VSA arts announces its 2009-2010 season

March 3, 2009

WASHINGTON, D.C. - VSA arts today announced highlights of its 2009-2010 programming. The premier international arts organization for people with disabilities, VSA arts is an affiliate of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. In addition to a busy year of performances, exhibitions, and arts education programming, VSA arts will bring artists from all over the world to Washington, D.C., for its 2010 International VSA arts Festival, kicking off a week of performances and exhibitions at leading cultural institutions with an opening concert featuring Patti LaBelle at the Kennedy Center’s Concert Hall.

“VSA arts believes the arts are for everyone. We provide arts education resources to make classrooms and communities more inclusive and showcase the talents of professional artists with disabilities. We are committed to opening the doors of access and to shattering stereotypes,” said VSA arts President Soula Antoniou. “Since our founding 35 years ago, VSA arts has been hosting an international festival every five years, bringing audiences dynamic programming from artists with disabilities from all over the world. In 2010, the international festival takes place during the 20th anniversary of the signing of the Americans with Disabilities Act, and we’re proud to partner with the Kennedy Center to bring this worldwide event to the nation’s capital.”

The highlights of the season are:

2010 International VSA arts Festival

Representatives from VSA arts domestic and international affiliates will convene in Washington for this multidisciplinary festival. Talent from all over the world will perform at leading cultural institutions throughout the city, with dynamic performances and visual art exhibitions:
- Opening Concert featuring Patti LaBelle and the China Disabled People’s Performing Art Troupe in the Kennedy Center’s Concert Hall on June 6
- Film and television actress Claire Danes introduces an innovative new inclusive dance/theater piece commissioned by VSA arts from Tamar Rogoff Performance Projects in the Kennedy Center’s Terrace Theater
- Diane Schuur in the KC Jazz Club on June 8
- Comedy night at the D.C. IMPROV with Josh Blue, Kathy Buckley, and Brett Leake on June 9
- A co-presentation of African singer-songwriter Salif Keita with The George Washington University Lisner Auditorium
- Evelyn Glennie performing with the NSO June 10-12
- Visual arts exhibitions featuring new and traditional media from international artists in the Smithsonian Institution’s International Gallery and in the Kennedy Center’s Hall of States and the Terrace Gallery
- an installation by Dale Chihuly at the Kennedy Center
- AXIS Dance at the Atlas Performing Arts Center, co-presented with DancePlace, June 11-12
- The Start with the Arts Family Festival with live performances and art workshops
- Theater co-production with Theater Alliance
- A “Silent Shakespeare” production from Synetic Theater
- An international arts education conference
- Performances and appearances from other artists, such as Marlee Matlin, Henry Butler, Raul Midón, Narimichi Kawabata, Rudely Interrupted, The Matt Savage Trio, Martin Deschamps, Forró No Escuro, and more.
VSA arts Playwright Discovery Program, now in its 25th year, presents an original one-act play written by a high school student that touches on themes of disability on September 29 in the Kennedy Center’s Family Theater.
Accelerate, a juried exhibition of emerging artists with disabilities, displays the work of 16-25 year-olds at the Smithsonian Institution’s S. Dillon Ripley Center during the fall of 2009. Sponsored by Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. since 2001, the program is the largest awards program in the nation for young artists. A selection of work from participating artists will also be on display in the Kennedy Center’s Hall of States from September 8-October 28, 2009.
The VSA arts/Williamstown Theatre Festival Apprenticeship Program enters a fifth year of apprenticeships for students with disabilities, ages 19-24. The nine-week summer season (June – August) offers aspiring theater artists an opportunity to learn from seasoned professionals.
VSA arts Institutes, to be held nationally in multiple locales throughout the year as well as around the world, will provide professional development to create and support inclusive learning in schools and community environments.
The VSA arts Teaching Artist Fellows Program will provide hands-on experiences in a variety of educational settings for teaching artists with disabilities to enhance their practices.
Cultural exchange programs, such as ArtLink and Sound Ricochet, will link classrooms from all over the world. Students will use the arts to reflect on their own culture while also learning about music and the visual arts. During the past and present course of these programs, students from Albania, Brazil, Cambodia, Kuwait, Ghana, the Philippines, Russia, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Zimbabwe, and other countries have participated.

FUNDING CREDIT

The 2010 International VSA arts Festival is presented with the support of Amway Corporation.

About VSA arts
VSA arts is an international nonprofit organization founded 35 years ago by Ambassador Jean Kennedy Smith to create a society where people with disabilities learn through, participate in, and enjoy the arts. VSA arts provides educators, parents, and artists with resources and the tools to support arts programming in schools and communities. VSA arts showcases the accomplishments of artists with disabilities and promotes increased access to the arts for people with disabilities. Each year millions of people participate in VSA arts programs through a nationwide network of affiliates and in 55 countries around the world. VSA arts is an affiliate of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. For more information, please visit www.vsarts.org

Media Contact:

Stephanie Taylor/VSA arts
(202) 628-2800 ext. 3883
SKTaylor@vsarts.org

General Information:

(202) 628 -2800
(TTY) 737-0645
www.vsarts.org