the palette An Information Bulletin for Visual Artists Provided by VSA arts Summer 2004 Letter from the Director 2 Stephanie Moore gives keynote at assistive technology conference. 2004 International VSA arts Festival 3 Amidst the exhibits and performances, a workshop offers important career- building tips. Adapt and Conquer 4 Five artists with disabilities share the ways they innovate to create. Resources for Artists 6 Extended in this issue, Web sites for adaptive resources and art supplies. Conference on Assistive Technology 9 Artists and engineers meet to creatively solve problems. VSA arts Registry Revamped 10 New application and new opportunities with improved online registry. VSA arts of Hawaii Makes a Splash 11 Rejuvenated affiliate blooms in the tropics. VSA arts The Palette is an information bulletin for visual artists provided by VSA arts. Stephanie Moore Director of Artist Services, VSA arts Jennifer Colaguori Artist Services Coordinator, VSA arts Written and Edited by Alexandra Clyburn, Washington, D.C. Designed by kaze design, Washington, D.C. VSA arts 1300 Connecticut Avenue, NW, Suite 700 Washington, D.C. 20036 Ph: 800.933.8721 TTY: 202.737.0645 web: www.vsarts.org e-mail: webmaster@vsarts.org VSA arts offers Palette-Online, an online monthly listserv that features opportunities, calls for art, and VSA arts' news. To subscribe, send a message to listmanager@vsarts.org with the following text: "subscribe palette-online" above: visitors at Union Station, photo by Erin Dey cover: enjoying arts activities at Union Station, photo by Erin Dey letter from the director Artist to Artist: Agents of Change The adaptations we make to create Earlier this year, I was asked to keynote a conference at the Lemelson Assistive Technology and Development Center of Hampshire College in Amherst, Massachusetts. As I struggled to write the speech, I was forced to think about assistive technology and its relationship to the arts. Like all things in the arts, the results are varied. From rotating powered canvases to electronic paintbrushes, the options appeared scant and expensive. Was that because of supply or lack of circulated information? Or both? Both. And what's more, assistive technology as applied to the artist's studio goes beyond technology to sometimes simple adaptations that allow the artist to document their voice and vision. What I have found is that the most valuable information is what's shared artist-to-artist based on the modification-simple solutions that empower voice, process, and command of the chosen media.This issue is meant to bring together our modest findings, and tell stories of adaptations that may be shared studio to studio. In a field where diversity of approach and style is key, these findings are meant to be a springboard for your work. Write to us, help us gather more information at palette@vsarts.org. We'll continue to share. Stephanie Moore Director, Artist Services International VSA arts Festival a Huge Success Workshop offers artists real-world advice The long-awaited International VSA arts Festival turned the city of Washington, D.C., into an art gallery, performance hall, educator's workshop, artist's community, and-most of all-a four-day long celebration. From June 9 to June 12, landmarks like Union Station and the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts hosted exhibits and staged performances by talented artists with disabilities. "Throughout the city, perceptions widened and pre-conceived notions were cast aside as people experienced a diverse range of world-class talent," said Soula Antoniou, president of VSA arts. Photos throughout this issue recount some of the festival's highlights. Highlights for professional visual artists and performers with disabilities included the workshops sponsored by the American Express Company. "Success as a Visual Artist" was led by F. Lennox Campello, an artist who now co-owns the Fraser Gallery, with two locations in Washington, D.C., and frequently writes as an art critic for The Washington Post, Art Calendar and other publications. Campello offered realistic and practical advice for ambitious artists. Taken from an annual seminar he offers via his gallery, the workshop focused on practical tips on the business of art. Go for a Gallery He urged artists to work toward representation with a gallery. Even with the commissions galleries charge for the sale of artwork (as high as 75% in New York City), Campello stressed the value of a good relationship with a gallery, and that galleries exist to support artists. Participants were given a sample contract that can be used in a gallery relationship. Artists embarking on a relationship with a gallery should always sign a contract, and ask the following questions: When do I get paid after the show? Can the gallery exhibit be photographed? Is the gallery insured from theft or fire? Who pays to ship work if it's sold? Campello reminded the audience that even a rejection from a gallery is progress. Gallery owners or curators remember