Kansas - Accessible Arts, Inc.
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1100 State Avenue |
Martin English |
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Tel.: (913) 281-1133 |
Website: |
Organizational Profile:
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Full-time Staff: 4 |
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Since 2001, Accessible Arts, Inc. has been an affiliate of VSA arts. Accessible Arts champions the arts for children with disabilities and advocates access to the arts. Advocacy, education and collaboration are essential components in accomplishing these objectives. A core belief underlying Accessible Arts programs is that through the arts, children develop critical thinking skills, take risks in a safe environment, and experience successes. Accessible Arts received the 1998 Kansas Governor’s Arts Award for Outstanding Arts Organization and the 2005 Kansas City, Missouri Mayor’s Award in recognition of its success in including children with disabilities in arts experiences. Accessible Arts’ constituency includes children with disabilities and those who care for them in schools, social service programs, and community programs in the metropolitan Kansas City area and throughout Kansas.
Programming Partners and Other Funders:
Kansas Arts Commission; National Park Service; Francis Families Foundation; Muriel McBrien Kauffman Foundation; Theresa Foundation; State Street Foundation; Jewish Heritage Foundation; Junior League of Wyandotte & Johnson Counties; VOICE; H & R Block Foundation; Oppenstein Brothers Foundation; Curry Family Foundation
State Programs
Educational Programs and Artist Residencies
Discovery Trails Arts and History Project
Through the Discovery Trails Arts and History Project, a two-week outdoor history and arts adventure leads into a school week of artistic creativity and sharing. Teens with visual impairments will engage every sense in both extensive outdoor activity and intensive artistic activity, guided by a professional staff including five artist-educators with four or more years experience with the Discovery Trails Project. Starting with a two-week camping adventure, May 28-June 11, 2005, older teens who are blind or visually impaired will immerse themselves in the physical and social challenges faced by famous westbound emigrants who took unpopular stands. While following the pioneers’ trail, the teens will explore and develop contemporary themes of "taking a stand," using multiple artistic media. During a follow-up week in the fall of 2005, the teens will complete individual and group creations on the theme, "Where I Stand." Then the teens will lead their peers without disabilities in a creative process using art and Trail experiences to explore challenges that the teens face in "taking a stand."
After School Arts Club
On Tuesday and Thursday afternoons during the school year, professional artists engage children of all abilities in a variety of arts projects at the Accessible Arts Studio on the campus of the Kansas State School for the Blind. The children have a safe and supportive environment in which to explore their interests and abilities while obtaining new skills and knowledge. All participants have the opportunity to learn about various disabilities and develop skills to interact with individuals with disabilities. The Tuesday club focuses on visual arts with an emphasis on ceramics. The recent acquisition of four potter’s wheels will provide students the opportunity to learn additional skills in throwing pots. Thursday’s club is dedicated to the dramatic arts. These students work to develop their performance and technical skills through the exploration of a variety of theatre styles.
Professional Development and Technical Assistance
Creating Arts for All
This professional development training focuses on Universal Design, adaptations for arts activities (music, creative dramatics, movement, and visual arts), arts integration across curricula, and strategies to reinforce classroom and Individual Education Plan goals. It is intended for classroom teachers, arts teachers, artists, special education teachers, and paraprofessionals. The training can be customized for any group of people who want to make the arts more accessible for children of all abilities. Among other venues, Creating Arts for All will be presented at the Kansas Music Educators Association Annual Conference, Salina Arts & Humanities Council, Kansas City Kansas School District, and the Children’s Campus of Wyandotte County.
Cultural Access and Inclusive Arts Services
The Jellbean Conspiracy Project
The Jellybean Conspiracy Project was presented in the community of Hiawatha, Kansas in November 2005 and will be presented in the community of Pittsburg, Kansas in March 2006. This project has three components designed to immerse an entire community in a Cultural Access Initiative. First, Accessible Arts conducts a Cultural Access Workshop for local arts agencies and community program providers. After the workshop, individual site surveys are scheduled. Second, Accessible Arts facilitates collaboration between the local high school’s theatre and special education departments to produce a play with disability themes. The lead actor has Down Syndrome, and the entire production is universally designed. The public performances help sensitize the community to the needs of people with disabilities. Third, professional artists present separate music/movement workshops to middle school students and then to community families who have seen the play. The workshops reiterate themes from the play—disability awareness, tolerance, and respect.
Public Awareness and Outreach
99 Drums Music & Cultural Camp
This program is a weekend of interactive music and dance workshops exploring the arts, history, customs, and foods of Caribbean, West African, Native American, and Middle Eastern cultures. The 99 Drums program brings together an integrated group of students, ages 9-15, from across the state of Kansas. These students (including children with and without disabilities) experience music and dance in a celebration of diverse cultures in an inclusive environment. During the first two days of the camp, exciting interactive workshops are presented by professional artist/educators. Students learn West African Drumming and Dance, Native American Drumming and Dance, Middle Eastern Dance, and Caribbean Percussion Music. The artist/educators also teach the history and customs of these diverse cultures. On the final afternoon, students and artists collaborate to present a public performance at the Kansas State School for the Blind.
(F) 202-429-0868