VSA Michigan
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1920 25th Street |
Lora Frankel |
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Tel.: (313) 843-2355 |
Website: |
Organizational Profile:
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Full-time Staff: 2 |
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VSA Michigan promotes creative power in people with disabilities and works to create an inclusive society where people with disabilities participate in, learn through, excel in, and enjoy the arts. VSA Michigan increases educational and community arts opportunities for individuals with disabilities throughout the state, and promotes the need for arts education. VSA Michigan also provides direct assistance to volunteers in the areas of program development, fundraising, public relations, and community networking to plan and implement programming that benefits thousands of individuals with disabilities in their respective communities.
Programming Partners and Other Funders:
Programming partners include the Michigan Council for Arts and Cultural Affairs, MARO Employment and Training Association, Michigan Statewide Independent Living Council, Char-Em Intermediate School District (ISD), Copper Country Community Mental Health, Dearborn Community Arts Council, Dennos Museum Center, Flint Children’s Museum, Flint Community Schools, Genesee ISD, Glen Oaks Community College, Greater Flint Arts Council, Schoolcraft Community College, Traverse Bay Area ISD, Upper Peninsula Children’s Museum, VSA Michigan-Grand Rapids, and Washtenaw ISD. Funders include the Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan, The Skillman Foundation, The Kresge Foundation, Ruth Mott Foundation, Erb Family Foundation, Detroit Public Schools, School District of the City of Highland; Park; City of Detroit Neighborhood Opportunity Fund, and various corporations, foundations, service clubs and individuals
Educational Programs and Artist Residencies
Artist Mentoring Programs
VSA Michigan and its district affiliates in Detroit, Flint, Grand Rapids and Hancock provide opportunities for youth and adults to learn in and through the arts of dance, drama, literary arts, music and visual arts through visual, auditory, kinesthetic, inquiry-based, problem-solving learning experiences conducted by professional teaching artists. These mentorships take place throughout the year, providing participants from 80-350 hours of in-depth engagement in the arts. Participants invite family members, educators and friends to share in their accomplishments at occasional performances and exhibitions.
A particularly successful mentoring program is the artsJAM (Jobs And Mentoring) Detroit Work Alternatives for Youth Program, which employs young people, ages 14–22, living in the Detroit area. Youth are hired at minimum wage to work seven hours per day, five days per week, for three to six weeks. These employees, mentored by professional teaching artists, choreograph dance, create drama, compose music, write poetry, and create works of visual art. With the assistance of program staff, they assess their participation and record their daily experiences in journals. They are also given opportunities to contribute to their community and develop a culminating event attended by families and friends at the end of the summer that celebrates their accomplishments.
Artists-in-Residence Programs
VSA Michigan collaborates with educators in elementary and secondary schools to integrate dance, drama, music, and visual arts with the language arts, math, science, and social studies curricula in inclusive and special education classrooms. Residencies include planning meetings with teaching artists and school staff, in-service workshops for teachers and paraprofessionals, classroom observations by the artists, classroom workshops taught by the artists, evaluation sessions with teachers, and culminating events to give opportunities to students and teaching artists to exhibit or perform their creative work.
Educational Workshops
One to five-hour workshops conducted by professional teaching artists are provided for children, youth, and adults with disabilities that demonstrate how the arts benefit learning. In some instances a series of three to four hour-long workshops are taught by the same artist. Workshops take place in schools and arts and community centers.
Professional Development and Technical Assistance
Community Outreach
Training and technical assistance for VSA Michigan district volunteer coordinators are available through ongoing communication and meetings to assist with program development, fundraising, publicity, and volunteer recruitment and retention. Each year a Volunteer Leadership Development Institute is offered at a conference center.
Artist Services
VSA Michigan responds to requests from artists with disabilities for information, resources, and assistance with career development. VSA Michigan staff members assist the artists in evaluating their needs and developing a plan for providing necessary services, which may include development of portfolios and marketing materials. Three years ago, VSA Michigan conducted its first Career Forum for Artists with Disabilities at the Michigan Rehabilitation Conference in Grand Rapids, and is offering a series of workshops throughout 2010 that will assist artists in career development. A database of artists is maintained and, as opportunities arise for exhibiting or performing, they are informed by direct mail, an e-mail listserv, Web announcements and social media. Artists are invited to create a one-page Web site at: http://vsamiartists.wordpress.com, where they are able to promote themselves, engage in dialogue with other artists, and learn of available opportunities.
Workshops
VSA Michigan offers half- to full-day workshops for educators upon request. Occasionally school districts and individual schools contact the state office and request a workshop. Schools are matched with teaching artists in the media of their choice and purchase workshops on a fee-for-service basis. Workshops are also conducted at arts, education, and disability conferences.
Cultural Access and Inclusive Arts Services
Workshops and Site Surveys
VSA Michigan provides disability awareness and access training workshops, accessibility site surveys, information and referral services and resources for arts and cultural organizations and institutions in Michigan upon request.
Inclusive Arts Services include:
Tickets to Performing Arts Events—Tickets purchased at group rates or complementary tickets to theatre, dance, and music performances are provided to children, youth, and adults with disabilities, and their families through the efforts of VSA Michigan district volunteers.
Kids-on-the Block—Puppet performances are provided to all third-grade students in the Traverse Bay Area Intermediate School District. These programs address a variety of disability and social issues by promoting tolerance and understanding.
American Sign Language Interpretation—VSA Michigan, Grand Traverse Area, and the Traverse City Symphony Orchestra collaborate to provide sign-interpreted performances and an instrument “petting zoo” at family concerts.
Involvement in the Michigan Youth Arts Festival—High school youth with disabilities who participate in the artist mentoring programs and/or exhibit their work in the Emerging Artists’ Touring Exhibition are invited to attend the Michigan Youth Arts Festival that takes place at Western Michigan University in Kalamazoo each May. Participants are engaged in workshops and attend festival rehearsals and performances. The Michigan Young Soloist Award recipient is showcased during the Thursday evening gala concert.
Arts for All
VSA Michigan coordinates a rental/lending program of art tools that were created by Michigan native Dwayne Szot. VSA Michigan affiliated district organizations may borrow the tools, and other organizations may rent them. Training sessions in the use of the tools are offered for a fee.
Public Awareness and Outreach
Emerging Artists’ Touring Exhibition
An annual call for art is announced in the fall of each year, resulting in an exhibition of 40–60 works of visual art created by emerging artists. The exhibition travels to approximately 20 venues throughout the state, including conferences, festivals, schools, libraries, malls, and arts and community centers. The “ART-omatic 2010” touring exhibition is launching in March 2010 and will tour through March 2011.
VSA Michigan Festivals
District organizations conduct festival events celebrating the culmination of their yearlong programming. Festivals will take place in May and June in Centreville, Flint, Grand Rapids, Livonia, Petoskey, and Traverse City.
Expressions Newsletter
VSA Michigan publishes two issues of Expressions each year. The newsletter informs readers of the VSA activities that take place throughout the state.
Information and Referral
VSA Michigan will continue to provide information regarding assistance and resources available in the arts, education, and disability communities for persons seeking information and referrals.
Web Outreach
VSA Michigan maintains a Web site at www.vsami.org with links to district websites in Genesee County, Grand Rapids and Grand Traverse Area. VSA Michigan is also on Facebook, Twitter, http://vsartsmichigan.wordpress.com, and http://vsamiartists.wordpress.com.
(F) 202-429-0868