An Information Bulletin for Visual Artists Provided by VSA arts Spring 2005 VSA arts the palette Letter from the Director 2 We need your feedback! After the Award 3 Once the limelight fades, what does the award offer? For Sculptor Terry Karpowicz,Gurus Guide the Way 4 Artist to artist experience essential. VSA arts affiliate gets creative to create funding 6 A partner in the Jerome Foundation. Newsletter survey 7 Let us know what you think about this publication. Laura Ferguson: An Inner-Body Experience 12 Beauty beyond skin deep. VSA arts The Palette is an information bulletin for visual artists provided by VSA arts. Stephanie Moore, Director of Visual Arts, VSA arts Jennifer Colaguori, Visual Arts 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: Dolores Kanar Janson, Cave Art, acrylic on canvas, 20" x 16" cover: Jay Kyle Petersen, Guardians, mixed media on canvas 24" x 36", 2004 back cover: Terry Karpowicz; photo: Robert Krawczyk, Illinois Institute of Technology College of Architecture letter from the director We Need Your Feedback After over a decade of service at VSA arts, I have seen many young, aspiring artists grow up through the VSA arts programs. They enter into the art world encouraged by their parents, our affiliates, or a caring teacher. Often, the arts unlock a door to learning, social experiences, and self esteem. Several artists decide to pursue the arts as their life's work-charting a course for a career and professional acclaim. And in between, VSA arts-both nationally and through our affiliate network and programs-serves to provide the encouragement, advice, and opportunity to let the artist within take shape. In this issue, you'll find updates from several of our finalists for our program sponsored by Volkswagen that identifies emerging young artists with disabilities, ages 16-25, who demonstrate promise in the visual arts. You'll also find a compelling interview with Terry Karpowicz, an artist who has made headway in the arts community, but has not forgotten the mentors and guidance he received along the way. And you'll find a lot of great leads on grants and identifying funding to keep up with your goals. Make sure to check our Web site at: www.vsarts.org/x621.xml for additional leads and resources. Most importantly, I urge you to complete and mail the enclosed survey in the postage paid envelope. Please take 10 minutes to voice your opinions about our work. We rely on your ideas and insights to inform our programming, and it's critical that you let us know about the usefulness and importance of this publication. What is most helpful to you? What could we do better? If this were the last issue you received, what would you miss the most? Keep up the great work, Stephanie Moore Director, Visual Arts After the Award The VSA arts\VW program finalists charge forward For the past four years, with the support of Volkswagen of America, Inc. (VW), VSA arts has sponsored the VSA arts\VW awards for promising young artists with disabilities. This year's grand prize finalist receives $20,000, and $60,000 in total will be given out to the finalists (doubled from last year's $30,000). Recognized artists exhibit their work in prominent spots like the Smithsonian Institution during the nationwide touring exhibit, and the artists earn a resume-starting accolade. The Palette caught up with a few of the past honorees to see how their artistic pursuits and careers have fared since taking part in the competition. Jonathon Wos Wos was the Grand Prize finalist in 2003, the second year of the competition. He is now at University of Wisconsin, Oshkosh, finishing up his bachelor's degree in fine art. Wos is looking forward to finding a studio and continuing his work in Oshkosh. "The prize had a big effect on me," said Wos. "I got lots of interviews-I was on the local news, and I was a featured artist in a show in Beaver Dam, Wisconsin." With the grant he received as an honoree, Wos did what most any artist would: he socked some away and "bought a ton of art supplies." He said he also used the funds to help finance the cost of entering shows. www.wosart.com Katie Miller "I am currently still saving the $1,000 I was awarded by VSA arts\VW," said Miller, a 2004 finalist. "In fact, I am saving most of the money I make on my art for something really special, like a trip to Europe." Meanwhile, Miller is a sophomore painting student at Maryland Institute, College of Art in Baltimore. She recently was part of a two-person show at the Community Arts Center in Monkton, Maryland, and she has sold several pieces. "I have received a few emails from people who saw the exhibit Driving Force telling me they liked my work," she said. "The local paper did a small story on me, as well." www.ArtistKatieMiller.com Gianna Marzilli Since being presented