VSA arts of Hawaii - Pacific
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VSA arts of Hawaii-Pacific Tel.: (808) 697-1202 |
Wendy Kamai Mr. Chin Lee Website: |
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Full-time Staff: 1 |
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Programming Partners and Other Funders:
University of Hawaii, Center on Disability Studies, Adult Mental Health (AMDH); ARC of Kona and Honoka’a; Business and Economic Development; Chase and Haines Fine Arts in Hilo; Coalition for a Drug-Free Lanai (CDFL); Department of Health (DD/MR); Department of Labor One-Stops Centers; Department of Education (Adult Education); Hawaii Artists Cooperative; Hawaii Arts Alliance; Hawaii Small Business Administration; Hawaii State Foundation on Culture and the Arts; Department of Health; Department of Human Services, DVR; Ira Ono Volcano Garden; Just Add Water LLC; Kahumana; Lanai Art Center; Lanai City Public Library; Lanai High and Elementary School; Mana Hawaii; Na Mea Native Books; National Arts and Disability Center; Office of Hawaii Affairs (OHA); Office of Hawaiian Affairs (OHA); Ohana Ola;Small Business Development Center Network (SBDCN); Social Security Administration (SSA); Square Cat LLC; State Department of Human Services; Volcano Arts Center
Educational Programs and Artist Residencies
Literacy through the Arts
The Literacy through the Arts program classroom/studio setting is designed to engage learners with various disabilities who need multiple means of engagement in learning. By using hands-on arts education with other strategies, such as “artful” thinking disposition and Universal Design for Learning, VSA arts of Hawai’i-Pacific makes learning more accessible and relevant to students’ lives. This program promotes skill development, understanding of abstract concepts, and gives students the chance to express themselves without the fear of making mistakes as they learn. Through this program students learn to view language arts, numeracy, employment and life skills, visual art making, and journalism as “literacy through arts” learning projects.
Student journals, portfolios, and classroom group projects serve as indicators of literacy growth among students. Findings indicate that students demonstrate letter recognition, basic reading skills, improvement in reading and writing abilities, reading comprehension, confidence with words, and life skills.
Arts Mentorship
Professional artist-mentors provide year-round after-school art instruction and mentorship for students in kindergarten through twelfth grade at various schools statewide. This program promotes high-level arts skills, products, and resiliency skills. Master artists oversee the advancement of art skills and generalize art competency from the art studio back to classrooms and the community.
Professional Development and Technical Assistance
Artists Mean Business in Hawai‘i
The Artists Mean Business self-employment initiative grew out of the National Arts and Disability Center, VSA arts, and Careers in the Arts statewide forums led by Dr. Olivia Raynor at UCLA. In its sixth year under the VSA arts of Hawai‘i-Pacific banner, Artists Mean Business reaches across the state of Hawai‘i to emerging and professional artists and cultural craft makers with disabilities to subsidize opportunities to advance artists’ creative skills and business acumen in year-round professional development studio intensives. The business–creative industry classroom style workshops draw on the strength and value of flexibility derived from self-employment, with high-level technical assistance on business and marketing skill development.
Embedded in the process are ongoing discussions and knowledge building regarding Social Security Administration (SSA) and Medicaid benefits planning information. SSA-eligible individuals who use mental health services and others who qualify for SSA may have “Artist Mean Business” business and studio tuition subsidized by the Division of Vocational of Rehabilitation. Progress is being made in collaboration with National Arts and Disability Center at UCLA, VSA arts., SSA, the Centers for Medicaid Medicare Services, the Hawaii State Department of Human Services, and the University of Hawaii (UH) Center on Disability Studies.
Youth@Work in Hawai‘i
VSA arts of Hawai‘i-Pacific, in partnership with the Hawaii Division of Vocational of Rehabilitation, the State Department of Education, State Foundation on Culture and the Arts (SFCA), and the UH Center on Disability Studies will roll out Youth@Work. This program is a model internship pilot for students with disabilities in transition. Expanding on traditional career and technical education internships for high school youth without disabilities who are in transition, Youth@Work will demonstrate how to utilize the Hawai‘i Career and Technical Education Pathways for students with significant disabilities to earn elective credits and gain employment experience in various business sectors, including the creative industries, while still enrolled in high school.
Cultural Access and Inclusive Arts Services
Arts for All Cultural Access
This program provides increased access to statewide arts and cultural resources through trainings and collaboration with state agencies and national arts and cultural specialists and professional artists with disabilities.
Public Awareness and Outreach
Creative Abilities Series
Through the Creative Abilities series, VSA arts of Hawai’i-Pacific works with new and established statewide partners in a series of art events that promote the creative power of people with disabilities through the creation of art. Existing annual gallery exhibitions and seasonal product sales are among the events, and at least 10 medium- and small-scale events further expand public awareness beyond Honolulu to smaller neighbor islands with rural and remote communities.
(F) 202-429-0868