Arts Access Newsletter June 2005

In honor of the 15th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act, a coalition of 13 local disability organizations will hold a free celebration on Tuesday, July 26 from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. at the Earle Brown Heritage Center, 6155 Earle Brown Drive in Brooklyn Center.

The event, "ADA 15 Years Strong: Then, Now and Beyond," will feature entertainment, exhibitors from local organizations, educational group sessions, food and presentations, including a keynote address at 2:15 by NBC correspondent John Hockenberry.

Hockenberry is a Peabody and Emmy-award winning journalist and correspondent for Dateline NBC. As a result of a car accident in 1976, Hockenberry severed his spinal cord and became paralyzed below his chest. His book, Moving Violations: War Zones, Wheelchairs and Declarations of Independence, is a memoir on his career, on living with a disability and how disability is perceived in society.

In the opening presentation at 9:30 a.m., Barry Taylor, legal advocacy director at Equip for Equality, Inc., the Illinois Protection and Advocacy system, will discuss how far the ADA has come in 15 years and his visions for the future.

Morning workshops from 11:00 to noon will cover aging and disability, mental health issues in the workplace and Medicare Part D (prescription drug program). Afternoon workshops from 1:00 to 2:00 are on reasonable accommodations at work, accessible web design, and emergency preparedness for people with disabilities.

VSA arts of Minnesota will coordinate performances by Kevin Kling, Rebecca Kragnes and Ted Brown, and present the 2005 Arts Access Awards over the lunch hour.

The celebration is free, open to the public and fragrance-free. Registration is requested by July 15. Send your name, address, phone, e-mail, accommodations needed, and workshop requests to: ADA MN, c/o MCIL, 1600 University Avenue W. #16, Saint Paul, MN 55104; Fax 651-603-2006; or email betty@mcil-mn.org . For more information, call 651-603-2015, TTY 2001. If you are interested in exhibiting, call Jo Erbes at 651-646-7588 as soon as possible.

The event has been made possible by a generous donation by Cargill and by the activities of these coalition members: ADA Minnesota, VSA arts of Minnesota, Arc Hennepin-Carver, Institute on Community Integration, Access Press, Dept. of Human Services, MCIL, MN State Council on Disability, National MS Society, Minnesota Chapter, SMILES Center, State of Minnesota and UCP Minnesota.

The ADA gives civil rights protections to people with disabilities. It guarantees equal opportunity in employment, telecommunications, state and local government services, public accommodations and transportation for individuals with disabilities.

For the past two years, VSA arts of Minnesota has collaborated with Young Audiences of Minnesota to bring teaching artists to the Minnesota State Academy of the Blind (MSAB) in Faribault. Readers of Arts Access may recall the work of photographer Barry Kleider last spring which was expanded this year with Barry's return and the addition of "Media Mike" Hazard.

Given this recent collaboration, the two organizations decided to join forces to present a concert that will benefit future joint programming for MSAB students. The concert will feature Tony DeBlois, a pianist, guitarist and vocalist from Massachusetts. DeBlois is a 1996 graduate of the prestigious Berklee College of Music in Boston, a 1992 VSA arts Young Soloist winner, and recipient of numerous other music, community and media awards. Despite his blindness, autism and Savant Syndrome, DeBlois performs extensively for audiences of all ages. In October, he will release a music CD as well as a new book, and this summer will be featured on 60 Minutes.

Also performing will be Lucy Sirianni, a 15-year-old vocalist who is blind from Saint Paul.

The benefit concert will be on Saturday, September 17 from 7:00 to 9:00 p.m. at the new Hopkins High School Auditorium, 2400 Lindberg Drive in Minnetonka. Directions and ticket information will be on the VSA arts of Minnesota website by mid-summer.

DeBlois will also perform in southern Minnesota: Sept. 12 in Albert Lea, Sept. 13 Fairmont, Sept. 14 Owatonna, Sept. 15 Waseca and Sept. 16 in Faribault & Ellendale. For more information, contact VSA arts of Minnesota or go to www.tonydeblois.com.

Pauline Mitchell of Minneapolis has been commissioned by VSA arts of Minnesota to create the Jaehny Award for the 8th Annual Arts Access Awards. Mitchell, a sculptor who recently moved to the Twin Cities, received an Honorable Mention Award at this year's Sister Kenny Exhibit. Previous Jaehny Award designers were Tara Arlene Innmon, Helene Oppenheimer, Brently Michael Davis, Deb Costandine and Joseph Pendergast.