the First Award in 2003, Marzilli has been working toward building a career that includes art and health care. She earned a Bachelor's degree, and is working in Boston, doing psychological research and preparing to apply to graduate school in the next year or so, in either health psychology or design. "Eventually, I hope to combine my interest in health care with my interest in graphic arts, and work in health communications," said Marzilli. "I think it's really important to provide patients and their families with accessible resources, particularly in the case of chronic illness management." "I still have some of my VSA arts\VW award money put away-probably to defray graduate school application costs-but I did use some of it to upgrade my photography equipment!" Sunaura Taylor The past year has been interesting for Sunaura Taylor, who was awarded the Grand Prize in 2004. She has seen both the positive and the negative potential of media attention. Through her involvement with the VSA arts competition, Taylor was interviewed for NPR's All Things Considered news program. "I realized they had censored my story by avoiding a recorded discussion about my disability's relationship to military pollution," said Taylor. "This has been frustrating but has inspired me to write on these issues and involve myself more both artistically and intellectually in the causes I believe in," she said. Taylor and a friend have founded a nonprofit called Art-Relief to raise money for art supplies and classes for people who do not have access to art. "Our first benefit was for people affected by the tsunami in South Asia. We raised more than $1,000 during our first auction." Taylor is also creating new work artistically. "I finished some paintings I was working on during the VSA arts\VW, in time for a one-man show in Atlanta that went very well," she said. "I have begun some new ones, which I'm feeling excited about." www.sunnytaylor.org/ Isaac Powell 2004 First Award honoree Isaac Powell just graduated with his Master's degree in painting, and will be pursuing an M.F.A. (studio art degree) in the fall. He credits the VSA arts\VW award with amping up his graduate school applications. "I have poured the generous award money back into my art, whether it is in actual art materials themselves or funds for documentation of my work (slides etc.)," said Powell. Katie Miller, Comfortable Disturbance, pastel on paper, 27"x 18", 2004 For Sculptor Terry Karpowicz, Gurus Guide the Way Early Mentors Continue To Fuel His Creativity Chicago sculptor Terry Karpowicz credits three apprenticeships with his success as an artist. He says painter Larry Poons taught him that an artist's life is not a 9-5 career-it demands more commitment, creativity, and flexibility; sculptor Mark Di Suvero taught him to go beyond his abilities and direct his energy with precision; and the English millwright Jim Davies showed him the passion needed to devote yourself to your work. "Those are my three gurus. I wouldn't be here without them," said Karpowicz. With their inspiration, he has become an acclaimed American sculptor of major outdoor works, and is also a leader in the artistic community, both as the longtime director of the Chicago Pier Walk and curator of several exhibits and shows both around the country and around the world. This spring, Karpowicz installed his largest work yet-a sculpture that will stand at the border crossing of Canada and the United States in Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan. Constructed in part of a homestead Michigan farm and a ship sunk in Lake Superior in 1856, the work is 75 feet long and six feet high and was commissioned by the Government Services Administration. In addition, the Illinois Institute of Technology is staging the largest ever exhibit of Karpowicz's work in a retrospective running from April to September on the campus of IIT (for more info, go to www.iit.edu). How to Live as an Artist Long before he was installing major works at the country's borders, Karpowicz was an artist's assistant in New York City. He apprenticed to abstract artist Larry Poons in 1969-70, who gave Karpowicz lessons in supporting his work as an artist. These valuable insights kept him able to create for years after his apprenticeship ended. After receiving his Master's degree in sculpture, Karpowicz relocated to Chicago, where studio space was relatively cheap and sculpting materials were readily available. To sustain himself, he sold his time and talents as a carpenter. "I did the labor of a carpenter with the aesthetic of an artist," he said, and was hired to do things like build staircases for restaurants. Karpowicz could work in the off-hours of the restaurant-from 1 am to 8 am, for instance-which suited the restaurant owners, and allowed him to