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SPOTLIGHT
ON THE ARTS - July 2001 by Deanna Mascle Touching Lives
Through Art
Intended to spread awareness about the organization and people with disabilities, the exhibit includes 26 pieces which were selected by committee based on composition, creativity, originality, and use of medium. “The call goes out to teachers and they work with the students to submit the work,” says Mark Williamson, vice president of VSA Arts of Kentucky. “This year our call for art coincided with VSA Arts national call for art and two of the Kentucky pieces then went on to Washington D.C. for an exhibition there.” “Some of them are by children with disabilities and some are not,” he says. “It’s an eclectic blend of subjects and media. The students range in age from second grade through high school.” “The primary goal for all our exhibitions is to raise awareness of the organization and to change people’s perceptions about what it means to be disabled,” Williamson says. “Disabled people are doing extraordinary things every day – sometimes against overwhelming odds. “But ‘disability’ has many faces: physical, mental, emotional, and learning disabilities affect people in different ways and present unique challenges,” he says. “Our exhibitions and performances give us the opportunity to educate and inform people about those challenges, the disabilities themselves, disability culture and art in general.” The premiere of the Bandy Carroll Hellige Building exhibit space is also an exciting event for VSA Arts of Kentucky. “This is VSA Arts’ first permanent exhibition space,” he says. “The arrangement is unique. Other affiliates around the country have galleries, but nothing quite like this. The work will hang for six months. From the agency’s standpoint, it gives us an ever-changing environment and it’s a good conversation stimulator when giving a client or prospect a tour of the building. But the greatest benefit is for the artists. “This space provides artists, both children and adults with and without disabilities, an opportunity to see their work exhibited in a professional manner,” says Ginny Miller, executive director of VSA Arts of Kentucky. Originally known as Very Special Arts, VSA Arts changed its name in 1999. Now the VSA in the name stands for Vision, Strength and Artistic Expression. VSA Arts was founded in 1974 by Jean Kennedy Smith and is affiliated with The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. VSA Arts is an international organization intended to create learning opportunities through the arts for people with disabilities by offering arts-based programs in creative writing, dance, drama, music, and visual arts. “Studies have shown that the arts are an integral part of every successful society,” Miller says. “Through implementing a variety of programs in all areas of the arts, VSA Arts helps people with disabilities contribute to the social, cultural, and economic life of their communities. This then promotes disability awareness and inclusion to everyone.” The organization reaches 4.3 million Americans and an additional 1.3 million people in other parts of the world. It has affiliates in 41 states plus the District of Columbia and 86 countries. Although VSA Arts of Kentucky has been providing programs throughout the state for nearly two decades, the group has remained largely unknown until recently. Miller attributes the organization’s low profile to its small staff and budget. “We have worked extremely hard in the past nine years to restructure the board of directors and make sure that our programs are available and accessible to every county in the state.” This effort has included hiring not only a full-time director but also a part-time program director and visual arts coordinator. VSA Arts of Kentucky has also more than tripled its budget during that time. You can learn more
about VSA at the organization’s web site
http://www.vsarts.org or call the organization’s
Bowling Green office at (887) 417-9594 Deanna Mascle is a
staff writer for The Lane Report. |
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Copyright 1996-2001, by Kentucky Business Online. All rights reserved. Editorial content is
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VSA Arts of
Kentucky will host its Works By Children exhibit through
Oct. 31 in the Bandy Carroll Hellige Building on West
Muhammad Ali Boulevard in Louisville. The pieces were
solicited from schools all over Kentucky as part of VSA
Art’s annual Call for Art.