Minneapolis graphic artist William Homan designed the winning logo for this summer's celebration of the 15th anniversary of the ADA. Homan was awarded $250. Ten other entries were received from individuals with disabilities in North Mankato, Roseville, Saint Paul and Minneapolis.

Sister Kenny Rehabilitation Institute's International Art Show by Artists with Disabilities is a 42-year tradition. Among the artists who received awards this spring were Serik Kulmeshkenov (a Best of Show), Diane Mahoney and Nate Woodward (VSA arts of Minnesota Encouragement Awards) and Tara Arlene Innmon (Encouragement Award). For more details, go to Sister Kenny Rehabilitation Institute (www.allina.com/ahs/ski.nsf) or call 612-863-4466.

VSA arts of Minnesota was the grateful recipient of a donation of used art supplies (mainly canvases and brushes). We are going to distribute materials to Minnesota artists with disabilities by having a drawing for four packages, valued at $75 each. We will pay for shipping and/or delivering art supplies.

Entry Deadline is July 5. Winners will be notified July 8. To enter, send your name, address, phone and email address to VSA arts of Minnesota (info at left). Questions: contact Kristi Gaudette, 612-332-3888, voice/tty.

Do you know an organization or person whose hard work, dedication, creativity and advocacy has helped make arts programs and facilities more accessible to people with disabilities? If so, consider making a nomination for the 2005 Arts Access Awards, which VSA arts of Minnesota will present on July 26 at the ADA Celebration.

Nomination categories include:

• Outstanding Arts Educator of Students with Disabilities;
• Most Active & Visible Minnesota Artist with a Disability (performer, visual artist, writer,...);
• Most Active Producing/Performing Group Involving People with Disabilities;
• Most User-Friendly Performance or Exhibiting Space for People with Disabilities.

Award winners will receive an original artwork created by Pauline Mitchell, and public recognition.

Last year's awards, created by Joseph Pendergast of Saint Paul, went to Cora Culbert, Hibbing, Range Center & SoHo Artists; Allyson Hogan, Worthington, Playwright Discovery award winner; and four from Minneapolis: Interact Center for the Visual & Performing Arts; Kevin Kling, performer/author; Rachel Parker, PACER Center disability rights advocate, trainer of arts staffs; Pat Young, 26th Street Artists (Spectrum Community Health), visual arts program administrator.

Nominations may be submitted in writing (up to 2 pages) by mail, fax or e-mail, or on audio tape (up to 5 minutes) by July 8. Include:

• Nominee: name, address, phone;
• Nominator: name, address, phone;
• Relationship (if any) of the nominee to the nominator;
• Reasons why the nominee deserves to be recognized.
• Attach any relevant photos, news clippings or website information.

Send to:

VSA arts of Minnesota, 528 Hennepin Avenue S., # 305, Minneapolis, MN 55403, Fax 612-305-0132, Email: info@vsaartsmn.org.

Artists featured in the winter exhibit at Vision Loss Resources (1936 Lyndale Avenue, Minneapolis) were Robert Williams of Bloomington and students from the Minnesota State Academy for the Deaf in Faribault.

Artists now featured at Vision Loss Resources until July 1 are Eddie Twait, an artist with Anodyne Artists' Company in Saint Paul, and Andy S. and Nymeh T., artists from Partnership Resources Inc. based in Saint Louis Park.

In partnership with 26th Street Artists, Artability at Apollo, and the Minneapolis Technical and Community College, VSA arts of Minnesota organized an exhibit at the Mental Health Expo on May 14. Featured artists included: Bridget Riversmith (Duluth), Danny Gayder (Floodwood), Dennis Behr (Saint Louis Park), Dustin Bilderback (Bethel), Faye Buffington-Howell (Minneapolis), Jane Gerus (St. Paul), Kathy Christopher (Edina), Pamela Bottoms (Minnetonka), Sunny (D.L.) Steinmetz (Stillwater).

Student artwork from two projects will be on display in the North Corridor of the Minnesota State Capitol June 17 to 23. Students from Minnesota State Academy for the Blind will exhibit art they created with photographer Barry Kleider. Also, artwork submitted for the Faces of the Future exhibit will be on display.

