Recent Events

A painting by 10-year-old Phoenix Krocak from Prior Lake was selected for a national art exhibit. The "All Kids Can…CREATE!" program, sponsored by VSA and CVS Caremark All Kids, encouraged students with disabilities to create artwork on the theme, State of the Art, exploring their environments and discovering the roles they play within their communities. Work by 51 young artists were exhibited at Union Station in Washington, D.C. during International 2010 International VSA Festival (www.vsarts.org/x5992.xml) held June 6-12. The exhibit is now on tour children’s museums across the country for the next two years.

Phoenix’s artwork was selected from submissions to VSA Minnesota by 33 Minnesota students with disabilities. Krocak said he "created an abstract painting of a park where my family and the community enjoys nature near my home. I used acrylic on canvas and tried to show the space around Cleary Lake."

VSA Minnesota also named a runner-up artist: Ashley Rezachek, an eighth grader from Eagan, for her submission ofMinnesota. She said, "My work shows some of the things we are well known for and are proud of in Minnesota." Rezachek used pencil and colored pencils to create the drawing. She adds, "I drew hands to make it look like I was sharing the things in Minnesota. I used pictures and my memory of what things looked like to add into my picture."

The art program is an effort to expand inclusive arts education programs toward improving the lives and learning of young people with disabilities across the United States. All the works submitted by state affiliates of VSA (out of a total of 5,500 submissions) are included in an online gallery (www.artsonia.com/museum/collections/detail.asp?coll=5).

Aria Stiles, a 16-year-old violinist from Apple Valley, was chosen as one of four recipients of the 2010 VSA International Young Soloists Award. She received a $5,000 cash award and the opportunity to perform at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C. on June 8 during the 2010 International VSA Festival (www.vsarts.org/x5992.xml). The concert is broadcasted online at  John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts (www.kennedy-center.org).

Stiles was chosen as one of two winners in VSA Minnesota’s 2010 Young Soloists Award. In addition, Alec Sweazy, 24-year-old pianist and accordianist from Minnetonka, was chosen as the senior division Minnesota winner for his entry on piano. Both Stiles and Sweazy were awarded $100 gift cards from Schmitt Music for their selection as junior and senior state winners in January.

Stiles entered her violin performance of a portion of a Mendelssohn concerto, Lalo’sSymphonie Espagnole and Monti’s Czardas. As the overall state winner, her entry was forwarded to Washington, D.C., where a committee of distinguished music professionals selected her as one of the national award recipients. The VSA International Young Soloists Award annually recognizes outstanding young musicians with disabilities and supports and encourages them in their pursuit of a career. All types of music are accepted, including country, classical, jazz, rap, rock, bluegrass, and world.

Stiles has already established herself as a formidable talent in Minnesota. The violin prodigy has been a fixture in numerous county fair talent shows and fiddle contests since she was eight years old, winning many awards and accolades. Stiles is a member of the Minnesota Young Symphonies, and she has appeared as a soloist with the La Crosse Symphony Orchestra and the MacPhail Orchestra. The high school sophomore has been awarded two Gold Cups in violin and one in piano through the National Federation of Music Clubs. Stiles, who has ligamentous laxity, also enjoys taking care of animals, singing in school musicals and choirs, and playing the violin at school and church events.

To learn more about the VSA International Young Soloists Competition, including the other three international winners, go to VSA - Arts In Action: Young Soloists Award (www.vsarts.org/x22.xml).

More than 130 middle school students identified as having developmental cognitive disabilities from 10 Twin Cities schools attended “Magic of Music,” the 9th annual Metro Arts Festival at Augsburg College in Minneapolis on Friday, April 16, 2010. This free event, a joint effort between the Augsburg Music Therapy Program and VSA Minnesota, is offered each year to enhance exposure to the arts for students with disabilities within the metro area.

This year’s highlight was a magic show, featuring the extraordinary magician, Jeffrey Smith as the Amazing Jeffo (www.amazingjeffo.com). Smith, who is blind, uses magic, mixed with a healthy dose of comedy, to educate his audiences about abilities and promotes a respect and appreciation of all of our differences.