maintain his focus on his artwork. Epiphany and Passion It was Poons who inadvertently launched Karpowicz's career as a sculptor. He loaned Karpowicz out to assist in the installation of a Mark Di Suvero exhibit at a nearby New York City gallery. At the time of the exhibit, Di Suvero was out of the country in protest of the Viet Nam War. (Di Suvero is a major American sculptor whose iconic works, constructed of I-beams that are welded or bolted together are recognizable to even the most amateur art fan. Many of his pieces are displayed in the rolling hills of upstate New York at the Storm King Art Center.) During his visit, Karpowicz saw the steel pieces laying on the ground. The gallery was empty for some reason so he decided to simply get to work. Upon lifting the heavy steel beam, he said he had an epiphany. "I discovered mass and gravity. It changed my life," said Karpowicz. "In my painting I was always looking for a reaction-ways to push the canvas, to throw paint on it, to elicit that reaction. With sculpture, I realized it was a full hand, eyes, mind, and body experience. I was immediately hooked." Karpowicz returned to school at the University of Illinois where he earned a Master's of Fine Art in Sculpture, but wanted to study further. He installed his pieces outside, and encouraged people to touch and climb on his work. At first, he used railroad ties and telephone poles because they were cheap or free. But the weather and the wind were rendering his works temporal. He wanted to understand how to work with the wind, so he applied for and was granted a Fulbright Scholarship to apprentice to a millwright-the person who builds windmills. Jim Davies was one of England's last millwrights, and Karpowicz was transformed by the experience. In addition to teaching Karpowicz how to create sculptures that can be installed outside and last a lifetime, Davies gave the young artist something else. "He was able to harness my enthusiasm and energy into the world of a craftsman," said Karpowicz. "He showed me that material had a soul and identity-and how to discover it and listen to it. He was so passionate about what he did." Karpowicz doesn't think the deeper lessons he learned through his apprenticeship can be learned in school. "I don't know if you could teach passion. You have to be exposed to appreciate it." Going Beyond All the transformations Karpowicz experienced in the United Kingdom were not positive. While abroad, he was in a serious car accident and as a result lost his leg. He said his leg became gangrenous while he was hospitalized, and the doctors told him it needed to be amputated. He had eight hours to think it over. "Mark Di Suvero again popped into my head," said Karpowicz. "Despite Di Suvero's disability, he was able to work. And I thought to myself 'Hell, I'll be one leg up on him.'" Karpowicz has never let his disability stop him from his artistic or professional goals. "You have to be very adaptive," he said. "I built things like gantries to do my work, and learned much more about the physics of moving things, like how to move things without using muscle." Karpowicz does not rely on assistants to do his sculpture -only for the business elements of his artistic career. He calls sculpting a 'pretty private endeavor' and prefers to work alone. He believes the challenges that resulted from the injury have changed the way he uses his mind. "I'm now much more receptive to learning new things," said Karpowicz. "Just by taking a walk, and listening to nature. I'll see a tree clinging to the side of a cliff-it's still growing there, doing fine. It sounds hokey but it's a driving force behind my work." A Broader Role In the past 20 years, Karpowicz's success has rivaled that of his gurus. He has sculptures installed around the world, has received a long list of honors, and regularly acts as a leader in the art world. For years, he has been leading Chicago's famous Pier Walk sculpture exhibition-an annual festival of art featured along Lake Michigan. He has also just curated an exhibit at the University of Dallas at Irving. Called "A Core Convergence," the exhibit features five artists including Karpowicz. Terry Karpowicz at the opening of his retrospective at IIT. See his work at www.iit.edu. photo: Robert Krawczyk Terry Karpowicz, Icarus Trajectory, mahogany, steel and aluminum, 16'9" x 10' x 10', 1998. SAS Institute, North Carolina Terry Karpowicz, Pyramas and Thisbe, wood, granite and steel, 21' x 12' x 2', 1992. Northern Illinois University, Dekalb, IL. Terry Karpowicz, Sault Ste. marie Border Station Desk Plan & Elevation Terry Karpowicz, Sault Ste. marie Border Station Desk Enlarged Detail VSA arts affiliate gets creative to create funding Minnesota Affiliate Runs A Granting Program With Arts Foundation From his early career