Charming! Here is a sampling of artwork submitted by students from The Whole Learning School as part of the Faces of the Future call for student artwork. For the exhibit schedule, call Kristi at VSA.

About the below artwork

"Fun Boy" - I am one of a kind because I like Star Wars! - Hugh M., Hopkin.

"Me" - I am one of a kind because I'm nice to everyone. - Annie B., Edina.

"Creative Caring Boy" - I am one of a kind because I give stuff to people and I don't keep stuff to myself. - Jacob T., Prior Lake.

Congratulations to the students, teachers and teaching artists who participated in VSA arts of Minnesota's artist in residence program during the 2004-2005 school year. Your creativity and elbow grease do not go unnoticed. Revel in your accomplishments! Here are this year's sites & artists.

Transition Plus Program, St. Louis Park:
Linda Back McKay;
In conjunction with KFAI's Wave Project, students guest hosted a community access radio program focused on experiences and reflections of young adults with disabilities transitioning to independence.

Anne Sullivan Communication Center, Minneapolis:
Ballet Arts Minnesota;
Using "Children's Nutcracker" as a springboard, Ballet Arts Minnesota provided a series of dance experiences for students.

Ramsey International Fine Arts Center, Minneapolis:
Galumph Interactive Theater;
Students practiced reading facial expressions through dance, movement, music, mask making activities, and video modeling of real life situations.

Minnesota State Academy for the Blind, Faribault:
"Media Mike" Hazard;
Students filmed and starred in "RISING STARS," a half-hour movie featuring songs, stories and self expressions.

Minnesota State Academy for the Blind, Faribault:
Barry Kleider;
Students explored the properties of light, snapped photographs, and transformed their photographs into a tactile form using solar plate technology.

Washburn High School, Minneapolis:
Galumph Interactive Theater;
Students developed stories, built puppets and masks, and performed for friends and families.

South High School, Minneapolis:
Galumph Interactive Theater;
Students developed stories and incorporated them into a black light puppetry performance.

Roosevelt Elementary School, Detroit Lakes:
Carol Hough;
Students engaged in hands-on activities focused on playwriting and behind-the-scenes theatre production.

Roosevelt High School, Minneapolis:
Minnesota Center for Book Arts;
Artist Laurie Brink introduced students to a variety of awe-inspiring papermaking techniques.

Lake Harriet Community School Upper Campus, Minneapolis:
Matt Guidry;
Students practiced balance and grace as artist Matt Guidry led them through challenging and relaxing movement exercises.

Life Skills Transition Program, Spring Lake Park:
Linda Larson;
Students created and edited "REFLECTIONS III," an annual publication of poems and essays that explores disability history and culture.

Harrison Education Center:
The Performance Lab;
Through the lens of teleconferencing equipment, young writers from Minnesota shared personal poems with students in New Jersey. Students in New Jersey synthesized the written word into movements in order to create a final performance piece.

NET Services, Shoreview:
Diego Vasquez;
Students practiced expressing their ideas, moods and feelings on paper. They presented their writings and their experiences to school staff, other students and their parents.

Como Elementary School, Saint Paul:
Zenon Dance Company;
Zenon performers worked with students to explore basic dance skills in order to create dances around specific curricular topics.

VSA arts of Minnesota enables schools to bring in outside artists to work with students involved in special education programming. Artist-in-residence initiatives allow students with disabilities to have greater access to and participation in the arts. This residency program would not be possible without grants from VSA arts and the Minnesota Department of Education.

If you are interested in participating in artist-in-residence projects during the 2005-06 school year, please contact Kristi Gaudette, the Education Coordinator at VSA arts of Minnesota.

The VSA arts of Minnesota Ambassador Program is an employment opportunity for artists with disabilities to do short presentations, performances and/or hands-on arts-based activities with students ages 14-21 with and without disabilities. It is designed to recognize artists with disabilities as active, producing members of the Minnesota arts community.

How to participate? Artists can submit an application to VSA arts of Minnesota by July 15. A committee will review applications and work samples (VSA arts of Minnesota Education Coordinator, board member, special education teacher and an artist with a disability) and select a maximum of 10 artists to be VSA arts of Minnesota Ambassadors for the 2005-06 school year.

Program goals are to:

• Showcase professional artists with disabilities.
• Increase awareness of the importance of and need for including people with disabilities in the arts.
• Share information regarding arts and disability culture.
• Talk about activities of VSA arts at state, national, and international levels.