Festival participants became part of the "magic" while meeting new friends and learning new forms of expression. Throughout the day, participants were engaged in hands-on sessions exploring visual arts, storytelling and music that were developed and led by Augsburg Music Therapy students.  Amazing Jeffo also led a session demonstrating four magic tricks with everyday objects that participants practiced performing to later amaze their friends and family.

Janeen Hedren, a seventh and eight-grade teacher at Battle Creek Middle School and chaperone for the site's attending students, said, "Students were involved and went home with ‘real’ things to do and show others."

"They had a wonderful time," said Erin Horne, Special Education Lead Teacher at Metcalf Junior High School, of the students attending. "They loved playing the instruments and getting up on stage." She added that the school was thankful to be invited and hopes students will continue to be offered the opportunity again.

Participating schools were: 916 NE Metro Intermediate School at Sunrise, Boeckman Middle School, Battle Creek Middle School, John Glenn Middle School, Lake Harriet Upper Campus, Metcalf Junior High School, Northeast Middle School, Parkview Center School, South View Middle School, and Wayzata West Middle School.

The Metropolitan Regional Arts Council has designated $220,000 for VSA Minnesota to award to Twin Cities arts groups to make arts programming and activities more accessible to people with disabilities.
 
This funding, made possible by the Minnesota Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund, will help nonprofit arts groups in the seven-county metropolitan area with budgets under $4,460,000 make building and program enhancements to improve accessibility.  "Arts organizations have demonstrated great awareness of the need to be accessible, but some of the specialized equipment available today is often too expensive for a smaller arts group," explained MRAC Executive Director Jeff Prauer.

VSA Minnesota and MRAC have a long history of working together to make arts activities accessible. In the mid-1990s the two organizations created ArtTown, a guide to Twin Cities arts organizations that included specific accessibility information for people with disabilities.

MRAC has been a key provider of funding for smaller Twin Cities arts organizations, and one of its six criteria for grant proposals is Accessibility. MRAC created an Arts Accessibility Planning Guide (PDF), which is available on its website. MRAC also operates an Emergency Accessibility grant program for unforeseen project costs related to access for persons with disabilities.

VSA Minnesota has provided Access to Performing Arts assistance of funding, resources and publicity to help organizations offer events with ASL interpreting, audio description or captioning. It also offers annual awards highlighting arts accessibility achievements, career advancement grants for artists with disabilities, artists-in-residence for schools, and other programs to help make the arts more a part of the lives of people with disabilities. "The people at VSA Minnesota are widely regarded as the experts in this field," said Prauer. "They know and understand the barriers that exist to full participation in the arts for people with disabilities and are therefore the perfect partners for this program."

VSA Executive Director Craig Dunn says, "We have valued MRAC's innovation and thoughtfulness in distributing state arts funding.  We look forward to this opportunity to provide accessible arts experiences for an even greater number of people with disabilities by opening even more doors to arts facilities and programs."

The priority of these grants is to support activities that have the potential for significant or long-term impact in involving more people with disabilities as participants or patrons in arts programs. The grants are not intended for one-time activities such as a sign language interpreter or a Braille program for one play, but to make a difference over a longer period of time. Grantees must report measurable outcomes of projects.

Minnesota nonprofit arts organizations in Anoka, Carver, Dakota, Hennepin, Ramsey, Scott and Washington counties are eligible.

Download the grant guidelines and application here. For a mailed or emailed copy, or other information about the new grant program, contact VSA Minnesota at 612-332-3888 voice/tty ext. 2 or access@vsamn.org.

2009 VSA Arts Access Award recipients:

VSA Minnesota presents art by various Minnesota artists with disabilities at the Institute on Community Integration

VSA Minnesota partnered with the Institute on Community Integration (ICI) to display artwork by Minnesota artists with disabilities in Pattee Hall, the main office building of ICI located at 150 Pillsbury Drive SE on the University of Minnesota East Bank Campus. Thirty-six works of art were display through September 30, 2009. See the Institute on Community Integration's photo gallery of the art opening on July 22, 2009 (http://ici.umn.edu/art/vsaartsmn/index.htm) with selected pieces.

"Changing Landscapes: An Ongoing Exhibit of Artists with Disabilities," is a project of the Institute on Community Integration (ICI). It is a revolving display of artwork created by artists with disabilities from the Twin Cities area in Pattee Hall, the main office building of ICI. New installments of art are displayed approximately every four months, and are accompanied by a celebration and tour. VSA Minnesota became the newest partner in the Changing Landscapes collaboration.Other partners exhibiting artwork in 2008-2009 include Interact Center for Visual and Performing Arts (http://interactcenter.com) and Partnership Resources Inc. (http://partnershipresources.org).