working as a music therapist/ educator with young people with disabilities, Craig Dunn, Executive Director of VSA arts of Minnesota knew that without role models for his students to aspire toward, all artistic education was a dead end. The Jerome Foundation, a granting organization based in Minneapolis, knows that partnering with other organizations and foundations to do "regranting programs" is an ideal way to build strong roots in the larger artistic community. When the two came together in 1996 they developed a program for adult artists with disabilities that is helping foster the early careers of emerging artists in Minnesota. The Artist Recognition Grant program serves as an innovative role model for funding adult artists with disabilities. The Jerome Foundation, created by artist and philanthropist Jerome Hill, makes grants to support the creation and production of new artistic work by emerging artists in Minnesota and New York City. The foundation has many programs with other organizations, but almost all are discipline-based. When the Minnesota affiliate approached them about making one open to artists in all media but specifying it as disability-based, they were keenly aware of the need and the value of such a program. "The Jerome Foundation knew that artists with disabilities were out there but they knew that frequently, because of obstacles to education and opportunities, these artists might not be competitive," said Dunn. Dunn is proud that the grants provide opportunities that wouldn't otherwise be present. The grants frequently go to artists who are very early in their careers. These artists would not be granted from most other organizations. Six artists each year receive $1,000, with no strings attached. All VSA arts of Minnesota asks is that the recipients send a letter of thanks to the Jerome Foundation. An upside for the affiliate is that the artists often become active in the other programs operated by the affiliate or VSA arts, such as artist residencies and festivals. Many past winners also serve on the selection panel for the grant. "We like to enlist their support, and it's a surefire way to make sure that disability issues are represented on the panel," said Dunn. Disability only needs to be identified-the level to which applicants are disabled or their integration of their disability in their artwork is immaterial. "A lot of panelists, including those with disabilities, want to know more about the applicant's disability-how it effects their ability to do their work, for instance," said Dunn. "But we don't talk about that. We judge each applicant on three criteria, and merit of work is 60%, regardless of disability." The other two criteria is 20% based on the ideas expressed in the Artist Statement and 20% based on their Resumé/History of Work/Other background. As for whether the Jerome Foundation is satisfied, "They keep funding us every year-that's the feedback." www.mn.vsarts.org or www.jeromefdn.org. Fay Caterina Lionti, Afternoon on the Condado, acrylic and mixed media, 48" x 24", 1999 (www.liontigallery.com). Thanks to Fay Caterina Lionti for being one of the first to answer our online career survey at www.vsarts.org/prebuilt/artists/career_survey.c0m. Give us your feedback to help us understand your professional experiences! newsletter survey Help VSA arts Improve Our Communication With You VSA arts welcomes your feedback on the semi-annual newsletters, The Palette and The Spotlight. The Palette and The Spotlight are printed newsletters that are published twice a year and circulated to members of the VSA arts Artists Registry. These free publications serve as a resource for technical assistance, career development, grant opportunities, and articles related to the arts and disability. Your comments provide valuable insight into the usefulness and importance of these publications. Please take a few minutes to respond to the following survey that should take about 10 minutes to complete. A self-addressed, stamped envelope has been provided for returning your survey via U.S. Mail. You may also fax your response to VSA arts at 202.737.0725. We would like all surveys to be returned at your earliest convenience, but no later than Friday, July 29, 2005. Thank you in advance for your participation! Do you read The Palette and/or The Spotlight? Yes No If YES, go to Section 1. If NO, why not? Ease of access to accessible formats Features do not interest me Too busy Other (please explain):____________________ Skip to Section 2. Section 1. Content What is the best description of how you use the publication: Thoroughly read, front to back Skim all features Read a feature then store or toss Other (please explain):____________________ Please check ALL the reasons why you read the publication: Identify Web resources