Arts Access Newsletter Spring 2003

Community education programs in Minnesota that serve adults with developmental or other disabilities are invited to attend one of two Springtime with the Arts Festivals sponsored by VSA arts of Minnesota. The half-day events are opportunities to learn about arts programs being offered through community education in various school districts, to share talents in performance and displays of visual art, and to experience new activities in theatre, movement, music or visual art.

Hosting this year's Springtime with the Arts Festivals are:
Saturday, April 12 at Elk River Senior High School, District 728 Community Education.
Saturday, April 26 at Faribault Middle School, District 656 Community Education (Project Able).
Each day's activities begin with performances by participants at 10:00 a.m. (no charge to the public). The day continues with workshops, viewing of art displays and lunch, with a wrap-up between 2:00 and 2:30.

For more information, contact VSA arts of Minnesota.

In June VSA arts of Minnesota will host staff and board members from all the VSA arts affiliates in the U.S. and some foreign nations at the VSA arts Annual Meeting and Leadership Institute (AMLI).

The theme for this year's event is "Linking Communities Through the Arts", which is what VSA arts offices do in a wide variety of ways - linking communities of students, educators, adults, people with different disabilities and artistic disciplines. The June 18-21 conference at the Radisson Riverfront Hotel in St. Paul is an opportunity for affiliates to share program and policy ideas, attend workshops, meet new directors and discuss plans for the 2004 International Festival. A pre-conference educational institute will also be held at the Earle Brown Heritage Center in Brooklyn Center.

Banners created by students with disabilities will promote the conference. Minnesota performers with disabilities will be featured at an awards dinner. There will be optional outings to see work by Minnesota artists with disabilities and accessible performances that offer Audio Description or American Sign Language interpreting.
For more information, call VSA arts of Minnesota or check the national and state websites: VSA arts (www.vsarts.org) and this web site.

Linda Rebane, "Strive" Program social worker, makes art a priority in Intermediate School District 287.
Since 1999, Linda Rebane has collaborated with several artists in order to provide access to the arts for students in the "Strive" Program. This year she is collaborating with Melina Weir to introduce Osseo Senior High School students to a variety of media while emphasizing the recreational and therapeutic benefits of art making. The "Strive" Program serves students with developmental disabilities and emotional/behavioral disabilities.

Melina Weir, a visual artist and art therapist, has co-facilitated two previous artist residencies with "Strive" students. In the fall, Melina joined the classroom once a week for eight weeks. She introduced the students to a variety of media including drawing, painting, collage, sculpture and book making. In addition, the students created visual journals, mandelas, and individualized shields. Students explored the concept of a shield as a metaphor for self-protection. The shield project encouraged the recognition of the students' strengths and the development of confidence and self-identity.

In addition to classroom work, students participated in a docent-led tour at the Minneapolis Institute of Arts and learned how shields have been used cross-culturally throughout history. Students used visual thinking strategies in order to draw conclusions about and make comparisons between numerous pieces of ancient and contemporary art work featuring shields.
Linda Rebane describes her students' relationship to art as "magic." Because students in the "Strive" program do not have access to the arts outside of their self contained classroom, Linda Rebane continues to collaborate with artists and seek out new funding sources in order to continue student learning through the arts. Thanks to her dedication, "Strive" students will continue to have Melina join their classroom once a week for the rest of the school year.

Mini-grants of $500 are available from VSA arts of Minnesota to help schools hire outside artists to work with students involved in special education programming. The purpose is to allow students with disabilities to have greater access to and participate in the arts. The artists hosted can provide new experiences in visual arts, dance, music, theatre, writing.... Local sources must provide a $500+ cash match and use the grant money in such a way that a majority of the students have an Individualized Education Plan or 504 Plan.

Eleven grants are still available! For an application, contact Kristi Gaudette, education coordinator at VSA arts of Minnesota.
Funding for this program is made available by generous grants from the Ann Jack Memorial Fund, Minnesota Department of Children, Families and Learning, and VSA arts in Washington, D.C.

Sample Mini-grants:
Here are some of the projects undertaken this fall and winter! "Strive" Program, Osseo High School: "Strive" students met with visual artist Melina Weir to create journals and individualized shields.

WRAP (Washburn Resource Adaptive Program), Washburn High School, Minneapolis: This spring, Galumph artists will lead 20 students through writing story-boards, creating puppets, masks, sets, props, costumes and rehearsing and performing their stories. In addition, artists will implement a staff development component in order to train teachers and special ed assistants in arts integration.