the work they see, and might need an artist like you for a future exhibit or refer another gallery or curator to your work. Also, if you score an exhibit and nothing sells, still maintain that relationship. "It will make a footprint in your career," said Campello. Some of Campello's other suggestions include: Do your homework when approaching galleries. Go to openings, study what they carry and don't waste your time if they only carry superstar artists or if they focus on a field of art that is not your own. Never show up with your portfolio unannounced and certainly not at an opening. If you can't make it to the gallery, at least use the phone to achieve some level of a personal touch. Invite the gallery representative to your studio (and if possible, offer to give them a ride). Pursue grants. Contact your local commission on the arts and humanities or The Foundation Center (http://www.fdncenter.org), to find opportunities that suit you. Never compete with yourself. The price the gallery charges for your work is the price. Don't sell your paintings in your studio for less than they're offered at a gallery. Use http://www.slides.com to create slides. Don't let the complexities of earning money while collecting Social Security intimidate you. Use your art to barter with an accountant to get tax help. Use free legal resources too. Many cities offer resources like the Washington Area Lawyers for the Arts. If you're a female artist and you've had a solo show anywhere, the National Museum for Women in the Arts will catalog your work. Send them your slides. Pricing and the Web Pricing is a difficult game, but Campello reminded artists in attendance that where your prices start are not where they will stay. For many artists with disabilities, selling work is tricky because of the threat of losing vital benefits and stipends. When galleries ask for prices, it's hard to say when you've never technically "sold" a work for currency. For artists who barter their work for supplies or other non-financial compensation, Campello suggests telling galleries that the work has proven value and there is a demand for your work (because it has been sold, but not for a cash price). Campello thinks the Internet is an underused resource for most artists. He recommended that all artists create a Web site. "It's the business card of the 21st Century," he said. Furthermore, create a presence on the Web. Sign into other artist's 'guestbooks' on their Web site. Go to http://www.yourartlinks.com and post your work. "Collectors can Google you. The Web can be your calling card." "I don't understand why artists are afraid to have work ripped off on Internet," he said. "I almost want it to be." Posting images at 72 dpi or less eliminates the possibility of anyone doing much without your permission anyway, since the image quality is so low. "Copyright laws don't apply in China but how great if they put your painting on a Tshirt?" he laughed. above: Saori Weavers, photo by Erin Dey VSA arts in Education conference attendees, photo by Lisa Helfert Festival participants' artwork at Union Station, photo by Erin Dey Research Symposium, Smithsonian Institute, photo by Lisa Helfert Adapt and Conquer How artists with disabilities get creative to create Before paint touches the canvas or the clay can be molded, artists with disabilities frequently need to tweak the tools of their art in order to achieve their vision. These adaptations are necessary but never routine. We interviewed four artists about how they harness the tools of their medium in order to create. Mark Heuston Sculpture and Ceramics, Joshua Tree, California "My best adaptive tool is between my ears." Formerly a National Park Ranger, Heuston is now a full-time sculptor and ceramicist whose muse is the Mojave desert where he lives. He interprets the dramatic landscape around him in sculptures made of bronze and aluminum, and in pottery inspired by the Native American potters of the Mojave, such as the Cerrano, Chorea, and Chinuabe. Heuston was born with one arm, and because he lives in a resource-poor area, he said that frequently his biggest hurdles are financial, not technical. "Whether or not you have access to the resources, you have to think outside the box," said Heuston. "After all, it's the results that matter. How you get there is your own business." "In my case, with one good arm, I find it helps to use jigs and fixtures-vice grips, clamps, bungee cords, bench vices, paperweights, duct tape," said Heuston. He does preparations for his sculptures in Styrofoam or soft clay, which are both delicate. "I sometimes will use some kind of paperweight, sandbag, or beanbag to hold them together," said Heuston. "Sometimes I sacrifice my reach in order to have the feeling of the nerve endings in my stump. In order to feel my work, I work without a prosthetic." "I also design tools to rely on my own resources." For example, he created a device to pull crucibles out of the furnace. "It's a small crane built with self-locking crucible tongs