Check out the featured article "Paintings showcase works made by Twin Cities area artists with disabilities" by Michael Moore in the Brief, the official University of Minnesota news digest for faculty and staff statewide.

Institute on Community Integration has a mission is to improve the quality and community orientation of services and supports available to individuals with developmental disabilities and their families. Website: Institute on Community Integration (http://ici.umn.edu/default.html). For more information about the project visit: Changing Landscapes: An Ongoing Exhibit of Artists with Disabilities at ICI (http://ici.umn.edu/news/art/default.html).

For information about purchasing these pieces or other artwork by these featured Minnesota artists, please contact Jenea Rewertz-Targui, phone: 612-332-3888 or email: jenea@vsamn.org.

A training was held at the Perpich Center for Arts Education on August 6, 2009, for those interested in joining the VSA Minnesota Teaching Artist Roster, a community of teaching artists working to create engaging lessons and environments that meet the diverse learning needs of all students.

Participants became more familiar with Artists-in-Residence Grant Program as well as becoming a rostered teaching artist. Topics explored include: a panel discussion with program funders who addressed the requirements, responsibilities, and expectations of teaching artists during residencies, best practices for engaging and empowering students with disabilities in the arts, techniques for interdisciplinary teaching through the arts while meeting the Minnesota Academic Standards in the Arts and opportunities to network and share experiences, skills & knowledge with other teaching artists

Many thanks to the Perpich Center for Arts Education for the use of Visitor’s Center and to our fantastic presenters including Amy Frimpong, Minnesota State Arts Board Senior Program Officer: Arts in Education; Craig Dunn, VSA Minnesota Executive Director; Erin Phelps-Stark, Work Experience Life Skills: WELS South Program, Northeast Metro 916 Intermediate School District; Nyssa Brown, Music Education Coordinator, Perpich Center for Arts Education; and Perrin Boyd, Professional Teaching Artist.

For more information regarding this training, please review the workshop handouts and notes or read comments posted on our blog: Artists-in-Residence Blog (http://vsaartsmn.blogspot.com).

Workshop Information (PDF document)
Workshop Information (Microsoft Word document)

Artists-in-Residence Program and Teaching Artist Roster Overview (PDF document)
Artists-in-Residence Program and Teaching Artist Roster Overview  (Microsoft Word document)

Minnesota State Arts Board Residency Model (PDF document)
Minnesota State Arts Board Residency Model (Microsoft Word document)

Panel Discussion Notes (PDF document)
Panel Discussion Notes (Microsoft Word document)

Activity & Standards Notes (PDF document)
Activity & Standards Notes (Microsoft Word document)

Nicole Zapko, Twin Cities Deaf performer, presented vignettes from her one-woman show, "A Look in the Mirror - The Memoir of a Deaf Performer," at the 19th anniversary celebration of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) on Friday, July 24, 2009, at the Minnesota Department of Health in Saint Paul.

About 60 people attended the ADA celebration, featuring presentations by Janet Peters, Project Coordinator on Accessible Technology, and Jamie Taylor, Technology & Access Specialist with the Commission of Deaf, DeafBlind & Hard of Hearing Minnesotans. Sponsors were the Minnesota State Council on Disability, ADA Minnesota, VSA Minnesota, Access Press, and the Minnesota Department of Health.

Zapko’s autobiographical show, touching on growing up deaf in a hearing family, was first presented in February-March at Dreamland Arts in Saint Paul. A hard-hitting true story of loss, despair and redemption, it was staged after she won a Career Advancement Grant from VSA Minnesota. Grant panelists called her "phenomenal as a performer," citing her precision, physicality, body gestures, and mime technique.

Zapko uses American Sign Language (ASL) in her performances, with voice interpretation by Patty Gordon. Using humor to communicate universal themes of tolerance and acceptance, she says, “It is not only the message of the story that is necessary but also the culture and background of the messenger, which is me.”