May Ross, a teacher at Washburn High School, highlighted the artistic process and accomplishments of students who participated in a residency conducted by Galumph Interactive Theatre (see picture).

CAP (Creative Alternatives Program), Capitol View School, Little Canada: Puppeteer Dianne Gasch and storyteller Bob Gasch worked with students to build large puppets (see picture) and create stories. One student commented, "I didn't think I could make a big puppet, but it was fun to make and use in a play."

Transition to Independence, St. Paul Public Schools: An artist from the Northern Clay Center will teach students basic handbuilding and glazing techniques, providing an introduction to an art form not currently available to them.

Royalton Elementary School: Marrja Roth, a visual artist specializing in collage and painting, will engage students and school staff in a mask-making project.

Christa McAuliffe Elementary School, Hastings: Artist Barb Pinc will teach drawing, painting and sculptural techniques. Students will then collaborate on a book describing their art experience.

Minneapolis Southwest High School: James Williams, a theater artist, will work with students over the course of a month, culminating in performances for selected audiences at the school.

Odyssey, Dare to Imagine...

Life is a journey, an odyssey full of surprises, great joys, and wonderful challenges. The journey each of us takes is unique and shapes the individuals we are. Along the way, we explore a variety of paths and find ourselves inspired and guided by different people, places and things.

Tell us about your journey... take us on your odyssey.
What energizes you during your journey?
What guides you on your path?
What have you learned or dreamed along the way?

All students ages 11-18 are invited to participate in VSA arts' Call for Poetry 2003.

• Write a poem related to the theme, "Odyssey, Dare to Imagine..." and mail it with your entry form to VSA arts of Minnesota by April 4, 2003.
• Poems will be grouped into two categories by age: ages 11-14 & 15-18.
• VSA arts of Minnesota will select four poems and forward them to VSA arts in Washington, D.C., which will include them in an exhibition at the 2004 International VSA arts Festival and use them in VSA arts publicity.

For entry guidelines and entry forms, contact VSA arts of Minnesota.

2003 Playwright Discovery Awards:

PLOT: A talented playwright in grades 6-12 submits a script to the VSA arts Playwright Discovery Award Program.
THEME: The script explores an aspect of disability.
SETTING: Anytown, U.S.A
TIME: Postmarked by April 15, 2003
CLIMAX: Two scripts are selected by a panel of well-known theater professionals.
DEBUT: Two young playwrights receive scholarship funds and travel to Washington, D.C. to see their plays produced at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.

Teachers can be discovered, too!
A newly established Playwright Discovery Teacher Award aims to recognize teachers in middle and high schools who creatively bring disability awareness to their classrooms through the art of playwriting. The teacher selected from among the nominations will receive national recognition, funds to buy classroom playwriting resources, and a trip to be honored at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C.
To learn more about the VSA arts Playwright Discovery Award and Playwright Discovery Teacher Award or to receive application materials and a Resource Guide for Teachers through the mail, please contact:

Playwright Discovery Award
VSA arts
13000 Connecticut Avenue NW, Suite 700
Washington, D.C. 20036
(800) 933-8721; TTY (202) 737-0645
e-mail: playwright@vsarts.org or web site: VSA arts (www.vsarts.org).

Six Minnesota artists have been awarded $1,000 grants through the VSA arts of Minnesota Artist Recognition Program. The seventh annual competitive grant, funded by the Jerome Foundation of St. Paul, recognizes excellence by Minnesota artists with disabilities. Selected from 29 applicants were:

• Dennis Behr, Mpls Visual artist.
• Michael Deutsch, Mpls Jazz pianist.
• Laurie McKiernan, Mpls. Spoken word performer.
• Leslye Orr, Mpls Performance artist, playwright.
• Joy Purchase, Circle Pines Visual artist, sculpture.
• Don Taylor, Deer River Visual artist in wood sculpture.

The Recognition Grants were awarded following a jurying process conducted by individuals with extensive backgrounds in the written, visual and performing arts. Panel members included:

• Yuri Arajs, artist, consultant, Minneapolis.
• Rebecca Petersen, director, A Center for the Arts, Fergus Falls.
• Kathy Ray, performer/director/playwright, Barrett.
• Brian Szott, curator of art, Minnesota History Center, St. Paul.
• Jim Urie, director, Lakeville Area Arts Center.
• Theresa Wanta, artist (previous grant winner), St. Paul.
• Morgan Grayce Willow, poet/writer/teacher, Minneapolis.

