Purpose and Programs
VSA Minnesota is a nonprofit organization that was incorporated in 1986. VSA Minnesota is part of the national and international network of organizations aligned with the VSA and Accessibility program in the Education Department of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C. The network includes 36 state affiliates and 52 international affiliates.
Mission Statement
To create a community where people with disabilities learn through, participate in and access the arts.The Evolution of the VSA name:
1974: National Committee - Arts for the Handicapped
1985: Very Special Arts
1999: VSA arts
2010: VSA
Guiding Organizational Goals
- Every space and program dedicated to the arts
in the State of
- Public school arts programs and curricula will be available to and designed for students with disabilities.
- Societal attitudes and governmental regulation will not deter people with disabilities from pursuing the arts as a career or a leisure time pursuit.
Programs & Services
Programs & Services Impacting Children with Disabilities (Direct & Indirect)
Artist-in-Residence Programs
- Statewide, primarily in public school classrooms serving students where the majority have disabilities, more than a one-time experience
Professional Development for Artists, Teachers and Paraprofessionals
- Statewide, serving individuals who work with students with disabilities in and through the arts in schools, community arts centers and other community settings
- Arts Ambassador Classroom Presentations to students with and without disabilities
- Disability Awareness through the arts and Careers in the Arts for people with disabilities; Made available to students with disabilities in transition years (14-21) and general education at all other ages
Programs & Services Promoting Professional and Career Development of Adult Artists
Emerging Artist Grant Program- Competitive, juried grant program for artists with disabilities who have achieved a level of excellence in their work and who are attempting to pursue the arts as a career. Application deadline is in November with seven grants of $1,500 being awarded each year. The program is made possible through funds provided by the Jerome Foundation.
Artists with Disabilities Careers Support
- Technical and networking assistance provided to artists with disabilities seeking information and emotional support for their efforts to develop a career in the arts. This has included workshops, one-to-one support, information sharing and employment opportunities through VSA Minnesota sponsored artist residencies, festivals, exhibits, performances and presentations.
Programs & Services Promoting Access to the Arts in the General Public
Access Assistance to Minnesota
Arts Organizations
- Statewide, technical assistance so that arts organizations can better meet the needs of employees, volunteers, and patrons with disabilities in their facilities and through their programs;
- ADA Access Improvement Grants for Metro Arts Organizations provides funding to support long-term improvements to accommodate people with disabilities
Annual Arts Access Awards
- Recognition
of organizations and individuals who work to forward the issue of accessibility in their communities;
those recognized receive the Jaehny Award, named in honor of
Access to Performing Arts Program
- Funding is provided to state performing organizations to assist them in their provision and marketing of American Sign Language (ASL), Audio Description and captioning services to people who are Deaf, blind or who have low vision
Programs & Services Promoting Public Awareness and Outreach
Community Art Exhibits
- Exhibits of work by
Community Arts Events
- Festivals and other short-term, participatory arts events and activities designed for children or adults in community settings led by trained artists and focusing on the development of leisure-time pursuits through the arts.
Arts Access Newsletter
- Published 2-3 times per year and distributed to approximately 5,000 recipients in regular print and various alternative formats
Website
www.vsamn.orgMinnesota Involvement in National VSA Programming (www.vsarts.org)
Young Soloists Competition
- This annual competition for
children and young people 25 and under who have a dis-ability seeks excellent
musical performers. Competition winners
perform at the
National Calls-for-Art and other initiatives usually directed at children with disabilities
Playwright Discovery Competition
- This annual competition for
children ages 13-18 seeks original one-act plays on the topic of
disability. Writers do not have to have
a disability to enter. Competition
winners have their plays produced at the
Funding Sources
Funding is provided to VSA Minnesota by the following foundations, agencies and corporations:
- Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. through a grant from the U.S. Department of Education
- McKnight Foundation
- Jerome Foundation
- Minnesota Department of Education – Special Education Section
- Metropolitan Regional Arts Council
- General Mills Foundation
Staff
Craig Dunn has been the Executive Director at VSA
Minnesota since August of 1992. Prior to
that he was a member of the Board of Directors for four years and served as the
board’s President from 1989 until July of ’92.
Craig’s background is as a music therapist & educator having worked
primarily with students with developmental disabilities in Wisconsin
and Minnesota
schools for 13 years. Jon Skaalen
has been with VSA Minnesota since August, 1999 and is the Arts Access
Coordinator. His primary
responsibilities are the Access to Performance program and the new ADA Access Improvement
Grants for Metro Arts Organizations program. He also oversees the Emerging Artist Grant
program funded by the Jerome Foundation.
Jon comes to VSA Minnesota following work as a newspaper editor in south-western
Minnesota, a staff writing position at PACER and from the Minnesota Association
of Community Theatres. Jenea Rewertz-Targui is the Arts in Education
Coordinator and has been with us since September, 2008. Jenea directs all the programs that occur in
schools including our artist residency and Arts Ambassador programs and our
annual school festival. She also
coordinates our professional development program that assists teachers, artists
and teaching artists in better meeting the needs of students with disabilities
in and through the arts.
VSA Minnesota
Hennepin Center for the Arts
528
Hennepin Avenue,
Suite 305
612-332-3888