and URLs Identify funding sources and grants. Get information on VSA arts and its affiliate network. Other (please describe):__________________ Learn how to find exhibition and presenting opportunities. Learn from the experiences of artists and performers through interviews. Determine how to collect SSI/SSDI benefits and continue to sell/produce my work. Receive specific advice on taking slides, portfolio development, headshots, etc. What is your favorite feature? Artist/performer interviews Web resources Features about VSA arts national initiatives Updates on VSA arts services for artists Technical Assistance and business advice Other: _________________________________ Stories about the work VSA arts is doing in the field through our affiliates Interviews with other service providers (i.e. Social Security, Creative Capital, Arts in Healthcare) Why? What feature do you like the least? Artist/performer interviews Web resources Features about VSA arts national initiatives Updates on VSA arts services for artists Technical Assistance and business advice Other: _________________________________ Stories about the work VSA arts is doing in the field through our affiliates Interviews with other service providers (i.e. Social Security, Creative Capital, Arts in Healthcare) Why? Have you applied for an opportunity, fellowship or grant that was listed in the newsletter(s)? Yes No If YES, which ones? Were you successful? Yes No Have you used any of our tips in your career as an artist? Yes No If YES, which ones? Were you successful? Yes No How important is the publication to you? very important not very important somewhat important not at all important neutral How useful are the articles in The Palette and The Spotlight? very useful not very useful somewhat useful not at all useful neutral Do you keep The Palette and/or The Spotlight for future reference? Yes No Would you recommend The Palette and/or The Spotlight as a resource to other artists who have disabilities? Yes No If NO, why not? Does the content address your interests and needs as an artist with a disability? Please explain why or why not. What other types of articles would you like to see in future newsletters? Section 2. Electronic Format Would you read The Palette and/or The Spotlight if it were ONLY an electronic publication? Yes No If NO, go to Section 3. What best describes your level of electronic access? Own my own computer and use it frequently without much interruption Own my own computer, but my access is slow (i.e. dial up, connection speed frustrating) Minimal access to a computer (i.e. visit the library or log on through a friend's computer) I don't use a computer. Have you visited web sites listed in The Palette and/or The Spotlight? Yes No If YES, which ones? Section 3. Personal Information (OPTIONAL) Name: E-Mail: Web site: Telephone: What other arts publications do you read? Art in America Art Calendar Kaleidoscope Opening Stages Other:____________________ Would we be able to contact you concerning this survey or any of your answers? Yes No Please return your survey in the envelope provided as there is no need to affix postage. You may also fax your survey back to us at 202.737.0725. Thank you very much for your time and response. Serious About Your Art? Creative Capital is a place to start Among artists, one of the most popular and acclaimed granting organizations is Creative Capital, based in New York City. They give unique grants to artists of nearly every media that include a professional development component-workshops, support building a business plan, consultation help-that help truly make the grant a career-changing experience. Naturally, not everyone can get a grant from Creative Capital, but luckily the organization also offers workshops to any artist. Their Web site, www.creative-capital.org is enormously informative. The Creative Capital Professional Development Program began two years ago to offer the career-building component of Creative Capital's artist services program to any artist. Their aim is to help artists break common patterns of crisis management and increase their satisfaction in art practices and careers. Weekend retreats and day-long workshops are designed to deliver skill-building opportunities to diverse communities of artists across the country. Most of these workshops and retreats cost around $100. Creative Capital develops the workshops based on what they've learned through their work with grantees, and include topics like grantwriting, financial management, and marketing. The weekend-long retreats are co-led by professional consultants and trained Creative Capital grantees and focus on helping artists to strategically organize, plan, and sustain their creative careers. Participants benefit from the artists' personal perspectives and