VSA arts of Florida
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3500 E. Fletcher Ave, Suite 234 |
Marian Winters |
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Tel.: (813)558-5095 |
mwinters@tempest.coedu.usf.edu Website: |
Organizational Profile:
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Full-time Staff: 2 |
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The mission of VSA arts of Florida is to create a society where people with disabilities have the opportunity to learn through, participate in, and enjoy the arts. VSA arts of Florida meets its mission through a statewide network of program partners that provide services to children, youth, and adults with disabilities, and programs through the state office including professional development opportunities, rotating exhibitions, performances, and artists’ residencies.
Programming Partners and Other Funders:
Florida Department of Education, Bureau of Exceptional Education and Student Services; Florida Department of State, Division of Cultural Affairs; Department of Juvenile Justice; National Endowment for the Arts; Social Security Administration, University of South Florida; State of Florida Department of Vocational Rehabilitation; Bank of America Foundation; Florida Inclusion Network; Florida Diagnostics Learning Resource Services; Palm Beach County Parks and Recreation, Easter Seals of Volusia County; Cummer Museum of Art and Gardens; Carnival Center for the Performing Arts, The Miami-Dade School District, Miami–Dade County Department of Cultural Affairs, Centers for Independent Living, ARC centers; school boards of the 67 Florida counties; museums and performing arts centers
Educational Programs and Artist Residencies
Statewide Program Partners
With support from VSA arts of Florida, 18 program partners statewide assess their communities’ needs for arts and education programs for students and adults with disabilities and provide the following activities: festivals, artist residency programs, Start with the Arts™ and Express Diversity! training, Arts for All programs, school-based regional professional development on inclusion in the arts, community art classes, exhibitions, performances, and mini-grants.
Exemplary Participant Program
The Exemplary Participant Program is a statewide program to nominate students with disabilities who have excelled in the arts and/or have developed leadership skills through the arts. The winning students and their teachers each receive a savings bond, are honored at a VSA arts of Florida annual special event, and are recognized in their local school district.
Artists in Residence
VSA arts of Florida provides an artist in residence to at least 75 different program sites statewide that serve early childhood inclusive classrooms, students who are medically fragile, students with disabilities in inclusive classes, youth at risk, and adults with disabilities. Residencies run from 8–10 weeks and include an evaluation of skills learned.
Professional Development and Technical Assistance
Start with the Arts™ Workshops
Start with the Arts training is held regionally and on request. Sessions include hands-on activities that relate to the lessons in the Start with the Arts© book for each art form; adaptations for students with disabilities; links to benchmarks; and writing lesson plans. VSA arts of Florida partners with the Early Childhood Coalitions, the Office of Prekindergarten Education, and University of South Florida early childhood initiatives.
Inclusion Workshops
Inclusion training sessions are regional and are specific to art, music, movement and drama specialists and teaching artists. The full-day sessions include breakout workshops on disability awareness and behavioral issues led by arts specialists with expertise in adaptations and inclusion in the classroom. VSA arts of Florida offers three regional workshops based on the Florida Department of Education publication Visual Arts for Students with Disabilities: Accommodations and Modifications. In addition, VSA arts of Florida will offer pre-conference inclusion workshops at the Florida Art Educators and the Florida Music Educators annual meetings.
Artist Professional Development Workshops
Ongoing professional development is offered to members of VSA arts of Florida artists’ registry on how to build and sustain a successful career in the arts.
Careers in the Arts Workshops
A workshop on careers in the arts looks at the many job opportunities in the growing field of creative industry. The workshop is offered to transition specialists, job counselors, and placement specialists at agencies that serve adults with disabilities. Each workshop includes a survey of different careers in the arts and a personal story from a successful artist with a disability. A middle school course of study on careers in the arts is being developed in partnership with the Florida Department of Education.
Access for Cultural Organizations
Full- or half-day workshops are held for staff and volunteers of arts venues on disability awareness and how to increase participation of individuals with disabilities in programs, audience, and volunteers.
Cultural Access and Inclusive Arts Services
Artists Registry
VSA arts of Florida has an online Artists Registry database for Florida artists with disabilities. Membership is free and entitles artists with disabilities to access resources, receive technical assistance, and learn about exhibition opportunities. Art work created by registry members is shown on our Web site.
Calls for Art
VSA arts of Florida disseminates calls for art for local, regional, or national exhibitions to students and adults with disabilities.
Exhibitions
In 2007–08 VSA arts of Florida will tour Feel the Art, an exhibition that replicates well known pieces of art into tactile pieces, and Art on the Move, which showcases best practices in accessible exhibitions. Yearlong exhibitions are held at the Department of Education, Division of Blind Services, University of South Florida, and the Office of Vocational Rehabilitation. Exhibition sites include libraries, public galleries, and service agencies. VSA arts of Florida operates two sites for its Open Door Gallery. The primary gallery site is at the West Tampa Center for the Arts and will host six major exhibitions yearly of new works created by adult artists from our registry. The second gallery is located at the state office which rotates quarterly exhibitions of children’s art submitted from our program partner sites and calls for art.
Cultural Access
VSA arts of Florida provides information, technical assistance, and workshops on access for performing arts centers and museums. A statewide access committee facilitated by VSA arts of Florida regularly meets to address statewide issues. Two new funding opportunities to continue access initiatives and for continued professional development were committee recommendations. VSA arts of Florida is a cosponsor of the 2008 Leadership Exchange in Arts and Disability Conference scheduled in Ft. Lauderdale in August 2008.
Public Awareness and Outreach
Statewide Communications
VSA arts of Florida distributes, in print form, the biannual Arts Connection Bulletin, which features statewide programs and opportunities and our annual report. Both documents are available in alternative formats and accessible through our Web site. VSA arts of Florida also distributes Arts Access, a quarterly e-newsletter that highlights local VSA arts of Florida events.
(F) 202-429-0868