&
T O P SFall 2002, Volume 9, Number 2
Our mission is to champion the arts for children with disabilities and advocate access to the arts.
This newsletter made possible, in part, by a grant from Jewish Heritage Foundation
Table
of Contents:
link
to The Living Museum
link to Big Chiefs, Big Art, Big Night
link to Accessible Arts Wish List
link to Call for Student Artwork
link to Tips & Tops - new column
link to Accessible Arts Award Nomination Form
link to Accessible Arts Hires New Program Director
link to Valuable Resource Materials
link to One, Two, Three, Four...(The Art of Learning Workshops)
link to Tales of the Elephant
link to The Return of the Scarlet Pimpernel
link to Board of Directors & Staff
link to Calendar of Coming Events
link to Change your status in our database
link to General Contact Information
The
Living Museum
Arts & Mental Illness
Can art be used to treat mental illness? Are those with mental illness blessed with more creative potential than those without? Can art help communicate the inner world of those with mental illness?
Oscar Award-winning filmmaker Jessica Yu explores these issues in her film, The Living Museum. Accessible Arts, Coalition for Independence, VSA arts of Missouri and Unity Temple will present Yu’s documentary about mental illness and the arts at 8:00 PM on Saturday, October 5th at Cinemark Palace on the Plaza Theaters. The screening will be preceded by a special reception (with complimentary food and drinks) from 6:00 - 7:30 PM in Eden Alley, below the Unity Temple on the Plaza. Admission is $12 (for reception and film) if purchased before September 30th. After September 30th, admission is $15. For those who just want to see the film, a discounted ticket is available for $4. There will be a panel discussion in the theater following the screening of The Living Museum. Please call Accessible Arts to make your reservations, (913) 281-1133.
Yu takes her camera inside Creedmoor Psychiatric Center in Queens, New York to document the astonishing accomplishments of artists working in The Living Museum, a 20,000-square-foot studio located on the institution’s grounds. The brain-child of Dr. Janusz Marton and the late avant-garde artist Bolek Greczynski, The Living Museum is a nurturing space founded in the 1980’s where patients “blessed with creative potential” are celebrated as gifted individuals.
A moving portrait of Marton and several of the artists/patients—many living with severe depression, schizophrenia or psychosis—the film illustrates how the inner world of art can be a transforming bridge to the wider world.
The Living Museum is being screened as a part of FilmFest Kansas City and will help us kick off National Disability month in October
Please plan to join us at the reception, the screening and the panel discussion after the film. The panel will be hosted by Bob Ault, an art therapist and founding member of the American and Kansas Art Therapy Associations. Seats are limited so make your reservations today!
BIG
CHIEFS, BIG ART, BIG NIGHT!
Monday, November
18, 2002
This is your chance to meet Kansas City Chiefs John Tait, Will Shields, Johnnie Morton, Dante Hall and Morten Andersen! And you can help support Accessible Arts at the same time. Tait and his fellow Chiefs will participate in a fundraiser for Accessible Arts on Monday evening, November 18, 2002, at the Webster House (17th & Wyandotte). “Big Chiefs, Big Art, Big Night” will begin at 6:30 PM and feature your favorite football players painting original works of art.
As guests mingle enjoying hors d’oeuvres, complimentary drinks and art, the Chiefs will be hard at work painting. Later in the evening, there will be a “wet paint” auction of their newly created artwork.
Autographed prints will also be available for purchase. Admission is $45 per person and is open to the public. All of the proceeds from this wonderful event will go directly to Accessible Arts.
Tait created his own foundation that focuses on children and the arts and selected Accessible Arts as one of the primary beneficiaries. Accessible Arts is thrilled and proud to be associated with Tait and joins him in his enthusiasm for the arts and their importance to children of all abilities.
Tait demonstrated his personal passion for art at last year’s Chiefs/Accessible Arts fundraising event. He joined teammates Will Shields, Trent Green, Donnie Edwards and Mike Maslowski in creating paintings “on the spot” as mesmerized spectators looked on. These big men showed big hearts by supporting Accessible Arts in championing the arts for children with disabilities. Please join us for “Big Chiefs, Big Art, Big Night.”
Call (913) 281-1133 for more information or make your reservation by sending a check by November 11th to: The John Tait Foundation, 10400 Flint Street, Overland Park, KS 66214.
As a non-profit organization, we are always looking for donations which help us meet our large commitment to champion the arts for children with disabilities. Our “Wish List” is one way to engage the community. Are you a business or individual who has items you no longer use? Perhaps you know someone who does. Below are suggestions that may give you some ideas of how you can help. Of course, financial donations are also welcome.