Ten grants of $250 each are available to Minnesotans with disabilities who are emerging as artists. The intent of these Emerging Artist Grants, sponsored by VSA arts of Minnesota for the tenth straight year, is to help individuals age 13 or older to further develop their artistic abilities.

The grant program is not for "established" artists who have won a juried art show or earned money from being published or performing professionally. Previous winners are not eligible. Selection is made randomly from qualifying applicants who submit a one-page form, a brief narrative of artistic activity, a recommendation from someone familiar with your work, how funds will be spent. For instance, you could take a class or hire a mentor to help improve your artistic, technical, business or marketing skills, or you could buy materials to continue your art.

Grant applications must be postmarked or delivered no later than Friday, April 25, 2003. For an application, contact VSA arts of Minnesota. For an alternative format, specify audiotape, Braille, large print, email, or PC diskette.

The next deadline for Artist Recognition Grants (see related story) will be in the fall.

Each year, work by artists with disabilities from around the world is featured in a calendar published by VSA arts. The 2003 edition, entitled Learning through the Arts, includes work by John Beckwith, artist from Eden Prairie, Minnesota.

"After the Storm" (see picture), was originally an oil on canvas in muted blues, greens and ochres that John painted in 1991. He has had osteoarthritis since 1984, but has continued to excel in his artistic pursuits. He states, "The arts are essential to developing the whole person. The spiritual and practical resources necessary to live a personal life successfully, and interact with others meaningfully, are deepened through contact with the arts." He says a metamorphosis takes place in the course of choosing his colors and drawing on the canvas, as he generates a playful rhythm of light and shadow. His paintings are in private collections around the country.

If you are interested in buying a 2003 VSA arts calendar, call or email VSA arts of Minnesota.

Three Minnesota artists were honored in October for creatively drawing attention to National Disability Employment Awareness Month with their poster designs. Selected by the Minnesota Department of Human Services (DHS) from a statewide call for art, the winning posters focused on the slogan "Ready", "Willing" and "disAbled", based on the idea that people with disabilities are able to work in a variety of settings.

The posters have been used throughout the year at schools, state and local government offices and employment centers to promote employment of people with disabilities. Each artists received a $500 stipend for their original art.

"Astronauts Needed," by Serik Kulmeshkenov of Rochester, shows two men - one blind with a guidedog, the other in a wheelchair - tethered to a spaceship, floating in space (see picture).

Katherine Dominica Liebl of Lakeville highlighted the accomplishments of prominent people such as Helen Keller in her work, "See the Potential."

Kathleen Donahue, Minneapolis, shows sad and idle versus happy and productive people with disabilities in her piece, "Less Pity, More Jobs." (see picture).

This was the first joint effort by VSA arts of Minnesota and Pathways to Employment, a DHS initiative dedicated to building partnerships to help Minnesotans with disabilities successfully enter and maintain their efforts in the world of work. The project was initiated by new VSA arts board member, Mark Siegel.

Teaching artists' questions about Developmental Cognitive Disabilities (DCD) were addressed in a Feb. 17th workshop sponsored by VSA arts of Minnesota and Young Audiences of Minnesota. Artists gathered at the Minnesota Center for Book Arts to focus on creative strategies for teaching students with DCD. Jennifer Schneider, May Ross and Mary Johnson from Minneapolis Public Schools outlined the ABCs of DCDs and discussed the accomplishments and challenges encountered during a residency. Mary Powell and Sue Nyvold (Autism Society of MN) covered autism spectrum disorder and strategies to enhance residency experiences of teachers, artists and students.

Upcoming workshops for teaching artists:
To register for the following workshops (registration of $15 includes lunch), contact Kristi Gaudette at VSA arts of Minnesota.

Saturday, March 29: 10:00-2:00:
Disability Perspectives: taking a look at disability, the special education system, and the students served by it. At the Center for Independent Artists, 4137 Bloomington Av. S., Minneapolis.

Saturday, May 31: 10:00-2:00:
The Power of the Arts: working with students who have emotional disabilities. At Northern Clay Center, 2424 E. Franklin Av., Minneapolis.

Special thanks to the C4IA and Northern Clay for their continued support of VSA arts programs.

Living a life in the arts - as a volunteer!

Paul Puerzer of Edina is one of those people who has always been interested in the arts - but not in trying to make a living out of the arts. Yes, he did briefly major in Art at college; and he did work his way through college as a lapidary or gem-cutter (and would like to return to that as a hobby some day). But the paths he has followed have taken him into business, with his artistic satisfaction coming as a volunteer, a board member and a director of independent projects - at which he keeps amazingly busy.

