VSA arts Highlights Children’s Artwork in International Exhibition at Union Station

May 3, 2007

WASHINGTON, May 3, 2007 - VSA arts’ will display the visual artwork of children from around the world as part of its annual Start with the Arts Family Festival at Union Station in Washington from June 5 to 24.

ArtLink, an international cultural exchange program in its sixth year, paired 51 U.S. classrooms with their global counterparts last November. Students aged 7-14 created visual arts projects that were exchanged with an international partner classroom. One piece of artwork by a student in each classroom was selected to join the exhibition at the festival.

“What is great about ArtLink is that children reflect on their own culture, and then learn about how students in other countries live,” said Soula Antoniou, president of VSA arts. “In a world that is increasingly global, this program broadens children’s views at an age when they are forming impressions.”

The ArtLink program emphasizes diversity and provides an opportunity for students to appreciate other cultures. Art becomes the bridge to allow students to share their personal experiences and create new friendships. “Culture Scope: Focusing in on My Life” is this year’s theme.

Thirteen participating U.S. students with disabilities representing the ArtLink Exhibition will come to Washington for a congressional reception on Capitol Hill on June 6: Seng Keng Moua from Anchorage, Alaska; Robert Bernal from Sacramento, Calif.; Queen Hudgins from the District of Columbia; Catie Updyke from Santa Rosa Beach, Fla.; Kim Squires from Kansas City, Kan.; Curtis Schaefer from Clio, Mich.; Alexis Baham from Puckett, Miss.; Dylan Gray from Aberdeen, N. J.; Luke Montemarano from Westerville, Ohio; Erin White from Pawtucket, R.I.; Jose Antonio Prado from Salt Lake City, Utah; Matthew Cartner from Brattleboro, Vt.; and Gabrielle Reimann from Casper, Wyo.

VSA arts’ affiliates facilitated the recruitment of participating schools and coordinated teaching artists to work directly with the classrooms. Teachers received information about partner classrooms and guidelines for incorporating ArtLink into their lesson plans. The program integrates arts in education through a standard educational curriculum and can be used by educators who teach a variety of subjects. A teacher’s guide provides ways to create and maintain an inclusive classroom for students with diverse learning needs and cultural backgrounds.

VSA arts is an international nonprofit organization founded in 1974 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 more than 60 countries around the world. VSA arts is an affiliate of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. For more information visit www.vsarts.org

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