VSA Kentucky
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21st Floor, Capital Plaza Tower |
Delaire Rowe |
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Tel: 270-781-0872 |
Website: |
Organizational Profile:
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Full-time Staff: 1 |
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VSA Kentucky provides arts education and inclusion programs for children and adults with disabilities throughout the state and offers an underserved population equal opportunity and full access to explore the arts. Through involvement with trained professionals and volunteers, people with disabilities learn creative and social skills that open doors to new opportunities in the arts. Headquartered in Bowling Green, VSA Kentucky conducts programs and services in all six congressional districts throughout the state. Of the more than 875,000 people in the state of Kentucky with some form of disability, 8.44% are students in Kentucky schools. Many individuals benefit from and contribute to arts-related educational and career opportunities by participating in VSA Kentucky programs and services.
Programming Partners and Other Funders:
Kentucky Department of Education Division of Exceptional Children Services; VSA; WHAS Crusade for Children; City of Bowling Green; Kentucky Arts Council; Conference for Exceptional Children (CEC); Bandy, Carroll, Hellige Public Relations; Capitol Arts Alliance; Cardinal Hill Rehabilitation Hospital; Lifeskills, Inc.; Kentucky Repertory Theatre; Public Theatre of Kentucky; Hugh E. Sandefur Industries; West Kentucky Easter Seals; Kentucky Library and Museum; Murray State University; The Murray Art Guild; The Center for Rural Development; The Lexington Art League; Kiwanis Club of Bowling Green; Starbucks of Bowling Green; Kentucky Museum of Art and Craft; Somerset Community College; Anonymous; Kentucky Children’s Hospital; In-Kind Contributions: B&J Gallery; Lynne Ferguson; Marsha Heidbrink; Ginny and Clayton Miller; Claci Miller Juday; Jeff Juday; The Liberty Group; Weyerhauser Company
Educational Programs and Artist Residencies
Arts Inclusion Program
This program is designed to provide experiences in the arts for children of all abilities in mainstreamed settings. It is an opportunity for classroom teachers and artists to work together to plan inclusive arts residencies and projects for individual classrooms as well as large groups. The program is also designed to include teacher involvement. Teachers learn by observing and often assisting the teaching artists. It is hoped that teachers will initiate experiential, hands-on arts projects in their classrooms after the completion of the residencies. This residency program reaches schools in every congressional district and supports children in many underserved areas of the state.
Side by Side
Side by Side is a visual art program for children with disabilities that provides mentoring collaboration for students paired with professional artists from various communities. Students attend studio art classes led by resident artists. The class series culminates with each Side by Side student artist creating a collaborative piece of artwork with a professional adult artist from his or her community in a one-on-one session. The program concludes with a public exhibition of a trio of pieces hung together—the individual student artwork, the collaborative piece, and the artwork by the professional artist. Students and artists recognized at a public opening reception. Side by Side is currently being conducted in Bowling Green, Lexington, Louisville, Murray and Somerset. A sixth site will be established during this 2010 fiscal year.
The Artist Within: Disabling the Myth
This program is designed to provide creative learning and expressive opportunities for youth and adults with developmental disabilities who live and work in the state of Kentucky. Participants take art classes throughout the year which culminate in public exhibitions. The classes are taught by VSA Kentucky teaching artists and cover a wide spectrum of techniques, media and processes.
The Artist Within is a program of VSA Kentucky and currently is conducted in Bowling Green, Henderson and Paducah.
Community Partnerships/Residencies
VSA Kentucky partners with healthcare centers and community organizations and agencies to bring inclusive, adaptive arts to clients and/or patients of preschool through adult day health programs. These experiential artist residencies range from music, visual arts, creative dramatics, improvisation, songwriting, storytelling and puppetry and are designed in collaboration with healthcare and/or organization/agency staff to meet individual participant needs.
These programs include the Arts in Healing program at Cardinal Hill locations throughout the state and the Kentucky Children’s Hospital. Other community partnerships/residency partners are the Kelly Autism Center in Bowling Green and the Theatre of Possibilities in Lexington.