Ambassador Program Timeline:
June 30, 4:00-6:00 - Question and Answer Session at Hennepin Center for the Arts. If you need special accommodations, please call by June 23.
July 15 - Application Deadline.
August 1 - Notification.
September 1 - Ambassador Roster Available.

Contact Kristi Gaudette at VSA arts of Minnesota with questions or to receive application materials.

A national juried exhibit for promising artists with disabilities (ages 16-25) has been launched for the fourth year by VSA arts & Volkswagen of America.

This year's theme, "Shifting Gears," challenges artists to reflect on a pivotal moment or event in their life that led them to a greater understanding of themselves in relation to their art and/or their disability. For more information or an application, call 800-933-8721 x3877; e-mail: voa@vsarts.org; or visit: Programs and Events: VSA arts/Volkswagen of America, Inc. Call for Entries and Awards (www.vsarts.org/x267.xml).

Fifteen awards include a $20,000 grand prize, $10,000 first award, $6,000 second award, and 12 $2,000 awards of excellence. There is no entry fee, July 15 is the postmark deadline. Finalists will be honored on Capitol Hill during late September, and their artwork will be displayed in a nationwide touring exhibit that debuts at the Smithsonian in October. To learn more about 2004 awardees, visit: VSA arts - Driving Force - 2004 awardees (www.vsarts.org/prebuilt/showcase/gallery/exhibits/vw/2004/index.html).

The Artists With Disabilities Alliance (AWDA) is an informal monthly gathering of writers, visual artists, performers, composers and other artists. Check the Calendar for: June meeting, Dream Sculpture Workshop with Tara Innmon, Hat-Making Tea Party with Deb Costandine, Powderhorn Art Fair, and more ways of sharing your interests, talents and support. For updates, go to Artists With Disabilities Alliance - AWDA (www.Angelfire.com/mn3/awda), or call VSA arts of Minnesota, 612-332-3888 ext. 4.

An upcoming theatre production with strings to VSA arts of Minnesota is Orchard Adventures, a play by Carol Hough of Detroit Lakes and Fargo. VSA arts co-sponsored her first playwriting class with the Playwrights' Center, and awarded her an Artist Recognition Grant. After producing her first play at two festivals she staged Orchard Adventures, an enchanting, educational play about bugs in an apple orchard, as her U of M masters project in horticulture. This spring, as an artist in residence in Detroit Lakes, she involved Roosevelt Elementary students in creating props and scenery, which will be used in performances at The Historic Holmes Theatre in Detroit Lakes on Friday, June 17 at 7:00 p.m. and Saturday, June 18 at 10:30 a.m. For tickets call 218-844-7469 or buy them at the door. Bring the family!

Students from the Life Skills Transition program in Spring Lake Park created and edited REFLECTIONS III, an annual publication of poems and essays that explore, share and record disability history and culture. After a book signing on June 6, copies will be available from VSA arts of Minnesota.

A big THANK YOU to Buffalo High School's advanced ceramics class and teacher Jon Holtz for selecting VSA arts of Minnesota to receive the proceeds from their annual silent bowl auction! Funds will be used to support educational initiatives for students with disabilities in Greater Minnesota.

The largest piece of funding that VSA arts of Minnesota receives each year, approximately $76,000, is our affiliation grant from VSA arts in Washington, D.C. The funding for VSA arts and other national arts education programs comes from the Arts in Education line item of the Elementary & Secondary Education Act, a major portion of the U.S. Department of Education's budget. Arts in Education funding this year is $35.6 million, of which VSA arts receives $7.44 million. The amount being requested for the coming year is $53 million, with VSA arts' portion being $10 million.

During the past four years, President Bush's budgets allocated zero dollars for Arts in Education, but, thanks to strong bipartisan support, funding was made available through the Senate and House conference committee process.

Once again this year, President Bush has not budgeted any money for Arts in Education. Given the very real budget battles going on in Washington, VSA arts of Minnesota and people that our programs serve need your help. Let your U.S. House and Senate members know that the Arts in Education line item needs to be funded because school arts programming is essential. Let them know that in Minnesota over 2,000 children and adults with and without disabilities participated directly in arts learning or professional development opportunities, and over 10,000 attended performances or exhibits offered by VSA arts of Minnesota around the state.