experiences with the presented content. This artist-to-artist training model is proving to be an effective means for building the overall capacity of the artistic community. For more information about the workshops and programs, visit the Creative Capital Web site or contact Heather Macdonald at Creative Capital at heather@creative-capital.org, or call 212.598.9900. To read some informative advice for grantseeking from Alyson Pou, an artist and Creative Capital's assistant director, visit: www.toolbox.creative-capital.org/articles/individualfundraising.html. Upcoming Workshop and Program Dates June 3-5 Hendersonville, NC-Weekend Retreat June 17-19 Miami-Weekend Retreat July 8-10 Houston-Weekend Retreat July 23 Newark, NJ-Strategic Planning workshop B, Part I of III August 2-7 New York City-Workshops at the Creative Capital Artists Retreat September 16-18 Pittsburgh-Weekend Retreat September 24 Newark, NJ-Strategic Planning workshop B, Part II of III November 19 Newark, NJ-Strategic Planning workshop B, Part III of III Laura Ferguson: An Inner-Body Experience Artist Casts Medical Images in a New Light Laura Ferguson's artwork reminds you of the great masters. Like one of Rembrandt's sketches, her pieces combine an anatomical level of detail with a sensuousness and textural beauty. As you admire the intricate composition of her paintings, which show the inside of her body as if lit by candlelight, it's hard to believe you're looking at the spinal column, something you normally see in the dry severe style of a biology textbook. Ferguson laughs about this, but also admits it's one of her goals as an artist. "I had a friend who called my work 'an inner body experience', and I kind of like that." There is a part of Ferguson that enjoys taking her body back from the medical perspective. Since she was 9 years old, Ferguson has been diagnosed with scoliosis. It has required surgery, and a lifetime of doctor visits. Like almost any person with a disability, she has developed a lifelong relationship with the medical community. "Doctors know stuff about you that you don't even know," she said. "Yet they often depersonalize it all. They do not always acknowledge you as an individual. Making art was a way for me to take back my body-to own it." "When you have an unusual body, you need to create your own kind of beauty-attractiveness, gracefulness, desirability-whatever word best applies. For me, asymmetry was an issue, and balance. It was challenging to me as an artist to create visual balance from an image that was in itself unbalanced," Ferguson said. Growing up with scoliosis, Ferguson was able to isolate her back from her general self-perspective. She said she always felt beautiful except for her back. "I kept it all in my back and separate." In addition to doctor visits, Ferguson has done extensive bodywork-the physical therapy and classwork frequently pursued by dancers or people who have chronic pain or back problems. "Through painting and the process of learning about my anatomy and doing bodywork, I began to realize that even my back was beautiful," said Ferguson. "Everyone wants to see themselves, and most of us don't, in popular culture. There is such a premium placed on an unnatural state of perfection." Unlike our current popular standards, Ferguson favors a world view where everyone is beautiful in unique and personal ways. To her, beauty is not only skin-deep. Thanks to our limited understanding of the insides of our bodies, we don't think of how each person's inside is as unique as their outside. She creates artwork that she hopes illuminates that idea for those who take the time to understand. "We're all different on the inside too," she said. "I think being a person with a disability makes me more aware of it, but the reaction from able-bodied people is equally strong." Most people, she said, just don't connect with the inside of their bodies. Ferguson's work is delicate and arresting, but she has goals beyond an aesthetic approach. As an artist with a disability, she is involved with advocacy in addition to her own artistic endeavors. "Shouldn't our public institutions, particularly those in the medical world, be on the side of helping to overcome our fears or discomfort about physical differences or flaws, rather than cater to them?" Ferguson sees a social value to work like her own. Ferguson chooses to make her body, and thus her physical disability, central to her work, but does not feel that is necessary in order to be an advocate. "Advocacy can take many forms," said Ferguson. "Even a painter with a disability who is doing landscapes-something far removed from the physical realities of his disability, is advocating on behalf of people with disabilities." As an artist, she even feels like her disability is in some ways an