Professional Development and Technical Assistance
Teaching Artist Mentoring Program
The Teaching Artist Mentoring Program is designed to assist new teaching artists adaptive strategies for working with students with disabilities and increase their teaching skills. These artists are mentored by “master artists” who have years of experience conducting residencies and workshops for VSA Kentucky. Once artists are “mentored,” they are placed on the teaching roster and are eligible to begin conducting residencies.
Ronald J. Billings Emerging Artist Program
This program provides emerging artists with disabilities an opportunity to develop business skills, increase marketing knowledge and further develop the quality of their work. It also allows artists to more effectively market and prepare themselves for professional opportunities. Visual artists are provided with exhibition opportunities. Artists in other genres are provided similar opportunities such as performance, etc., pertinent to their art form.
Cultural Access and Inclusive Arts Services
Cultural Awareness Services and Resources
VSA Kentucky provides access services and resources to cultural venues, agencies, organizations and businesses. This includes ASL Interpretation, workshops and/or presentations on cultural and disability awareness, and presentations for artists who are listed on the state arts council teaching roster. Various resource and educational materials are also available for the public, parents, caregivers, etc. at our facility.
Public Awareness and Outreach
Web Site/Newsletter
The Web site (www.vsartsky.org) and Arts for All Newsletter serve as resources to artists, educators and cultural organizations looking for ways to provide arts programming and access to diverse populations. The site provides information about upcoming events, programs, resources, and related links. It also provides up to date information to the general public regarding opportunities for artists, students, teachers, etc.
Young Soloists Award
VSA Kentucky conducts a live adjudication for the Young Soloist Program in early December. This search is conducted to identify and recognize the exceptional talents of young musicians and/or vocalists in our state. The award winner's application is submitted to VSA for consideration for the national Young Soloist Program. Students and their families travel to Bowling Green in early December for the adjudication process and the award recipient is provided a scholarship along with performance opportunities throughout the year.
Tours and Calls
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Art on Tour
is a collection of exhibitions featuring selections from VSA Kentucky programs. Schedule to date: 1) VSA Kentucky will exhibit various artworks such as the traveling student exhibit; SIDE BY SIDE program and other exhibits throughout the year at the Kentucky Repertory Theatre in Horse Cave, KY and at other locations as requested from various venues throughout the year. This may include venues such as local art galleries, coffee shops, libraries, etc. -
All Kids Create
VSA Kentucky will participate in the All Kids Create program by providing artwork for the National Call for Art. Work will be secured through various education/classroom settings. 2010. -
The Call for Writing
VSA Kentucky will target teachers in each congressional district (6 districts) to work with specifically on the Call for Writing. Work to be submitted will be selected from the participating schools. -
Bandy Carroll Hellige (BCH)
is an advertising/public relations agency headquartered in Louisville. Each year, VSA Kentucky installs four different exhibits on all four floors of this building. The exhibits are composed of works by both students and adults, with and without disabilities. Various exhibits are installed each quarter at this location.
Arts Access Gallery
The artsACCESS Gallery is located at the VSA Kentucky offices in Bowling Green. This gallery is an educational facility that gives emerging artists experiences that will help them learn to present themselves in a professional manner to prospective galleries. Assistance is also provided to these artists as they are preparing for an exhibition. The staff is available to answer questions and give direction to any artist. Seven different exhibitions/activities are scheduled to hang in this gallery that are composed of work by both students and adults, with and without disabilities.
The artsACCESS Gallery is included in city-wide arts programs such as The Gallery Hop, International Festival Gallery Walk and The World’s Greatest Studio Tour, providing opportunities for the general public to visit the gallery and learn more about VSA and VSA Kentucky programming. Educational opportunities are provided for students and their families who attend VSA Kentucky workshops and classes.
A Matter of Perspective
“A Matter of Perspective” is the VSA Kentucky annual student call for art/traveling exhibition. This call is specifically for students with disabilities, pre K-12 in schools throughout the state. Artwork is submitted from schools and/or individuals. Up to 30 pieces are chosen to be included in the exhibit which debuted in late November at the annual CEC Conference. The exhibit was provided, free of charge, to schools and communities throughout the commonwealth. When this exhibit travels to each community location, educational materials are included with the artwork. These materials include inter-active lessons designed to engage students in the exhibit and create responses, i.e., visual, literary and quantitative assessments.
(F) 202-429-0868