on one end. On the other end of the pole is a cable control to open or release and it has lead counter-weights built into the shaft." "One thing I love about being an artist versus any other field of endeavor is that your ability, disability, gender, sexual proclivity, etc. is not important as the results. If you are doing good work, you'll be noticed." Loretta Ramseyer Acrylics paintings, California "I still spend about as much time dealing with set-up and supplies as actually painting." A stroke in 1993 left Ramseyer's left side paralyzed, her left hand and part of her left side in general, and limited her stamina. She has found innovative solutions to the logistical obstacles her paralysis presents. Sometimes it is as simple as the choice of product: She prefers plastic containers of acrylic glazes, especially from the brand Golden. "They have plastic tops that can be loosened enough to pour from the bottle and that can be tightened securely with one hand," she said. "The bottles are small enough to be held in the palm of one hand while reaching up with the fingers to screw the nozzle on and off." Ramseyer prefers jars with lids that flip up. Ramseyer's studio adaptations are low-tech, but effective. She occasionally uses stay-wet palettes so the work of getting containers open and shut doesn't interrupt her creative flow. She employs removable mounting dots designed for scrapbooking to keep her containers and papers from sliding away when she applies her brush. A reducing glass helps her see the overall painting without having to stand up to get the big picture. All of her painting and supplies are on tables on wheels so she can readily put what she needs within arm's reach. To keep her studio and supplies clean, Ramseyer keeps a water sprayer and cloth towel handy. "The sprayer keeps the paint on the floor from drying while I attempt to wipe it up," she said. When the clean-up is too extensive, she's not afraid to start from scratch. "From time to time I put white contact paper on my painting table to give me a fresh surface for painting."To clean her brushes, Ramseyer prefers Murphy's Oil Soap. "When I discovered that Murphy's works on hardened acrylics, I was delighted, since everything else that made that claim seemed horribly toxic, and I don't have extra brain cells to waste on unnecessary toxic fumes," she joked. Erin Worsham Brady Computer-Generated Images, Nashville, Tennessee "I can't say the computer inspires my work per se, but I do thank God for the technology that allows me to continue to create." Brady had formally studied art for only three years before she was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig's disease. ALS makes it necessary for Brady to rely on technology and her own tenacity and patience to create her vibrant graphical pieces. The mechanics of creation are complex: Brady uses a Liberator, an assistive technology device that allows her to tell the computer what to do. She can't use her hands or feet to push a keyboard, however, so the device responds to the subtle delicate movements she can make. "I trigger the P-switch with a sensor taped between my eyebrows," said Brady. "When I move my brow, it begins a quarter by quarter scan of the 128 keys on the face of the Liberator. The Liberator interfaces with our computer." Brady uses the directional keys of the Liberator to draw with Microsoft Paint, varying the weights and widths of the lines. "Then I flesh out the picture with colors I mix myself." The process is laborious and slow, but the patience it demands doesn't dampen Brady's drive to create. "I am much more focused and productive now than I ever was before ALS," said Brady. Lisa Fittipaldi Oil paintings, San Antonio, Texas "If I could see, I probably wouldn't paint." It wasn't until she lost her sight that Fittipaldi even took up a paintbrush. Her husband gave her a watercolor set as a way to jump-start her rehabilitation nine years ago. Fittipaldi thought it was a cruel joke. But when she started painting, she was completely hooked. Now, she says it's a way for her to communicate what she sees in her mind to the rest of the world. She's painted for hours nearly every day since. "It's my way to retain the visual world. Painting keeps out the darkness," said Fittipaldi. She uses surprisingly few adaptations as a painter who can't see. Initially, she used the staples in the rim of the canvas as her guide and used a mica pencil so she could feel the pencil marks on the canvas to know where she was painting. She now uses gallery-wrapped canvas, and puts a mark with acrylic paint in the dead center of the painting. That's it-no initial sketches, no assistants. She composes the painting in its entirety inside her head, and then transfers it to the canvas. Color-her paintings all share a vibrantly colorful palette-would be the one place where adaptations are clearly evident. Whereas most painters mix a color until they know by sight it's what they want, Fittipaldi relies on a chemist-like understanding of