VSA arts of Nevada
|
250 Court Street |
Mary Ellen Horan |
|
TTY: Rings through on (775) 826-6100 |
Website: |
Organizational Profile:
|
Full-time Staff: 2 |
 |
Since 1986, VSA arts of Nevada has provided quality arts programs for all, focusing on children and adults who have disabilities or are otherwise at risk, disadvantaged, or underserved by the arts.
Programming Partners and Other Funders:
Ten different nursing homes and assisted living facilities throughout the state; 21st Century Learning Center sites; Artown in Reno; Camp Lotsafun; City of Reno (Arts and Culture Commission, Neighborhood Advisory Board); City of Sparks Parks and Recreation; WestCare's Harris Springs Ranch for Boys; Historic Reno Preservation Society; Renown Behavioral Health Services and Renown Medical Center’s Pediatrics Unit; Nevada Arts Council; Sun Valley Neighborhood Summer Camp; Quest Counseling in Reno; Reno Housing Authority; Washoe County Parks and Recreation; Nevada Association for the Education of Young Children; Northern Nevada Mental Health Institute; Nevada Humanities Committee; John Ben Snow Memorial Trust; Meadowood Mall; Fernley Elementary School; Union Pacific Foundation; Connections art group in Reno; Odyssey Foundation; Sierra Pacific Resources; school districts of Carson City, Lyon, Pershing, White Pine, and Washoe counties
Educational Programs and Artist Residencies
Arts in Education for Students, Preschool–12th Grade
VSA arts of Nevada conducts more than 900 visual and performing arts workshops throughout the state every year in self-contained classrooms for students with special needs and mainstreamed elementary and high school classrooms. These workshops give students the opportunity to explore the arts and discover their hidden talents, helping them develop a higher sense of creativity and self-awareness. Selected artwork from this program may be exhibited throughout the year in the Lake Mansion.
After-school and Summer Programs for Students, Preschool–12th grade, and Adults
VSA arts of Nevada conducts more than 400 workshops each year in conjunction with Reno Housing Authority, 21st Century Learning Center program, Sun Valley Neighborhood Summer Camp, Camp Lotsafun, Camp Care, Westcare's Harris Springs Ranch for Boys, and others. For many participants, these programs are their only opportunity to explore the arts on a regular basis.
Arts in the Community
VSA arts of Nevada conducts more than 800 workshops each year throughout the state, partnering with assisted living facilities at Sierra Regional Center in Sparks, at Renown Behavioral Services and Renown Medical Center’s Pediatrics Unit in Reno, at Leisure Without Limits in Sparks, and at a veterans’ nursing home in Boulder City. The workshops provide needed creative outlets for participants with disabilities to experience the arts through hands-on activities.
Open-to-All Public Workshops and Art Camps
Since 2000, VSA arts of Nevada has provided accessible and affordable visual, theater, creative movement, and music arts workshops and art camps for children and adults with and without disabilities. Workshops in partnership with Washoe County and the City of Sparks take place at the Lake Mansion and other locations. Approximately 900 year-round workshops are conducted each year with financial assistance available to individuals who wish to attend.
“Access Art” Workshops
On a weekly basis at the Lake Mansion, VSA arts of Nevada conducts 90-minute visual art workshops for adults with developmental delays.
Professional Development and Technical Assistance
Teacher Training
VSA arts of Nevada trains early childhood education teachers and provides manuals on using the national VSA arts Start with the Arts™ educational resource, an early childhood educational program that uses arts-based learning to support literacy. VSA arts of Nevada works with the Nevada Association for the Education of Young Children and private preschools in this effort.
Scholarships
VSA arts of Nevada provides scholarships to attend workshops, purchase art supplies, or support other art-related activities for adults and children who have disabilities and/or face economic hardship.
Cultural Access and Inclusive Arts Services
Sign Language Interpretation
VSA arts of Nevada provides interpreters for arts and culture performances in the Reno area.
Arts and Cultural Access
VSA arts of Nevada, in conjunction with Nevada Arts Council, works to make Nevada’s cultural facilities physically and programmatically accessible to all, providing technical assistance to arts and cultural organizations and facilities throughout the state.
Public Awareness and Outreach
Festivals
VSA arts of Nevada conducts hands-on children’s arts festivals in Fernley and Lovelock. These festivals are three-day events at elementary schools in both locations.
Annual Events
VSA arts of Nevada conducts workshops in conjunction with several annual events, including the Discover the Arts program of the Artown Festival, Healthy Kids Day in Reno, Reno Firefighters’ holiday party for children in transition, Reno/Sparks Down Syndrome Buddy Walk, Turn Off the TV event, and Arts in Bloom in Sparks. The workshops add a creative component to these events while giving VSA arts of Nevada additional exposure.
As an annual event, VSA arts of Nevada conducts the Lake Mansion Jingles program for the holidays, with four free kids’ art workshops, photos with Santa, a book signing of The Lake Mansion: Home to Reno’s Founding Families, and tours. Descendants of families who once lived in the mansion are also invited.
VSA arts of Nevada Education Publication
VSA arts of Nevada will produce a publication that promotes their open-to-the-public art workshops while highlighting one or more pieces of artwork created by a child and a lesson plan that parents can implement with their own children. On a monthly basis, VSA arts of Nevada submits a lesson plan or article for a local family publication and lists open-to-the-public workshops in conjunction with Washoe County School District Community Education.
Lake Mansion and Art Access Gallery
VSA arts of Nevada’s administrative offices are located in the historic Lake Mansion, once owned by the founder of Reno, Myron Lake. The mansion was moved three miles in 2004 from the Reno-Sparks Convention Center to the downtown Reno arts district on the corner of Court Street and Arlington Avenue. In March 2005, VSA arts of Nevada returned to the 1877 mansion with tours, exhibitions, and workshops. Three times a year the mansion will host special exhibitions including Holiday Art Mart and a Youth Art Month show. The VSA Arts Access Gallery opened in October 2006, featuring two rooms of fine art created by artists who have a disability, providing a much-needed venue for these 20-plus artists to show and sell their work.
The mansion is open to the public for tours and field trips are offered to local fourth-grade students who are studying Nevada history. Their visit includes a tour and an art workshop.
The public is able to rent the Lake Mansion for special events, meetings, and parties. Proceeds assist VSA arts of Nevada, who owns and operates the mansion, to maintain the structure that is listed on both the State and National Registers of Historic Places.
Web Sites
The VSA arts of Nevada Web site, www.vsanevada.org, features 30 lesson plans for artists, teachers, and parents; the VSA arts of Nevada exhibition schedule; open-to-the-public workshop listings; program descriptions; artists' profiles; current news; and more. The Lake Mansion Web site, www.lakemansion.com, is linked to the VSA arts of Nevada Web site and highlights information on the history of the mansion, how to donate to the organization, etc.
License Plates
VSA arts of Nevada, in collaboration with the Nevada Arts Council, produced a Nevada “Rich in Art” license plate with artwork created by a student from Las Vegas. Nevada drivers can purchase the plates. Sale proceeds are used to expand arts education initiatives for Nevada’s children.
(F) 202-429-0868