Born in Milwaukee and raised in Cedarburg, Wisconsin, Paul moved to the Twin Cities in 1990. In 1993, while working on public awareness activities for the Deafness Education and Advocacy Foundation, he discovered that "Art seemed a natural bridge between hearing and deaf cultures." D.E.A.F. provided telecommunications and adult basic education services to the Deaf Community, and Paul started setting up art shows with works by deaf artists. One of these shows was co-sponsored by VSA arts of Minnesota. Two years ago he reconnected and agreed to serve on the Board.

As a CPA with a mix of public and private accounting experience and an MBA in Entrepreneurship from the University of St. Thomas, Paul works in the for-profit world. He is Chief Financial Officer for Space Center, Inc., a privately-held company which owns over 16 million square feet of industrial real estate, as well as interests in oil, gas and venture capital.

And those independent arts projects? Paul has coordinated exhibits of Deaf art at Minneapolis, St. Paul and Dakota County Libraries. He arranged for Deaf artist Chuck Baird to come to St. Paul last fall, present four school residencies and attend the "Aware" Fair, for which Paul mounted an exhibit of student art. He also made it possible for works by artists with disabilities to be exhibited in the Hennepin County Government Center's Waterfall Gallery.

In addition to volunteering for VSA arts of Minnesota, Paul serves on the board of the Jungle Theater and on an advisory board for the Teatro Del Pueblo.

Paul lives in Edina with his wife Suzanne and two daughters, Magen and Payton, who no doubt are also energized by his creativity, commitment and love for the arts!

Donors Cash & In-Kind to VSA arts of Minnesota: Jan. 19, 2002 - Jan. 31, 2003.

Memorials:
In memory of Pete Rose by Dolores & Merle Hart & Harry & Goldie Daum.
In memory of Kalmer Skaalen by Richard & Rachel Quenemoen.

Supporters:
Robyn Alexander, Robert K. Anderson, Howard Ansel, David Bach, Jack Becker, Mary Anne Bennett, Elizabeth R. Blood, Woody & Joy Bridges, Xi Chen, Elizabeth Childs, Shelly Copeland, Cora Culbert, Margaret Dawson, Tom & Lynda Dotzenrod, Fran Eberlein, Randy & Helen Edinger, Jeff & Karen Elkin, Fairmont Opera House, Thomas J. Fetsch, James & Irene Fischer, Marvin Fish, Debra Glassman, Marge Goldberg, Donna Gravesen, IBM International Foundation, Ice Box Gallery, Yvonne M. Klocek, Paula Krippner, Ann Lohn, Charles & Hertha Lutz, Kristen Mathisen, Teresa Matson, Jim Mikos, SW Minnesota Arts & Humanities Council, Scott F. Nelson, Leslye Orr, Mary Carol Peterson, Mr. & Mrs. Norman Peterson, Bela Petheo, Dr. Kay Robinson, Sally Ratke, Bridget Riversmith, Patricia Sandberg, Dale Schatzlein, Rachelle Schoessler Lynn & Kevin Lynn, Stephanie Schwartz & James Kelly, Susan Searle, Marti Starr, David Tilman, Pam Truesdell, Steven A. Turbenson, Pamela Veeder, Joyce Vincent, Brett P.Webb-Mitchell, Tom & Kathy Weber, Peg Wetli, Elizabeth S. Wright.

Sponsors:
Diane Baldwin, Gregory W. Bitz, Diane L. Blake, Jon Bremer, Bob & Kay Burland, Don Chapdelaine, Stephanie Cunningham, Barbara Davis, Dave E. Dunn, James Dusso, Carol Earle, Richard Erickson, Sherri & Wayne Fuller, Jimmie Hanson, Ray Haverstock, Julie & Anders Himmelstrup, Larry Jabell, Chris & Tom Janda, Lendre & King Kearns, Katie Knips Ladas, Phill Lindsay, Terry McEowen, Linda & Mark Mindel, Minnesota Alliance for Arts in Education, Myles Reif Performing Arts Center, Steven Oates, Laurie O'Connor, Lynn Otto, Bob Payton, Nancy & Larry Robbert, Rochester Art Center, Steven Schmidt, Kit & Dick Schmoker, Jon P. Skaalen, Virginia Smith, John M. Stanoch, Thorpe Company, Dorothy J. Timm Meili, Ann Wasserman, Patricia A. Young.

