Young Audiences of Connecticut
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3074 Whitney Avenue |
Eileen Carpinella |
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Tel.: (203) 230-8101 |
Organizational Profile:
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Full-time Staff: 2 |
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Young Audiences of Connecticut’s vision is that all children realize their potential through the arts; that the arts are valued for their ability to improve our schools and communities; and that, by participating in the arts, children will come to understand and value themselves, their neighbors, and the world cultures they share.
Programming Partners and Other Funders:
Schools: Area Cooperative Educational Services ( ACES) South Central Connecticut: ACES Whitney High School East and West, ACES Whitney High School North, ACES Village School, ACES Educational Center for the Arts (ECA); American School for the Deaf (ASD); Ansonia High School, Capitol Region Education Council (CREC): CREC Soundbridge School; Connecticut Children’s Medical Center, Connecticut Council on Developmental Disabilities, Connecticut After School Network, Deborah-Tennant Zinewicz School, Eagle Hill School, Easter Seals Goodwill Industries (ESGI) New Haven: Family Learning Center After School Program at John S. Martinez School; Fair Haven School, Frenchtown Elementary School, Grace Webb School at the Institute of Living, Hamden Children’s Learning Center, Hickory Street School, Madison Town Campus Early Education Center, Oak Hill School for the Blind, Trumbull Loves Children Arts and Cultural Centers: Charter Oak Cultural Center, Community Services Network of Greater New Haven, Creative Arts Workshop, Green Street Arts Center, Disability Resource Center, Eastern Connecticut State University Akus Gallery, Hamden Arts and Disability Councils, MARC Community Resources LTD: Day Program, Recreation Program, Saturday for Kids; New Haven Ballet, University of Hartford: Hartt School of Music; Wesleyan Potters; Funding Partners: Connecticut Commission on Culture and Tourism, Easter Seals Goodwill Industries, Middletown Arts Commission, Open Arts Fund, R.S. Gernon Trust, JL Foundation, Rossi Foundation, Saint Joseph College, JL Foundation, and the City of New Haven Mayor’s Grant Initiative.
Educational Programs and Artist Residencies
Educational and Artist Residency Programs
Educational programs and artist residencies will be inclusive of children, youth, adults, and families with disabilities. Teaching artists will initiate planning meetings with key staff and participants at each of the thirty-three locations to determine program and residency content. Teaching artists will then develop arts-based residency content to support the mission and vision that each organization has for the children and adults they serve. For example, for educational programs, content will be based on Connecticut Curriculum Frameworks; for programs in museums and historic sites, programming will support the goals of the venue for people who visit the site; for community and disability organizations, program content will be based on the educational, social, self-esteem and community development goals that the organization seeks to achieve. All educational programs and residencies will support the principles of Universal Design for Learning (UDL): Multiple means of representation, expression and engagement, to accommodate all learning styles. Educational programs and residencies will be evaluated by participants and planners. Evaluation content will inform future arts programming at each location.
Professional Development and Technical Assistance
Professional Development Program
The Professional Development Program supports: Artists: Partnering organizations will provide orientation and training for artists to appropriately work with their population. Young Audiences of Connecticut will provide artist training and opportunities for artists to attend conferences to gain skills in Universal Design for Learning (UDL), program development, planning, and evaluation.
Educators and After School Program Providers: Young Audiences of Connecticut will provide four workshops on creating inclusive arts programs for after school providers, and six ‘Arts for Learning’ literacy lessons training sessions for educators who work with first- through fourth-grade students.
Professional Development and Mentoring for and by People with Disabilities: In partnership with the Connecticut Commission on Culture and Tourism and Connecticut’s Statewide Advisory Committee on Careers in the Arts for People with Disabilities, Young Audiences of Connecticut will initiate four inclusive regional art exhibits. Each art exhibit will provide a mentoring session led by artists with disabilities. Additionally, through a partnership with Creative Arts Workshop Young Audiences of Connecticut will provide opportunities for people with disabilities to participate in one on one mentoring workshops with professional artists.
Cultural Access and Inclusive Arts Services
Site Visits
Site visits, arts program reviews, and planning meetings will be held at the individual sites of the arts, community, and cultural organizations seeking to partner with Young Audiences of Connecticut to develop new inclusive arts programs or make existing arts programs more inclusive of children and adults with disabilities
Public Awareness and Outreach
Public Awareness
The Professional Development Program is informed by feedback from teaching artists, arts program coordinators, educators, and others who attend Young Audiences of Connecticut workshops for teachers and artists on developing arts programs that are inclusive of children and adults with disabilities. Workshops provide methods of teaching the arts in an inclusive setting; the importance of using “people-first” language; and updates on current research and adaptive technologies. The professional development program continues to collaborate with the Hartt School of Music to provide artist workshops for Hartt’s summer term.
Cultural Access and Inclusive Arts Services
Site Visits
Site visits, arts program reviews, and planning meetings will be held at the individual sites of the arts, community, and cultural organizations seeking to partner with Young Audiences of Connecticut to develop new inclusive arts programs or make existing arts programs more inclusive of children and adults with disabilities.
Public Awareness and Outreach
Pubic Awareness
Young Audiences of Connecticut will raise public awareness of VSA, Young Audiences of Connecticut’s VSA affiliation, and VSA national programs through the enhancement of Connecticut’s VSA Web site, Young Audiences of Connecticut’s Web site, newsletters, community presentations, presentations at conferences, press releases, and communications with appropriate media staff throughout Connecticut.
Art Exhibits
In partnership with the Connecticut Commission on Culture and Tourism and Connecticut’s Statewide Advisory Committee, to raise awareness of careers in the arts for people with disabilities, Young Audiences of Connecticut will initiate four inclusive art exhibits in different geographical areas in the state, and has initiated planning with Eastern Connecticut State University Akus Gallery Director for an inclusive art exhibit in to be held in the Akus Gallery in September 2011.
(F) 202-429-0868