the blends of different tubes of paint. She's memorized the Wilcox Color Guide and just relies on her proven recipes. Color for Fittipaldi is, in a way, the ultimate adaptation. If she were painting just for herself, it would be in black and white. But reaching an audience is so important to her that she uses color to create that connection. To know when a painting is complete, she doesn't rely on an assistant or her husband to describe what they see. She knows the painting is done when it no longer keeps her up at night. "It goes away in my head," she said. As strange as it sounds, Fittipaldi thinks her blindness drives her painting. "My art is a way to not be totally internal," she said. "I share and remain a part of the greater society by putting my inner visions onto the canvas." She also feels that solving the complex creative problems of her painting emboldens her to tackle the more mundane everyday challenges, like taking the bus or going grocery shopping. Fittipaldi is represented by several galleries, has sold over 500 paintings, and her biography is being published this fall. Gary Curry Sculptor, Telegraph Cove, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada "I trade my sculptures for supplies." Before his life-changing accident, Curry followed in the footsteps of his father and grandfather to be one the youngest sawyers in British Columbia, working at the same lumber mill as his father. "As a sawyer, I determined where you cut in the lumber and how deep. To do that, you have to be able to see in three dimensions," said Curry. "I was able to see inside the wood." This talent enabled, and perhaps motivated him to sculpt. "Before my accident all the artwork I created was made from red cedar and yellow cedar, I never considered trying stone sculpting before my accident," he said. Curry, who is a quadriplegic, works with longtime friend Alistair Green, who he met in rehab. Initially, to accommodate their physical limitations, he and Green created simple work without much detail. Now they are creating more intricate work, and have found ways to make the tools they use accommodate them instead. "The more detail and increased size create the need for all different sizes and shapes of chisels, adapted dental chisels and extensions to increase the reach of the tool," Curry said. (It is not uncommon to find dental chisels in a sculptor's studio.) To acquire the best tools, one of Curry's major adaptations is financial. "I'm on a pension, so I can't make too much money. I trade my sculptures for supplies," he said. Like many artists with disabilities, Curry and Green must carefully measure their financial success against the income limits on their disability benefits. Barter is one way to keep vital benefits while being compensated in some way for hard work. To use their tools, Curry and Green use splints that act as prosthetics to hold a rasp or secure a mount. The sculptors can also strap tools onto the splints. "We have to remove the handles of the chisels, rasps and files we use to fit into our splints," said Curry. Their splints are created by Ed Polinsky, a retired engineer who once worked with Curry's grandfather. Polinsky fabricated a splint from one of Curry's own designs. "Whenever we come to an obstacle in our sculpture we contact Ed." Curry and Green are intensely dedicated to sculpting. "Stone sculpting has reconnected me with my life before the accident," said Curry. "The hard physical labor alone has made me feel like I'm reconnected with the world." Curry and Green also are trying to create a legacy of fellow artists with disabilities. They've recently launched a studio for artists with disabilities in Vancouver. To find out more about their studio, visit their Web site at http://homepage.mac.com/soda.studio/ "Man's imagination has no limits. If you describe something-not just the way it looks but the way it feels-then it's a thousand times more beautiful." Mark Heuston Buick Moon Mandala, 28.5"x24"x4", aluminum, copper, and steel Erin Worsham Brady Big Wheels, 9.5"x14.5", limited edition painting Lisa Fittipaldi, Portabello Road, oil on canvas, 48"x36" Garry Curry, Buddah Frog, Brazilian steatite, 13" tall resources for artists Art Supplies and Adaptive Tools Art and Adaptive Supplies While some artist organizations are a resource for networks and information, these Web sites are places to get adaptive supplies. Please note that many of the vendors carry the same type of product at a different price, so it pays to shop around. Also, this is just the tip of the iceberg. Many more art supply and adaptive tools resources exist on the Web, so when in doubt, Google! Extensions for Independence http://mouthstick.net/index.htm#Products 866-632-7149 This Web site, designed by Arthur Heyer, who paints with a mouth-stick himself, offers many adaptive tools for artists and all kinds of work situations. Mouth-stick paintbrush holders, motorized easels, turntable desks, and even used wheelchairs are all featured here. The site also has a