Advocates:
Anonymous, Jaime Becker, Jaehn Clare, Joe Dowling & Siobhan Cleary, Craig Dunn & Candy Hart, Fleming Care Inc., Kristi Gaudette, Pam & Jim Hall, Merle & Dolores Hart, Mary Holte, Jean Stephen Galleries, Rich Knowlton & Katie Piehl, Dodie Kostishack, Phil & Becky Kragnes, Bob & Jeannine Lavens, LeJeune Investments Inc., McNelly Foundation, William Muchow, Duane Oestreich, Paul Puerzer, Richard & Rachel Quenemoen, Linda Rebane, Lawrence M. Redmond, Kip Shane, Mark Siegel, Anna M. Thompson, Emily Anne Tuttle.

Benefactors:
ADA Minnesota, American Express Financial Services, Cornerstone Copy Center, Eide Bailly, General Mills Foundation, Guthrie Theater, Judd, Ostermann & Demro, Pillsbury, Rochester Civic Music, St. Paul Companies, Mary Schoessler & Mark Haefner, Lisa Skluzacek, Mary Vavra-Gibis & Chuck Gibis, Webtasia Design.

Major Benefactors:
ArtSpace Projects, Jerome Foundation, McKnight Foundation, Minnesota Department of Children, Families and Learning, Minnesota State Arts Board, United Arts, VSA arts.

By Craig Dunn, Executive Director, VSA arts of Minnesota.

There is no other way to begin this edition's "Note" than to open with this:
We need your financial help and we need it soon.

During the past 10 years, this publication has gone out to people interested in the work of VSA arts of Minnesota. Each issue gives readers an opportunity to make a monetary contribution. While annual fund donations have grown, responses to our newsletter "request" have dwindled to a handful each year. So I urge you, especially if you are not a current contributor to VSA arts of Minnesota, to make a monetary donation today. Here is why...

The current budget crisis in Minnesota has cut into our income and threatens to greatly affect a portion of our budget for coming years. Last year, we received $11,887 from the Minnesota State Arts Board (MSAB). This amount reflected a 4% cut to the arts appropriation in the last days of the 2002 session. This year, the threat is very real that MSAB Institutional Support grants to arts organizations may be a great deal less than in the past, and thus VSA arts could receive nowhere near the 2002 amount. Couple that with increased competition from other nonprofits for increasingly scarce corporation and foundation dollars, and you can see that our programs and services have fewer and fewer places to go for financial support within the state. Finally, add to that the fact that Congress and the Bush administration have yet to provide monies for the Department of Education line item funding VSA arts nationally, and you can see why my eye sockets get deeper as my hairline continues to recede!

Strangely, though, I am still smiling, confident that our work will be able to continue. I know that you know that the arts are part of the Common Good that makes Minnesota what it is. Likewise, I know that you know that ensuring equal opportunities in the arts for people with disabilities is also part of that Common Good.

Our work needs your financial help and there is no time like the present for you to make a contribution. Please use the donation form below. It won't add any hair to my head but it will allow VSA arts of Minnesota to keep making the arts available and accessible to people with disabilities.

Six individuals and one organization received the 2002 VSA arts of Minnesota Arts Access Awards for their accomplishments in making the arts more accessible to people with disabilities. The ceremony was held on October 16 in collaboration with the Minneapolis Advisory Committee on People with Disabilities, which also presented awards. Host for the event, the new Crown Theatres on Block E, unveiled new DVS Theatrical and captioning technology to make current run films more accessible for patrons with vision or hearing disabilities. St. Paul artist D. Constandine designed this years's Art access Awards, also called the "Jaehny", honoring VSA arts of Minnesota co-founder Jaehn Clare.

Pictured left to right are: Dennis Lamberson, theatre director at Central Lakes College, Brainerd; Eric Peterson, Minneapolis actor and disability rights advocate (with Shawn); Craig Dunn, VSA arts of Minnesota executive director whose award recognized his 10 years of service to VSA and arts access; Morgan Grayce Willow, Minneapolis poet and teacher especially serving the Deaf community; Maureen Marrin, program director of Apollo Resource Center, part of People, Inc. in St. Paul, which has developed a large Artability at Apollo project for artist with mental illness; Yuri Arajs, Minneapolis artist and coordinator of the Visible Fringe; and Lisa Goodman, Minneapolis city councilwoman who actively pursued accessible technology for the Crown Theatres. Congratulations to all!