VSA arts of Alaska
|
3800 DeBarr Road |
Michael Huelsman |
|
Tel.: (907) 279-8099 |
Website: |
Organizational Profile:
|
Full-time Staff: 3 |
 |
VSA arts of Alaska connects art, community, and change throughout a state where culturally diverse communities are separated by vast distances. Now entering its 24th season, VSA arts of Alaska finds and shares cultural explorers whose ideas challenge and inspire; to raise up creative space where all generations gather and learn; and to champion, through the arts and humanities, people marginalized in our times. VSA arts of Alaska owns and operates its own facility, Out North.
Programming Partners and Other Funders:
Akeela, Inc.; Alaska Arts and Culture Foundation; Alaska Community Share; Alaska Community Foundation; Alaska State Council on the Arts; Arc of Anchorage; Anchorage Opera; Anchorage Weavers and Spinners Guild; Avis Alaska; Bezek & Seiser; Begich Middle School; Bunnell Street Arts Center; BP Exploration, Carver Family Foundation; Classic Woman & Portfolio; ConocoPhillips; Fairbanks Arts Association; KYES-TV 5; IBM; McLaughlin Youth Center; Mediak; Municipality of Anchorage; National Endowment for the Arts; National Performance Network; Paul G. Allen Family Foundation; Rasmuson Foundation, Storytellers Guild of Anchorage; University of Alaska Anchorage Women’s Studies Department; University of Alaska Anchorage Art Department; Warhol Foundation; Western States Arts Federation
Educational Programs and Artist Residencies
Images of Youth
VSA arts of Alaska’s multidisciplinary youth arts program serve students with learning disabilities and other at-risk students in grades 6–12. Professional artists guide adolescents in creative writing, performance, visual, and media arts to develop their talents, language arts skills, knowledge of contemporary art forms, social and academic skills, confidence, and self-esteem. Youth-devised projects give teens a public forum to express their aspirations and concerns through the arts.
Local teaching artists work in after-school programs at an Anchorage middle school and a youth detention facility with high concentrations of low-income, at-risk youth. These classes are augmented by visiting national performing artists. An Alaska Native teaching artist will conduct a residency in a remote Alaskan village that has a high population of Native youth. VSA arts of Alaska will continue to administer summer camp programs for low-income, at-risk youth with and without disabilities in its facility.
Professional Development and Technical Assistance
Onstage and Gallery Programs
Emerging artists with and without disabilities will be given opportunities to develop live performance skills through an annual solo performance showcase, a drama therapy program for women in recovery from substance abuse, and a program that sends artists to teach workshops in underserved rural areas of the state. Visiting national performing artists will train local artists on how to effectively integrate the arts into the curriculum for students with disabilities in prekindergarten through 12th grade, and to use various art forms as tools to teach other academic subjects and life skills. Emerging visual artists will be given opportunities to exhibit their work through the community gallery program.
Cultural Access and Inclusive Arts Services
No Artist Left Behind
VSA arts of Alaska will increase access to participation in the arts for people with disabilities and low-income audiences by providing transportation and tickets to events. Board, staff, artists, members, and local design professionals are investigating options for re-envisioning and upgrading existing facilities with the goal of creating an accessible environment for artists and audiences of all ages.
Public Awareness and Outreach
Disability Awareness
VSA arts of Alaska highlights the work of artists with disabilities through public performances, screenings, exhibitions, and festivals. The Reel Eyes showcase of media art by, for, and about people with disabilities features creative documentary, live action, and experimental videos from around the world.
(F) 202-429-0868