Following her debut in March, Zapko was featured in a 3-Minute Egg by creator, producer and host Matt Peiken. "The Twin Cities arts seen," 3-Minute Egg is a daily video blog and weekly public television program focusing on Twin Cities artists and locally created work. To view and listen to this 3-Minute Egg, go to: Nic Zapko: Beyond Deafness « 3-Minute Egg. (http://3minuteegg.wordpress.com/2009/03/04/nic-zapko-beyond-deafness).

She will reprise the show in October at Dreamland Arts, 677 N. Hamline Avenue, Saint Paul. Performances are Thursdays and Fridays (with voice interpreter) and Saturdays (ASL only), all at 7:30 pm (no show October 31). For reservations call 651-645-5506 or go to: Dreamland Arts (www.dreamlandarts.com).

This show would not have been possible without the countless hours of directing, collaborating and professional advice provided by Zaraawar Mistry and Dreamland Arts. Additionally, Patty Gordon and Susan Boinis provided invaluable ASL and English consulting.

The staff and friends of VSA Minnesota are saddened by the death on June 24th, 2009, of friend and colleague Michael "The Hook" Deutsch of Minneapolis.

Michael was one of our Arts Ambassadors - an artist we take into classrooms to share talents and thoughts about disability - and a performer we called on to perform for us at ADA celebrations, Children’s Museum gigs and a national VSA educational gathering.

Michael loved to play the Blues on the piano and his unique 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.

To learn a little bit more about Michael’s life go to Michael "The Hook" Deutsch (www.michaelthehookdeutsch.com).

We mourn his loss and send our condolences to his family and loved ones.

More than 1,500 people stopped by VSA Minnesota’s tent for a make-in-take art project on Saturday, May 30 and Sunday, May 31 during the Ordway Center for the Performing Arts Flint Hills 2009 International Children’s Festival in Saint Paul. Our activity tent highlighted the theme 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!

For more information regarding the festival visit: Ordway Center for the Performing Arts, Flint Hills Festival (www.ordway.org/festival).

Augsburg College hosted the eighth annual Metro Arts Festival on Friday, April 17, 2009. This free, collaborative festival between the Augsburg Music Therapy Program and VSA Minnesota is offered each year to enhance exposure to the arts for students with disabilities within the metro area.

More than 118 students from 11 schools attended this year's festival, including Parkview Center School, Inver Grove Heights Middle School, Wayzata West Middle School, John Glenn Middle School, Folwell Middle School, Lake Harriet Upper Campus, Olson Upper School, Anwatin Middle School, Metcalf Junior High School, South View Middle School and Lake Junior High School.

Participants were "moving and grooving" while meeting new friends and learning new forms of expression! Augsburg Music Therapy students engaged participants in hands-on sessions that explored the visual arts, music, and storytelling.  Guest artist Francis Kofi also led a session exploring traditional West Af­rican dance and movement. The activities commenced with a performance by Kofi and members of Hayor Bibimma Dance Theater - specializing in traditional West African music, dance and storytelling.

Augsburg students also gained invaluable experience in using music therapy to work with a diverse population within the community. They developed activities to foster learning and developed evaluation methods for individual and group participants. Dr. Dale B. Taylor, Visiting Professor of the Augsburg Music Therapy Department, said, "The collaboration is a valuable one for all involved. Augsburg's music therapy students gain valuable experience while providing musical and artistic activity."

Seven Minnesota artists have been awarded grants of $1,250 each through the 2008 VSA Minnesota Career Advancement Grant Program. The 13th annual competitive grant, funded by the Jerome Foundation, recognizes excellence by Minnesota artists with disabilities. Selected from 54 applicants, the grantees are:

Laurel Cazin, Saint Paul, Visual Art – photography.
Deb Costandine, Saint Paul, Visual Art – ceramics, sculpture.
Nancy Donoval, Minneapolis, Performance – storytelling.
Delia Jurek, Center City, Visual Art – printmaking.
Amy Mattson, Buffalo, Visual Art – video.
Roald Molberg, Duluth, Visual Art – pottery.
Nicole Zapko, Bloomington, Performance – theatre, mime.