asset. The physical and emotional pain she has experienced has heightened her sense of empathy with the world around her. Also, anyone living with a disability is deeply aware of the notion of being an outsider, something common-and some might say vital-to life as an artist. "It's normal to consider a disability a 'bad' thing," she said, "But it's also an extra thing. I draw on my personal experience to create. Our culture prefers to always look on the bright side, but life is painful. We need to be open to that." Ferguson is a member of the Society for Disability Studies (see below), and the organization has a novel concept of how to reference disability that is in line with Ferguson's thinking. SDS proposes to reintroduce the term "handicapped" in an effort to destigmatize the concept of disability. "I'm not that strong and I tire easily so I keep my work small and I limit the networking I do professionally. That is my handicap," said Ferguson. "I'm just figuratively a few steps behind at the starting line. Disability, to me, is a more negative connotation. It immediately conjures up images of the lack of physical function." Artists with disabilities compensate for whatever obstacles their disability presents through physical or lifestyle adaptations. Ferguson feels 'handicap' in some ways is more straightforward, and wishes both terms were in use. An exhibit of her work is hanging at the National Museum of Health on the campus of the Walter Reed Medical Center through August 2005, and can be seen online at www.nmhm.washingtondc.museum/exhibits/skeleton/index.html or www.lauraferguson.net. She is working on touring this exhibit throughout the country, and is developing a book about the Visible Skeleton series. A short documentary about this exhibit was made with filmmaker Peter Barton. What is the Society for Disability Studies? SDS is a scholarly society of social scientists, health researchers, humanities scholars, and those active in the disability rights movement that promotes the exploration of disability through research, artistic production, and teaching. Since 1982, SDS has aimed to contribute to social change by increasing the understanding of disability in all cultures and perspectives. The organization also promotes the concept of "disability studies" as a discipline of importance. For more information about SDS and to find out how to join the organization, visit their Web site at www.uic.edu/orgs/sds. Laura Ferguson Laura Ferguson, Crouching figure with visible skeleton,mixed media, 12.75" x 10", 2000 Laura Ferguson, Stretching/kneeling figure with visible skeleton,mixed media, 9.75" x 8", 2002 Careers in the Arts for People with Disabilities Initiative In collaboration with VSA arts and the National Endowment for the Arts, the National Arts and Disability Center at UCLA is administering a national initiative that provides support and technical assistance to State Arts Agencies and their VSA arts affiliate to convene a Statewide Forum on Careers in the Arts. The purposes of the Statewide Forums are two fold: 1) to assess the education and career needs and barriers for artists and arts administrators with disabilities; and 2) to develop and implement strategies to overcome barriers and advance careers in the arts for individuals with disabilities. The following states were selected to convene statewide forums for the 2005 year: Arizona, Florida, Nebraska, New Hampshire and Ohio. To learn more about the forums, visit nadc.ucla.edu/StatewideForums.cfm. "Shifting Gears": Call for Entries Deadline: July 15, 2005 VSA arts is pleased to announce the launch of "Shifting Gears," a national juried exhibit for young artists with disabilities. The program is made possible with the generous assistance of Volkswagen of America, Inc. Through the call for entries, we hope to identify emerging young artists with disabilities, ages 16-25, who demonstrate promise in the visual arts. The VSA arts\VW program is now in its fourth year, and includes an awards reception on Capitol Hill for the finalists during September 2005, and a touring exhibit that debuts at the Smithsonian during the fall. You may find additional information at www.vsarts.org/x267.xml. Thank you for helping us spread the word to young artists who might be interested! An Information Bulletin for Visual Artists Provided by VSA arts Spring 2005 VSA arts the palette "I discovered mass and gravity. It changed my life. In my painting I was always looking for a reaction-ways to push the canvas, to throw paint on it, to elicit that reaction. With sculpture, I realized it was a full hand, eyes, mind, and body experience. I was immediately hooked." Terry Karpowicz, Sculptor Featured on page 4 photo: Robert Krawczyk VSA arts 818 Connecticut Avenue, NW, Suite 600 Washington, D.C. 20006