later this year leading to the production of new posters promoting the employment of young people with disabilities and an Art Camp for this same group during the summer of 2010.

But to get to next year, we first have to finish off this year (our fiscal year ends September 30). If you like what we have been doing and what is ahead, I ask that you use our website or the form in the newsletter to make a financial contribution to support our programming efforts. I also ask you to join us on September 20 at OM Restaurant for our fifth annual Arts Auction and Cabaret to help us raise money not only for our efforts but also to support efforts of VSA arts of India.

One more thing that you may be wondering about: Although Minnesota voters passed the Clean Water, Land and Legacy Amendment last November and then the legislature approved language bringing approximately 9% of the new sales tax monies for distribution to arts entities via the Minnesota State Arts Board, none of those funds will be available to state arts organizations until sometime in early 2010. Meanwhile, we’ll keep getting after it and doing what we are here to do - making the arts available and accessible to Minnesotans with disabilities!

If your employer offers a payroll deduction plan to enable you to donate to your favorite nonprofit organizations through a federated fund such as United Way or United Arts, please consider VSA arts of Minnesota in your annual giving. You can pledge a portion or all of your donation, pass your name on to our organization or do it anonymously. In either case, your workplace donation will help make the arts more accessible to Minnesota children and adults with disabilities.

You can also volunteer, provide services or items on our Wish List, enable artists on low incomes to attend arts events and designate gifts to special funds or our general fund. Thanks for your support!

Thanks to all readers who chose to "Go Green" and get their Arts Access newsletter by email. If you haven’t gone “Green” yet but would like to, you can receive a PDF file, Microsoft Word attachment, text-only or whatever format works for you - saving trees, printing and postage costs! Simply call, email or mail your preferences - or go to: Help us 'Go Green'.