community atmosphere to it, with links to related Web sites and personal articles. Art Supply Warehouse http://www.aswexpress.com 800-995-6778 The Art Supply Warehouse has wrist-and-hand supporting bridges to give you control while you paint (the Tanner Watercolor Bridge, $19.99), adjustable-height drafting or drawing boards that can tilt your work surface (2001 Art Station by Studio RTA, $119.99), and other art supplies. The Web site can be complicated to navigate, so call the toll-free number for a catalog. Cheap Joe's Art Stuff http://www.cheapjoescatalog.com 800-227-2788 Cheap Joe's is another art supply store with immense online offerings and a huge catalog. The Web site hosts an "artists' community" and even has a magazine, cleverly named The Palette. Dick Blick http://www.dickblick.com 800-828-4548 Dick Blick is a legend, with an extensive Web site, a catalog, and stores throughout the country. Mobility Store http://www.mobilitystore.com 800-603-9857 This Web site offers adaptive tools for every aspectof life, and many can be applied to your art, like the Gripcert reacher. It can allow you to grip many objects, from a single sheet of paper to a tiny tube of paint, water jars, canvasses, brushes, and even something as fine as a coin. Gold Violin http://www.goldviolin.com 877-648-8400 The target audience of this Web site and company is older Americans, but many of the adaptive tools and gadgets are useful for artists with disabilities too. Pearl Paint Supplies http://www.pearlpaint.com 800-221-6845 Pearl Paint is a general art supply store with a big online shopping resource. Come here for any art supply, such as Winsor-Newton pots of paint (easier to manipulate if you have limited hand or arm control). Sammons Preston http://www.sammonspreston.com/craftAct.htm 800-323-5547 The equipment and adaptive resources available from this site and catalog are general, but include tools specifically for arts and crafts as well. Call the toll-free number for a catalog. Northcoast Medical http://www.ncmedical.com/ 800-821-9319 While not specifically art-related, the online catalog features many tools and devices that can be used in a studio environment. Alimed http://www.alimed.com 800-225-2610 Like Northcoast Medical, this site is predominantly medical and generalized orthopedic and rehabilitative supplies, but many of these adaptive tools could be useful to an artist with a disability. Call the toll-free number for a catalog. Advocacy Organizations Links to local resources, information about how to use technology, career guidance-these organizations and Web sites have a lot to offer. Of course, our favorite is www.vsarts.org. Infinitec http://www.Infinitec.org A joint project of United Cerebral Palsy Association of Greater Chicago and Washington, D.C., Infinitec's Web site is full of interesting pages and ideas dedicated to the power of assistive technology (AT). Click on the arts-related link to see a fascinating online exhibit called "Feeding the Soul" which features the work of artists with disabilities (including Lisa Fittipaldi) and information about adaptive resources. Ability Hub http://www.abilityhub.com/ This Web site offers an easy and organized way to find adaptive equipment, answers to questions about AT you might already have, and features a host of resources for alternative solutions to using computers. Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation Paralysis Resource Center http://www.paralysis.org The home page of this extensive Web site can lead you to many pages of information and resources about paralysis in general. Click on "tools and technology" to reach information on adaptive resources that extend beyond the arts. The National Institute of Art and Disabilities (NIAD) http://www.niadart.org/index.htm NIAD is an innovative visual arts center in northern California that serves adults with developmental and physical disabilities. Among the resources available on their site is the video "Freedom to Create: Studio Set-up, Adaptations for Physically Disabled, The Studio in Action" for $35.00. The National Arts and Disability Center (NADC) http://nadc.ucla.edu/VisualArtsCenters.htm NADC is the national information dissemination, technical assistance and referral center specializing in the field of arts and disability. The site's resources include directories, annotated bibliographies, and related links serve to advance artists with disabilities and accessibility to the arts, including a list of art centers that provide artists with disabilities art studio and gallery space to create, exhibit, andsell their work. National Endowment for the Arts Office for AccessAbility http://www.nea.gov/resources/Accessibility/index.html 202-682-5400 The National Endowment for the Arts' Office for AccessAbility resource center is extensive-a good place to start looking for just about anything related to arts and disability. Arts as a Force of Healing, Building, & Empowerment http://www.artslynx.org/heal/index.htm This comprehensive site contains