VSA arts Celebrates 30th Year Serving Nearly 5 Million People Worldwide

January 20, 2004

Building on major success in 2003, the world's leading arts, education, and disability organization will celebrate 30th anniversary and host International VSA arts Festival in 2004

WASHINGTON, D.C., January 20, 2004 - VSA arts, an international organization that promotes education and lifelong learning opportunities in the arts for people with disabilities, is entering its 30th year having achieved major advancements in its arts and education programming and partnerships during 2003. The world's leading arts and disability organization will celebrate its 30th anniversary by hosting the 2004 International VSA arts Festival in Washington, D.C., June 9-12.

Held every five years, the Festival will include artistic performances, exhibitions, and educational seminars in venues throughout Washington, D.C., including The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, the Smithsonian Institution, Union Station, Millennium Arts Center, Georgetown Waterfront Park, the National Press Club, Farragut Square, and Freedom Plaza. Artists of all disciplines including painting, sculpture, wood, drawing, metalwork, ceramics, computer-generated art, dance, music, theater, and literary and media arts will be participating in the Festival, the theme of which is "Odyssey: DARE to Imagine...."

"Building on our accomplishments of 2003, we expect 2004 to be an incredible year for VSA arts," said Soula Antoniou, president of VSA arts. "In addition to celebrating the 30th anniversary of our organization, we will welcome artists and educators from around the world to our International Festival in Washington, D.C. in June. The Festival will not only highlight the amazing and diverse talent of our VSA arts artists, but also showcase the power of the arts to positively impact and change the lives of people across the globe."

Among the organization's highlights in 2003 were several noteworthy events:

United Nations Exhibition - In December, VSA arts and Rehabilitation International, a worldwide network that improves the quality of life for disabled people and their families, hosted a celebration at the United Nations entitled "A Voice of Our Own" to commemorate International Day of Disabled Persons, December 3, 2003. The program included a seminar focusing on the rights of people with disabilities and an exhibit of work by VSA arts International Fellows.
Young Soloists Award - Sponsored by Panasonic and the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts' Education Department through the Rosemary Kennedy Education Fund, the VSA arts Young Soloists Award annually recognizes outstanding young musicians with disabilities, ages 25 and under, who have exhibited exceptional talents as vocalists or instrumentalists. Each year, a committee of music professionals selects four award recipients to receive scholarship funds and perform at the Kennedy Center. The 2003 recipients were Laura Dodd, a 23-year-old vocalist, model, and actress from Gadsden, Alabama; Janet Ross, a 22-year-old pianist from Amherst, Massachusetts; Sara Bentes, a 21-year-old vocalist from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; and Nathan Gerardo Meaney, a 23-year-old flautist from Mexico City, Mexico.
Playwright Discovery Award - The Playwright Discovery Award invites middle and high school students of all abilities an opportunity to examine, through the art of playwriting, how disability affects a person's life. Two one-act plays were selected to receive the 2003 award. The first play - Diamond in the Rough - written by16-year-old Allyson Hogan of Worthington, Minnesota, told the story of a teenager with albinism. The second play selected - Get Ready to Walk and Roll! - was written by two 18-year-olds from Arizona, Bethany Andrews and Amanda Harper. This play focused on a high school senior with muscular dystrophy. Both plays were performed at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in September.
Road Trip: A Journey of Discovery - In partnership with Volkswagen of America, Inc., VSA arts launched a call for entries for young artists with disabilities, ages 16-25. Fifteen artists were chosen to receive $30,000 in cash awards and participate in an exhibit of their work at the Children's National Medical Center, October 13, 2003-January 7, 2004. The exhibit is available for tour.
Partnership with Mead - VSA arts teamed with Mead Home and Office Supplies to offer a line of colorful memo-sized notebooks designed by children with disabilities. Mead will contribute 2% of net sales of the notebooks to VSA arts. The notebooks will be available in June 2004 at Rite Aid and Walgreens stores, nationwide.
Cultural Access Institute, European Region, March 20-22, 2003, Athens, Greece - At this unique institute, participants from 13 countries were introduced to the broad concept of cultural access, educated on the issues pertinent to accessibility and inclusion for the design and implementation of cultural programs, and began formulating action plans for improving cultural access in their own countries. VSA arts will present a follow-up to the Institute at the Summit on Cultural Access as part of the 2004 International VSA arts Festival, June 9-12.

About VSA arts

VSA arts is an international nonprofit organization founded in 1974 by Ambassador Jean Kennedy Smith. VSA arts is creating a society where people with disabilities can learn through, participate in, and enjoy the arts. Nearly five million people with disabilities participate in VSA arts programs every year through a network of affiliates in 49 states and 62 countries worldwide. For more information, please visit www.vsarts.org.

VSA arts will present the 2004 International VSA arts Festival from June 9-12, 2004, in Washington, D.C. Artists from around the world will perform and exhibit at locations such as The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, Union Station, Georgetown Waterfront Park, and the Smithsonian Institution. For more information, please visit www.vsartsfestival.org.

Most of the events for the 2004 International VSA arts Festival are free to the public thanks to the generous support of its family of official sponsors, which includes Delta Air Lines, WAMU-88.5 FM, The Rasky/Baerlein Group, The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, Union Station, and Pfizer.

Media Contacts

Marcia Rhodes, VSA arts, (202)628-2800, marciar@vsarts.org
Chris Hill, The Rasky/Baerlein Group, (202)530-7702, chill@rasky.com

to top