VSA arts of Michigan
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100 West Alexandrine |
Lora Frankel |
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Tel.: (313)823-3303 |
Website: |
Organizational Profile:
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Full-time Staff: 1 |
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VSA arts of Michigan promotes creative power in people with disabilities. VSA arts of Michigan increases educational and community arts opportunities for individuals with disabilities and publicizes the need for arts education. Today in Michigan, thousands of individuals benefit from VSA arts of Michigan programs throughout the state each year. VSA arts of Michigan also provides direct assistance to district and local committees in the areas of program development, fundraising, public relations, and community networking.
Programming Partners and Other Funders:
The Children’s Center of Wayne County; The Skillman Foundation; School District of the City of Highland Park; Michigan Council for Arts and Cultural Affairs; City of Detroit Planning and Development Department; and Nonprofit Facilities Center of United Way Community Services
State Programs
Educational Programs and Artist Residencies
artsJAM Detroit! Gallery & Studio Program
The artsJAM Detroit! Gallery & Studio program provides an opportunity for youth with disabilities to learn a variety of arts media through mentoring by professional teaching artists. Participants are engaged in setting their own goals for participation, developing portfolios, gaining work and social skills, and assessing their progress on an ongoing basis. Youth are given opportunities to share their accomplishments with parents, families and friends at occasional performances and exhibits. They are also provided opportunities to visit arts and cultural institutions in the community and attend theater, dance, and music performances.
artsJAM Detroit! Work Alternatives for Youth Program
This is a summer program employing youth living in Detroit, Highland Park, and Hamtramck. Young people, ages 14-22, are hired at minimum wage to work six hours per day, four days per week for a period of nine weeks. Youth employees, mentored by professional teaching artists, choreograph dance, create drama, compose music, write poetry, and create works of visual art. With the assistance of a social worker, they assess their participation and record their daily experiences in journals. They are also given opportunities to contribute to their community and develop a culminating event, attended by families and friends, at the end of the summer that celebrates their accomplishments.
Artists-in-Residence
VSA arts of Michigan recently completed 20-week artist residencies in four schools in southeastern Michigan that integrated dance, drama, music and visual arts with the language arts curriculum in inclusionary first-grade classrooms. Residencies included planning meetings with teaching artists, school staff members, in-service workshops for teachers and paraprofessionals, classroom observations by the artists, 20 classroom workshops with students, evaluation sessions with teachers, and culminating events to give opportunities for the students and teaching artists to exhibit or perform their creative work.
Educational Workshops
One to five-hour workshops conducted by professional teaching artists are provided for children, youth, and adults with disabilities that demonstrate how the arts benefit learning. In some instances a series of three to four hour-long workshops are taught by the same artist. Workshops take place in schools and art and community centers.
Professional Development and Technical Assistance
District Development
Training and technical assistance for VSA arts of Michigan district volunteer coordinators is available through ongoing communication and meetings to assist with program development, fundraising, publicity, and volunteer recruitment and maintenance. The 2004 Volunteer Leadership Development Institute took place July 11-13 at a conference center on Higgins Lake.
Artist Services
VSA arts of Michigan responds to requests from artists with disabilities for information, resources, and assistance with career development. Staff assists artists in evaluating their needs and developing a plan for providing necessary services, which may include development of portfolios and marketing materials. A database of artists is maintained and, as opportunities arise for exhibiting or performing, they are informed by an e-mail listserv and/or direct mail.
Educator Professional Development Workshops
VSA arts of Michigan offers half-day to full-day workshops for educators upon request. Occasionally school districts and individual schools contact the state office and request a workshop. Schools are matched with a teaching artist in the media of his or her choice and purchase the workshop on a fee-for-service basis. Workshops are also conducted at arts, educational and disability conferences.
Cultural Access and Inclusive Arts Services
Workshops and Site Surveys
VSA arts of Michigan provides disability awareness and access training workshops, accessibility site surveys and information and resources for arts and cultural organizations and institutions in Michigan upon request.
Inclusive Arts Services Include:
Arts for All – A rental/lending process has been established for the use of art tools that were created by Michigan native, Dwayne Szot. Affiliated VSA arts of Michigan district organizations may borrow the tools, and other organizations rent them. Training sessions in the use of the tools are offered for a fee. Tickets to Theatre, Dance, and Music Performances – Complementary tickets or tickets purchased at group rates are provided to children, youth, adults, and their families.
Kids on the Block – Third-grade students in the Traverse City area are provided puppet performances that address a variety of disability issues.
ASL Interpretation – VSA arts of Michigan – Grand Traverse Area and the Traverse City Symphony Orchestra collaborate to provide sign-interpreted performances and an instrument “petting zoo”.
Public Awareness and Outreach
Emerging Artists' Touring Exhibit
Cool Views 2005, a 51-piece exhibit of work created by emerging artists, will travel to approximately 20 venues throughout the state, including conferences, festivals, schools, libraries, malls, and art and community centers. The Arts Enlightenment 2006 touring exhibit will be launched in February.
Michigan Youth Arts Festival
High school age youth with disabilities who participate in the artsJAM Detroit! program and exhibit their work in the Emerging Artists’ Touring Exhibit attend this three-day festival that takes place at Western Michigan University in Kalamazoo each May. Participants are engaged in workshops, and attend festival rehearsals and performances. The Michigan Young Soloist Award winner is showcased during the Thursday evening gala concert.
VSA arts of Michigan Festival
District organizations conduct festival events celebrating the culmination of their yearlong programming. Festivals take place in April and May in Centreville, Flint, Grand Rapids, Livonia, Petoskey, and Traverse City.
Expressions Newsletter
VSA arts of Michigan plans to publish three issues of the VSA arts of Michigan newsletter this year.
Information and Referral
VSA arts of Michigan will continue to provide information regarding assistance and resources that are available in the arts, education and disability communities for persons seeking information and referrals.
(F) 202-429-0868