well-researched links and several subheadings for artists with disabilities, both to share their work and to learn about resources. Art Beyond Sight Collaborative http://www.ArtBeyondSight.org Art Beyond Sight is an international collaborative that is providing a forum for ongoing interdisciplinary dialogues among researchers, artists, museum professionals, educators, parents, artists, and art lovers to create vehicles for lasting change in their communities. Half The Planet http://www.halftheplanet.org Founded by former VSA arts President John Kemp, Half the Planet's Web site offers a wealth of information on nearly any topic you could think of. Under "departments" click on "arts" where there is a full list of arts organizations for persons with disabilities. The American Association of People with Disabilities http://www.aapd.com 866-241-3200 (Toll-free voice/TTY) This is the largest national nonprofit organization of people with disabilities, dedicated to ensuring economic self-sufficiency and political empowerment for people with disabilities. Membership is inexpensive, and includes benefits like New Mobility magazine, membership in a federal credit union, and a mail-order prescription drug benefit. Association for Mouth and Foot Painting Artists (AMFPA) http://www.amfpa.com AMFPA is an active international association of self-supporting artists who paint either with the mouth or the foot. If you do paint with your mouth or foot, contact this organization to see about becoming a member. http://www.sconi.com/mfpa_inc.htm This is the Web site of one of its artist members, because the organization does not have a U.S. Web site. Public Forum Searches for Ways to Make Art Easier Assistive Technology Conference brings artist's issues to engineers Stephanie Moore, VSA arts director of artist services, was one of the keynote speakers at a conference held in early May at the Lemelson Assistive Technology Development Center at Hampshire College in Amherst, Massachusetts. The public forum explored performing arts, fine arts, popular culture, and expression through the context of disability and assistive technology. This 6th annual forum convened a diverse group of nearly 300 adaptive equipment designers, industry experts, people with disabilities, engineers, artists, occupational therapists, physical therapists, college students and faculty to discuss assistive technology (AT) and to share information and ideas. Moore presented "Art, Disability, and Expression," a visual and textual exploration of how people with disabilities have historically and artistically been portrayed in our culture, and how artists with disabilities uniquely express themselves through their work. "The art created by artists with disabilities reflects aspects of the universal human condition, such as the desire for dignity and equality, the celebration of individuality, and the ability to find meaning in painful experiences," she said. "Artists with disabilities are agents of change." The forum also included a keynote from Bill Shannon, an interdisciplinary artist whose urban kinetic dance movements and hip performance art reflect and illuminate the human realities of those with and without disabilities. Shannon has received international acclaim for his worldwide performances as an interdisciplinary artist, dancer, videographer, and street performance provocateur. Participants saw a 25-minute video about Universal Design and performing artists with disabilities produced with support from VSA arts and the National Endowment for the Arts, and were introduced to Braytoncrete, a lightweight and versatile sculpting medium. A hybrid of cement, clay, sand, vermiculite, nylon fibers, and acrylic latex, Braytoncrete was invented by William Brayton, a professor at Hampshire College. Braytoncrete can stay wet and malleable longer, and it can be painted. Jennifer Jacques, a recipient of the award of excellence sponsored by VSA arts and Volkswagen of America, Inc., demonstrated her wheelchair painting technique. Jacques uses a power wheelchair and a facilitator to create works that layer paint and collage. Students at Hampshire College displayed their assistive technology projects as part of the conference's "Invention Showcase." These projects included toys, weighted vests for children with autism, accessible Web site design guides, adjustable wheelchair trays, and a robotic mount for using a digital camera. "We teach our students not only how to problem solve but also to need find," said Lauren Way, the forum director. With the Center's prototype lab now next door to the college's sculpture studio, the designers and engineers are primed for an interdisciplinary spirit. This is the 6th year the Lemelson Center has held an AT forum, and the first time art has been the chief focus. The forum tackled issues like how technology innovations can make art more accessible to people with disabilities, and how disability and AT are portrayed in the arts. The topics are balanced between philosophical discussions