The grants were awarded following a jurying process conducted by individuals with extensive backgrounds in the written, visual and performing arts. They looked at samples of the artists’ work, proposed projects, resumes and artist statements. Members of the panels included:

Sean Dowse, executive director, Sheldon Auditorium, Red Wing.
Beth Gauper, travel writer, MidwestWeekends.com, Minneapolis.
Robin Gillette, executive director, Minnesota Fringe Festival, Minneapolis.
Denise Martineau, artist, writer, disability advocate, Golden Valley.
Ken Moses, retired theatre producer, Art Saint Croix volunteer, Stillwater.
Kerry Osberg, executive director, Visual Arts Minnesota, Saint Cloud.
Patti Paulson, director, Robbin Gallery, Robbinsdale; asst. supt., MN State Fair Art Show.
Robin Pearson, executive director, Southeast Minnesota Arts Council, Rochester.
John Rasmussen, executive director, Midway Contemporary Art, Minneapolis.
Madge Thorsen, attorney, Golden Valley; past board president, Interact Center.

Mini-Bios of Recipients of 2008 VSA Minnesota Career Advancement $1,250 Grants

Laurel Cazin, Saint Paul:

Laurel Cazin uses the medium of photography to showcase her sensitivity toward the human condition. “I feel that my work symbolizes the passion I possess for my subject and my ability to relate and empathize with individuals from all walks of life.” The success with which she establishes trust with her subjects and captures “their substance and spirit with my camera” was apparent in her selection as a 2008 Career Advancement Grant recipient.

She received her B.F.A. in Photography from the Minneapolis College of Art & Design, has studied with acclaimed photographers in France and on the Iron Range, and has been a self-employed professional photographer since 1980. She has served as a photography instructor, been a State Arts Board artist-in-education, done commissioned work for individual and corporate collections, and been represented in many exhibitions – from a Smithsonian Institute traveling exhibit to Epcot Center Gallery, Walker Art Center and more.

Grant panelists were impressed by Cazin’s plans to “move into the digital age, continue a career in motion, following people’s lives…(and) focusing on the disadvantaged members of society.” Saying her “trust with subjects is very evident,” they praised her work as “really powerful images (that) capture the emotion of these big events. Composition, perception, layout, vision are strong. Photos are confident, give a feeling of calmness.” She also submitted an impressive resume and artist statement.

She is using the grant to buy equipment to transition her career skills into the digital age of photography “while allowing myself to produce images at greater volume and a much lower cost.” Having lived with diabetes for 45 years, she plans to focus her new photography “on the disabled, poor and the most disadvantaged individuals of this world. I plan to unveil the mask the government has disguised these issues with and highlight them for the entire world to see.”

Deb Costandine, Saint Paul:

In a career that has already expressed itself artistically through painting, photography, installation art, sculpting and writing, Deb Costandine enjoys and gets satisfaction from the struggle of creating work focused on difficult issues. Her ceramic works on conjoined twins, for instance, have made an impact because they are “an unvarnished, honest and emotional statement of what I experienced. She also exhibited, sold and discussed them at Northwestern University in 2007.

She has received other awards from the Minnesota Humanities Commission, Society of Professional Journalists, Minnesota Academic Excellence Foundation and Printing Industry of Minnesota. She has had a story accepted in the 2010 St. Paul Almanac, and in 2002 she created the sculptures presented to VSA Minnesota Jaehny Award winners. In 2006 Costandine completed her B.A. degree at Metropolitan State University in experiential creativity, with a minor in educational psychology.

Grant panelists liked “the breadth & quality of her work,” praising her application with words like “articulate, professional, prolific, very personal, carefully done, powerful work.” With a “good vitae, great artist statement, well-laid-out project description,” Costandine will be using her Career Advancement Grant “to explore and really refine my creative vision and explore a new series of sculptures. The series with focus on mental health issues and the shifting intrinsic attitudes needed to cope with and survive a diagnosis of a serious mood disorder.” She will concentrate on large ceramic sculptures, renting firing space and participating in gallery sales – giving her additional experience on how galleries operate and artists market their work.

Nancy Donoval, Minneapolis:

Nancy Donoval was introduced to storytelling as an art form while she was getting her MFA in directing/theater at Northwestern University. She found her “true calling,” and has been telling stories ever since. Much of her work is autobiographical – exploring the way memory shapes identity – large, small and ordinary moments that lead her to dig for the universals. “Stories rise from the compelling human need to give voice, to name our experience so that we can understand it,” she says. Nancy also believes in “telling the difficult stories, the ones we are afraid to acknowledge.” She finds humor in them because “laughter can be a subversive force that allows us to visit our darkest experiences and transform the place they hold in our lives.”

