State Art Organization's Education Program Continues to Thrive!

As the state organization on arts and disability, VSA Florida (VSAFL) continues to facilitate their signature 8-week residency program throughout the state in every school district for the 2011-2012 school year. It's their feeling that all students of all abilities can and should be offered art, regardless of the fact that most school-based art programs have all but been extinguished. So how do they continue with this work they feel so passionate about and offer programs they know produce only positive outcomes?

Take note readers, through grant, parent or corporate sponsorship an 8-week art residency in just about any genre of the arts is within your student or school's reach for $500; class size is limited to 20 pupils. This guarantees 8 consecutive visits by a teaching artist to the same location. VSA Florida teaching artists are trained to work with people of all abilities, work hands-on with students in inclusive classrooms, adults with disabilities in day programs and teens at risk in Department of Juvenile Justice sites. By contracting VSA Florida for your special needs arts experiences, more students than one classroom per county can rely on that fact that art is one of the most powerful tools for learning and continues to be the catalyst for all VSA Florida programming.

Of course their ever-so-popular community art classes My Art My Way continue to grow in numbers. These can be offered as an after-school program directly at a school site or through a community space that is generously offered for the classes. Each class is $10/student/class and the program can be set up to rotate VSA Florida's trained teaching artists in all genres of the arts, i.e., visual, music, dance and movement and performing arts. At least 5 students need to be enrolled to support the program; students of all abilities are invited to attend. Please contact your VSA Florida Regional Coordinator for more information, http://www.vsafl.org/regional .

Have a birthday party or community gathering you'd like to have some original fun artwork created?   Zot Artz, art Making Tools and Equipment, designed by Dwayne Szot, bring the joy of creative expression to people of all abilities. Fun for all, they are adapted to allow children with disabilities more opportunities to create works of art. If you are in need of an art activity at a class outing, art festival, school functions.....think Zot Artz! These fun tools will delight everyone...with and without disabilities. Let VSA Florida connect you to their lending providers around the state. For more information,http://www.vsafl.org/arts-all-lending-program-kicks-fall .