and real-world issues. To find out more about the Lemelson Center and the conference, visit their Web site athttp://lemelson.hampshire.edu/. "Artists with disabilities are agents of change." William Brayton shows participants his new sculpting medium during the conference. Photo courtesy of Hampshire College's Lemelson Center VSA arts Offers Free Web Visibility Artists on Registry all given access to Web VSA arts has increased its services to post the contact information of artists who are members of the VSA arts Artists Registry allowing viewers to directly connect with those interested in further supporting their work. Members of the Registry are able to post their artwork and a personal statement on the Web, and with individual approval, VSA arts will also post contact information. The popularity of the VSA arts online gallery has prompted this change, which promises to increase the visibility of the over 1,000 artists registered with VSA arts. A letter went to all members of the Registry at the end of 2003 announcing this opportunity. In order to have your artwork posted online, your information must be current. VSA arts will not post an artist's contact information without a signed release agreement. The agreement was sent with the letter. If you did not receive the letter, please contact Jennifer Colaguori, artist services coordinator, at VSA arts by e-mail at jenniferc@vsarts.org or by phone at 202-628-2800 x3885. Each artist's Web posting will include one image or headshot for promotional purposes and a 50-word bio. Artists will also be given the option to have contact information listed to include a daytime phone, e-mail address, and a personal Web site. "Hopefully, this will allow our artists to connect with a much larger audience, and bring about additional sales, exhibits, performances, and promotional opportunities," said Stephanie Moore. Currently, there are 620 artists online. With this launch, VSA arts will aggressively market the online listings to the public, at conferences, and among their partners in the arts community. Visitors to the site will be able to search by first name, last name, state, country, media, discipline and disability. Moore said that VSA arts will be sensitive to artists who do not feel comfortable marketing their work and handling their own art sales. In these cases, the artists can forego publishing their contact information, and VSA arts will act as an intermediary for any opportunity. New opportunity, new application VSA arts polished up the long-standing photocopied application to make it clean and splashy to prepare for its marketing launch. The 5-page application asks for details about an artist's specific discipline, media, and techniques. The application also asks artists to describe their personal motivation to create and to write a personal statement that will be posted online. The application takes about an hour to complete, aside for the time to do any slide or video duplication or gather artwork samples. "Artists should continue to keep us informed of current projects and update artistic samples (slides, videos, CDs). Many artists keep us on their mailing lists and these materials become a part of their files," said Moore. Visit the VSA arts Artists Registry online at www.vsarts.org, under Artist Services, to take a peek at the progress. VSA arts of Hawaii-Pacific Means Business Rejuvenated affiliate dives in to tackle artist's biggest hurdles After a brief hiatus, VSA arts of Hawaii-Pacific has returned to the islands. With the re-establishment of the affiliate comes great vigor in addressing the biggest challenges for adult artists with disabilities: economic viability, maximizing government benefits like Social Security, and developing a network within the greater arts community of Hawaii. VSA arts recently presented the affiliate its award for excellence in public awareness and advocacy. James E. Modrick, V.P. of affiliate and education services, commented, "Hawaii's efforts went beyond our expectations, developing a program that was a facilitator of policy change." A recent statewide forum on careers in the arts was the initial breeding ground for the affiliate's potential solutions, and their allies have expanded to include the Social Security Administration (SSA), reinforcing their objectives with the state legislature at the annual Pacific Rim conference on people with disabilities. Held in late March, the conference includes Hawaii and several Pacific countries in three days of intensive information-sharing and networking. Because the forum allowed Susan Miller, executive director VSA arts of Hawaii-Pacific, and her staff to travel to each of the state's many islands, it was an ideal way to re-introduce the affiliate to untapped artists with disabilities from the state. The forums were a reason to network and build community for the affiliate. "We needed to reposition VSA arts in a much more visible way," said Miller. "We are now connected to economic development and committed to advancing the