In addition to being a featured storyteller for schools and cultural institutions around the country, Nancy has performed at storytelling festivals in Oklahoma, Nebraska, Utah, Indiana, Illinois, Tennessee, New York and at four Minnesota Fringe Festivals. She has also committed herself to “helping other artists find their ways safely through the mazes and minefields of personal narrative.” As a story coach, she serves as a “midwife for what is often a difficult birthing process.”

Nancy was also co-founder and executive director of the Wild Onion Storytelling Celebration in Chicago for most of the 1990’s. She has served as past president of the regional Northlands Storytelling Network, has taught for Northwestern University and the Illinois Arts Council, and been profiled in The Power of Story: Teaching Through Storytelling by Rives Collins and Pamela Cooper (1997). In 2004 she was published in Storytelling Magazine and released two CD’s of stories. Nancy was also included in a 2007 Indiana Historical Society Press book called The Scenic Route: Stories from the Heartland.

Her 2008 Career Advancement Grant was her second VSA Minnesota grant. The first in 2007 represented an effort to reach a wider audience by creating stories in the short form required for public radio. Her new project will focus on stepping forward in her field, booking performances, storytelling festivals, universities, etc., and packaging CDs or DVDs to sell at her performances and to help her future marketing efforts. As grant panelists commented, “It’s a logical step. People want … to see how visually engaging she is.” Panelists said she truly “thought through the proposal, (and) was very organized” in submitting “a project that I understand: fantastic.” Appreciating her comment “I go digging for the universal,” they praised her delivery, sense of composition, experience and found it “a pleasure listening.”

Nancy’s website is Nancy Donoval Home Page.

Delia Witherill Jurek, Center City:

As a printmaker, Delia Jurek likes to “play” with an edition of prints; “pushing the possibilities: creating, discovering and then re-creating with a little twist. A changing dance where discovery and control change the lead.” She is most intrigued with the hybrid of drawing, painting and printmaking that is called “monotype,” and is especially drawn to landscapes – “Where the dark creates a world in which we can’t quite see. Where things become almost abstract. Where the developer seems, magically, to be absent. Where all the world seems so familiar, and the familiar can seem so exotic, and where all becomes quietly timeless.” 

In addition to showing her prints at Minneapolis galleries such as Soo Visual Arts, Highpoint Center for Printmaking, Gallery 13, the Nash Gallery and the Minneapolis Foundation, Jurek has exhibited in Duluth; Winona; Cape Girardeau, Missouri; Venice, Italy; and Bitola, Macedonia. Her BFA degree is from the University of Minnesota.

Panelists “loved” Jurek’s project and found it well-thought-out, with “background and personal feeling into why this is important,” and offering “continuity with her work and what she wants to do.” They were drawn to her “very strong & focused work” and its “emotional quality, sequencing (sort of tells a story) and … Japanese-like graphic techniques.” They respected the diversity of places she’s exhibited, her activity in residencies, other awards received and the impression that “she’s not repeating herself.” They felt if she also kept a journal of her project, “it would make a lovely book.”

The project? To spend a week in the Northern Minnesota woods, near where she grew up, and along the Bigfork and Littlefork Rivers which spoke so strongly to her grandfather. She would chronicle her experiences visually, as Thoreau did verbally, “steep myself in the creative process,” and later spend time at the Highpoint Center for Printmaking to “translate these drawings into original prints…and build a body of work reflecting my experience on the rivers.” This process would give her a cohesive body of work to submit to galleries for a solo exhibition.

Amy Mattson, Buffalo:

Since receiving her B.A. degree in strategic communication in 2004 from the University of Minnesota, Amy Mattson has produced a number of videotaping and editing projects including a video interview on drug abuse, promotional music video DVDs, a video blog for Twin Cities hip hop artists, a community education course called “You, Camera, Action!” and more.

She uses her creativity in editing to “take what already exists and construct something new. It is the medium I feel confident working with and I can be sure that viewers understand my vision.” Finding video more accessible than film, she says, “Digital editing lets me try different angles, styles and rhythms before I decide which is best.” She favors simple, traditional cutting styles in her nonfiction work in order to keep “the narrative front and center without distraction…. my job is to make sure that the crucial elements are taken in.”  She feels that documentaries “are critical because they say things that mainstream media can’t – or won’t.”