Tell them that the funding provided through this program helps VSA arts of Minnesota to:

• Provide arts-based learning experiences to children and young people with disabilities in school and community settings;
• Provide professional development opportunities to teachers and arts specialists seeking to use the arts to improve teaching skills with students with disabilities;
• Provide technical assistance to Minnesota arts organizations so their programs and facilities are accessible to and usable by children and adults with disabilities;
• Engage Minnesota artists with disabilities in paid performing, teaching and exhibiting opportunities and provide services that make arts careers a possibility.

How to take Arts Action:
Easiest & Fastest via e-mail:
Go to our website at What's New - Tell State & Federal Legislators that You Support Funding for the Arts.
Click on one of the sample letter hotlinks and copy if you wish to use any of this information in another couple of seconds. Click on the "Support the Arts: Tell Your Legislator" button, then click on the "Take Action" button under "Federal: Tell Congress to Support Arts in Education $53 Million Requested for FY 2006." Scroll down the next page to where you enter your Zip Code (either home or work) and hit the "Go" button. Then scroll down and either paste what you just copied in the letter-writing section or use any of the text that is already included. Feel free to add your own information or ideas to help make your point. Fill out the bottom of the form and if asked to provide a subject/topic line, choose Education.

Other ways to send a message:
Find your federal representatives by going to the Minnesota Citizens for the Arts website, or call VSA arts of Minnesota for phone numbers and mail or email addresses.

Thanks for your support of people with disabilities served by VSA arts of Minnesota!

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

In the hallways of Hennepin Center for the Arts, on the phone with friends or across the bar at a frequented drinking emporium, I am often asked, "So, how are things going?" Usually, it is intended merely as a conversation starter and not so much an inquiry as to the state of my personal or professional affairs. Recently, however, I am finding it harder and harder to reply with a simple, "Good" followed by an explanation of some current project here at the office or around the house. More and more I am really wanting to say, "Not so great - and let me tell you why!"

The constant battle for obtaining funding for the arts in general and VSA arts of Minnesota in particular is getting to be a pain. Earlier this month, I served on a Minnesota State Arts Board grant review panel to distribute state funds. We had requests from 16 eligible state arts organizations totaling three times the amount available for the program. It was not a pleasant task "zero-funding" some very good programs. During one of those two days away serving on the panel, our office received a letter from a new foundation prospect declining our request for program funding. The request was small and needed but will not be forthcoming. Days before serving on the panel, I spent a number of hours trying to find ways to encourage Minnesota's U.S. Congressional representatives to sign on as supporters of Arts in Education funding - the line item in the Department of Education's budget that funds VSA arts at the national level. Needless to say, I was not 100% successful.

Here are some responses I would love to be able to offer when asked, "So, Craig, how are things going?"

Great! Fifty people from each of Minnesota's eight congressional districts contacted their U.S. House members (and Senators Dayton and Coleman) last week and urged them to support VSA arts and the Arts in Education line item when a vote comes around.

Wonderful! Twenty of our current donors added a "0" to last year's contribution, twenty more doubled their most recent one and last week we received donations from 25 new people!

Fantastic! Governor Pawlenty, the House and the Senate all agreed that the arts budget needs to return to pre-2003 levels and all of the State Arts Board programs will have more monies to distribute to arts programs, including VSA arts of Minnesota!

I encourage you to step forward and take action in coming weeks so that I can offer some of these responses to my friends, family and work colleagues rather than reading them some tale of woe. Your efforts will mean that we as an organization will have more time and resources to make music, dance, visual arts, theater, and the written word more available and accessible to people with disabilities around the state. And, I will consider any and all efforts in support of VSA arts of Minnesota by individuals and organizations in June as your way of telling me "Happy Birthday" as I turn the dreaded 5-0!

Thank you for your interest, support & readership!

Sixty middle school students from seven metro schools attended the 4th annual Metro Arts Festival on April 22 at Augsburg College. The "Global Harmony" theme was to recognize and celebrate Earth Day. Music therapy students from Augsburg organized the event and led middle school students through hands-on activities. Students explored unique instruments from around the world and participated in a drum circle. Ragamala Music and Dance Theater, presented by Young Audiences of Minnesota, led a workshop on telling stories using gestures and shared the ancient classical dance form of Southern India in their performance, "From Temple to Theater."

A special thanks to Angie Colter and the Augsburg Music Therapy students for their hard work in organizing the festival!