careers of Hawaii's artists with disabilities." The Benefits of Paradise Despite living in what many of us would call paradise, Hawaiian artists with disabilities face many of the same problems that artists on the mainland do. A limited understanding of their Social Security benefits is a chief issue for them.Miller made building a relationship with the states's SSA her number one priority. Creating a sense of urgency in the government agencies wasn't hard: nationally and in Hawaii, 75% of people with disabilities are unemployed. "This has huge implications for all of our government systems," said Miller. "People with disabilities need to navigate vocational rehabilitation, Medicaid/Medicare and Social Security, for instance. These systems need to be adjusted so that they are accessible to this audience." Although artists can establish themselves as self-employed and receive higher benefits through work incentives programs, few will risk losing their monthly benefits to establish themselves as working artists. Especially when it's easy to perceive that "working artist" is not embraced by SSA as a legitimate career. Initial research at VSA arts of Hawaii-Pacific turned up almost 200 people with disabilities statewide who were connected to federal and state assistance (such as food stamps, Medicaid, or SSI benefits). Few, if any, knew that they could be earning up to $800/month through work incentives without losing their Social Security Income (SSI). Art Opens the Door Miller worked to find a middle ground where artists and the system could work together. Their goals started with making friends with SSA on behalf of people with disabilities. To do this, art was the ideal tool.VSA arts of Hawaii-Pacific invited SSA to participate in their career forum. She admits it took a while to find the right people at SSA, but when she did, the relationship bloomed. Susie Anderson at Hawaii's SSA office started attending all the affiliate's events, bought artwork, and spread the word about Hawaii's artists with disabilities. "She even helped us paint a new arts center on Lanai," said Miller. "In her, artists saw a problem-solver, not a problem." Miller is now pushing the state's SSA office to institute more benefits planners. Hawaii's office currently has only one benefits planner servicing the entire state. Rejuvenating Artists Ed Chevy is a bassist who is deaf. He is part of a rock band of all deaf musicians called Beethoven's Nightmare. He has seen a change in the spirit of artists with disabilities since VSA arts of Hawaii-Pacific returned. "VSA arts of Hawaii-Pacific not only re-opened doors but rejuvenated every artist with a disability on the islands statewide who long to achieve recognition and a career in arts," said Chevy. "But the biggest bonus is bringing self-esteem to Hawaii's disability culture- a movement that embraces and enriches the value of people's lives." Start-Up Firm Aims to Create AT to Help Artists Tell them what you need Artists with disabilities can make use of Assistive Technology Solutions(tm) www.atsolutions.org (ATS) to both submit ideas about what assistive technology they need, or to see if designs exist for tools and devices that they can use. Ideas, sketches, and prototypes are submitted to ATS, and staff then "redesigns" the device to make it easier to fabricate and improve such features as maintainability and safety. Plans include everything necessary for someone with the requisite skills and tools, but no knowledge of assistive technology, to fabricate the device. If you have ideas or have a need, please contact Jerry Weisman at jweisman@vtc.edu Festival Fellow "Driving Force" behind mural project for the 2004 International VSA arts Festival Led by Pennsylvania artist and Festival Fellow Kong Ho, VSA arts commissioned a mural where over forty horses symbolize the "driving force of pursuit" and showcase the cultural diversity, dreams, and imagination of the participants. Said Ho, "It is my hope that the completed mural will demonstrate the power of the arts to cross the boundaries of cultural, ethnic, geographic, and physical differences, offering visitors an opportunity to experience the true meaning of a global community in the new millennium." Ho led the participants at D.C.'s Millennium Arts Center in sessions on Mural Surface Preparation, Enlarging the Mural Layout, and Refining the Details. The completed mural was on view at Union Station from June 10 to June 26. the palette An Information Bulletin for Visual Artists Provided by VSA arts Summer 2004 "Man's imagination has no limits. If you describe something-not just the way it looks but the way it feels-then it's a thousand times more beautiful. You make it yours. Touching it makes it yours. Barriers go down. You're not afraid of trying something just because your eyes tell you to be careful, that you're going to ruin it.You become free." Luis Passalacqua, Sculptor 2004 International VSA arts Festival VSA arts 1300 Connecticut Avenue, NW, Suite 700 Washington, D.C. 20036