Grant panel response to Mattson’s video project ranged from “I love it” to “I really like her” to “it needs to be done -- has a lot of vision” to “Through the roof!” Her video samples showed that “her quality is good” and that she “could have a really large impact.” Panelists also said, “I would love to see this project happen as the mission is clear,” “she has involvement with the community,” and “it’s an underserved group.”

Her project is to complete a documentary video on freestyle rapping and battling on the local scene. That includes shooting interviews and supporting footage, writing a final narration script, recording voiceovers, editing, premiering the video at a special event and submitting it to local film/video festivals. Her goal is that peer recognition and awards “will help propel me forward into my next documentary project.”

Roald Molberg, Duluth:

Understanding that survival in the art marketplace “has begun to require a style of difference, the finding of one’s signature look,” Roald Molberg has been experimenting with the making, glazing and firing processes of ceramics and using his creative sense to find that signature look. He sees the art and “textures I leave are a means of sharing of myself and the spiritual renewal that is the creative act.” He has found “the joining of nature’s radiance with the grandeur of stained glass is the imagery I am striving to capture and convey through the ‘etched slip resist’ technique.”

Since this is not a widely practiced effect, he will be using his grant to take the time to unravel the finer points of this post-firing approach to Raku pottery. He says it mimics the patterns and appearance of a clear crackle glaze finish, with the acrylic color wash and reduction “ghost lines” achieving the appearance of a stained glass window in the finished work.

The career benefits of adopting this style, refining the processes and making it his own should be invaluable to his artistic future, he believes – allowing for more access to the better galleries, increasing sales and creating opportunities to be a workshop presenter and a published artist.

Molberg, who also received a VSA Minnesota artist grant in 2004, has exhibited widely in the Duluth area. He submitted “a well-laid-out budget, a strong, solid resume and a project you can understand.” He offered good descriptions of his Raku pottery-making procedure and how he teaches himself through experimentation. Panelists said, “He’s pragmatic in his art but also specific in wanting to do a new technique”; and “Obviously he knows what he’s doing; there’s a tradition but he wants to do it his own way.”

Nicole Zapko, Bloomington:

Born into a family of Deaf and hearing people, Nicole Zapko remembers that her mother “taught us to love and accept one another regardless of our differences.” Yet, after her mother’s death, the family struggled to continue to incorporate those teachings into their lives. Nic immersed herself deeply into Deaf culture, becoming an advocate for the Deaf and working with theater companies such as Northern Sign Theater and the National Theater of the Deaf, whose mission was to foster and promote Deaf culture. But by turning away from the hearing community, she discovered she became more of a stranger to her family, friends and colleagues who were not Deaf.

Over time she “began to reach out to and once again work with hearing people. I began to realize that being exclusionary has only limited value in the long run.” While it has become easier for the Deaf community to grow increasingly self-sufficient and separate as accessibility and technology increase, she has come to believe that “it is absolutely necessary for our survival to work towards co-existing among our differing languages, cultures, abilities and inabilities.”

She has thus been working on her project to create and present her own story in ASL and spoken English – one that is equally accessible to both a Deaf and Hearing audience without the standard ASL interpretation. Using humor to communicate the universal themes of tolerance and acceptance, she says “it is not only the message of the story that is necessary but also the culture and background of the messenger, which is me.”

Zapko collaborated with Zaraawar Mistry and presented her show, “A Look in the Mirror - The Memoir of a Deaf Performer,” in February and March at Dreamland Arts.

Zapko’s performance samples showed panelists she’s “phenomenal as a performer -- just dandy! Her ASL overflows into the acting; it’s beautiful visually; I’m delighted with her precision, physicality, body gestures, growth in mime technique – she got message across nicely.” Panelists lauded her solid resume and a project that “is really thought out, integrated, accessible…. Any time someone wants to build community and bring people of different backgrounds together, it’s good.”

She has also performed in recent years with Mixed Blood Theater, Ragamala Music & Dance Theatre and the Cleveland Stage Theater, as well as serving as a co-director, signographer and ASL interpreter.