North Carolina - Center for Creative Arts

200 North Davie Street, Box 13 Greensboro, North Carolina 27401	Wilton King Executive Director
Tel: (336) 379-9461 Fax: (336) 379-9460	vsa_artsnc@bellsouth.net

Organizational Profile:

Full-time Staff: 0
Part-time Staff: 1
Volunteer Hours: 170/month
Projected Total 2005
Income (including in-kind contributions): $462,070
Direct Participants: 6,731
Indirect Participants: 1,605
Total Congressional
Districts Served: 12

Man stands before paintings hanging on wall behind

The mission of VSA arts of North Carolina (NC) is to promote the arts for children and adults with disabilities, strengthening the human spirit and improving quality of life for everyone in North Carolina. The VSA arts-NC Gallery mission is to provide gallery experience for people with disabilities to learn through, participate in, and enjoy the arts and raise community awareness through visual and performing arts.

Programming Partners and Other Funders:

United Arts Council of Greensboro, NC; State Arts Council of NC; Center for Creative Arts; City of Greensboro, Cultural Arts Center; Arc of Greensboro

State Programs

Educational Programs Including Teaching Artist Residencies

Gallery Guides

The Gallery Guides program will take place at the VSA arts-NC Gallery at the Cultural Arts Center in downtown Greensboro. Gallery Guides, a program designed to teach adult volunteers with developmental disabilities how to work in a gallery setting, will run throughout the year. Participants will be requested to volunteer at the gallery for a minimum of two months, and will have the option of working beyond that mandatory timeframe. A goal of 40 hours has been established as the minimum monthly time commitment for each volunteer.

Professional Development and Technical Assistance

VSA arts Training Program

The VSA arts Training Program will take place in the VSA arts-NC Gallery, as well as in the Center for Creative Arts classrooms. Artists and arts educators, including members of the North Carolina Art Educators Association, and college and university special education departments across the state, will be targeted for the training programs. Sessions will focus on preparing these artists and arts educators to use the arts as a learning tool for people who have disabilities. The kickoff date for these programs is scheduled for spring 2005. Each session will last between five and ten days, no less than once per month throughout the year.

Public Awareness and Outreach

Now See This

"Now See This" is a statewide art exhibit that addresses the needs of underserved communities in North Carolina. Through this exhibit, the VSA arts-NC Gallery informs schools, groups, individuals, and organizations in the disability field about its programs. The Gallery also provides professional and emerging artists with disabilities the opportunity to exhibit their work throughout the state and to make connections and contact within the art industry in North Carolina. Finally, the Gallery will raise awareness about the value and validity of artwork produced with disabilities.

Now Feel This

"Now Feel This" will be a new traveling art exhibit to provide the visually impaired an opportunity to create and enjoy a medium of art through hands-on pieces of work as well as the general public.