Wish List
Model magic clay
(by Crayola)
Clay tools
Poster board
Glue
Sponge brushes (assorted sizes)
Left-handed children’s scissors
Colored tissue paper
Construction paper
Old buttons
Unusual beads and buttons
Feathers - various sizes and colors
Musical instruments - all types and sizes
Children’s costumes, hats, masks
1" white 3-ring binders (w/plastic insert front/spine)
Hat Rack/Clothes Tree
Volunteers Needed
To Help With:
Bulk mailings
General filing
Copying / folding brochures
Photo album maintenance
Arts Programming
Library management
Unpack boxes of materials and reshelve
Carpentry/building shelving
During the year, Accessible Arts has several occasions to use student artwork. These include the cover of our Holiday Appeal card, the 2002 Accessible Arts Awards for Educator of the Year and Distinguished Service, and the Capitol Arts Show.
All students 5 – 21 years of age, who are served by an organization that supports children with disabilities, are invited to submit artwork in any media.
Four first place awards will be presented. Each awardee will receive $25 and a gift of arts supplies. The four selected pieces of art will be kept by Accessible Arts and presented at the occasions listed above. Full credit will be given to the student and the organization making the submission.
All artwork not selected will be returned to the student with a letter of appreciation. Deadline for submission is November 1, 2002. For more information call Kit Bardwell, Program Director, Accessible Arts, Inc. (913) 281-1133.
This column (helpful
tips and top-notch topics) is for and by teachers, caregivers, etc. who champion
the arts for children with disabilities.
We solicit your contributions for future inclusion.
MY
EXPERIENCE
WITH ART ADAPTIVE AIDS
by Sondra Horning
When I plan a visit to a classroom for an art lesson, I try to find out about the class. Our district mainstreams students with special needs as much as possible. I start my lesson by determining the objectives or outcomes for the lesson. Then I try to keep my art adaptive aids as simple and direct as possible. The tool I use the most is masking tape. I use it to secure newspapers to cover table surfaces, to secure art paper, to fasten art smocks or hold sleeves up out of the way. With a sticky ring of tape, I keep paint cups from moving, and even use it to pick up glitter and small pieces of paper. I also use Velcro. It makes a great strap to help hold materials in the hand and to a table top surface.
The next tool I use the most is Crayola brand Model Magic. It is lightweight and air-dries. I use it to make custom grips for brushes, crayons, markers, and pencils. Starting with large- handled brushes, crayons, markers, and pencils will help students who have difficulty gripping. Another way to make a grip is to use foam or foam insulation for pipes. The foam insulation for pipes comes in different sizes and already has a circular hole for the writing or drawing tool. You can also use a large rubber band and a lark’s head knot on both ends to secure the band to the tool. Then slip the hand under the band. Be sure the band is large enough so that the hand is secure, yet doesn’t pinch.
For painting, I sometimes use a child’s tipsy cup. Since it has a weighted bottom, it is less likely to tip over.
For printmaking, I have used sponges mounted on large handles, spools, or even empty film canisters. There are commercially made mounted sponges also. You can use them directly on paper, on top of a stencil, or the positive cut from a stencil secured down with masking tape on the printing paper.
The tracing wheel (a seamstress tool) is used to outline raised shapes or objects for a student with a visual impairment. I also use a dried glue gun, a hot glue line, or a waxed line commercial product called Wikki-Stix.
For cutting, there are many different kinds of adaptive scissors; hand over hand, spring loaded, loop scissors, or even mounted varieties. I use a pair every day with a cord attached to prevent them from dropping and quite often loan them to a student with a need. /p>
There are many ways to create adaptive art aids. These are just a few that I have used that were successful. If you discover a difficulty, think about what you can do to make the process more successful for the student. Then it’s just a matter of trial and error. Good luck and have fun!
Sondra Horning was Accessible Arts’ 1999 Educator of the Year in Arts and Disabilities. She is currently an Elementary Art Instructor in the Hutchinson, Kansas Public Schools.
Do you know an outstanding individual who has made a difference in the lives of children with disabilities through the arts? Perhaps a teacher, therapist, community member or artist?
The Honors Committee
of Accessible Arts and the Kansas State Board of Education invite you to take
a moment to think of someone who is deserving and nominate them for the 2002
Educator of the Year Award. The award will be presented March 12, 2003, in Kansas
City, Kansas.
Selection is based on the following criteria:
TO NOMINATE
Please complete the nomination form below and attach the following:
DEADLINE for submission of Nominations is December 31, 2002.
| NOMINATION FORM | . |
| Name of Nominee____________________________
Telephone (Day)_____________________________ Agency/Business/School_______________________ |
Title/Position______________________________
(Eve)___________________________________ Address__________________________________ __________________________________ |
| Your Name/Nominator________________________ Telephone (Day)_____________________________ Agency/Business/School______________________ |
Title/Position______________________________
(Eve)____________________________________ Address__________________________________ __________________________________ |
Send
Nominatons to:
Accessible Arts, Inc., 1100 State Ave., Kansas City, KS 66102-4411
Please call: (913) 281-1133 or e-mail: accarts@accessiblearts.org
with any questions.
In mid July, Kit Bardwell began her work as Program Director for Accessible Arts. She comes with a background in several of the performing arts as well as experience in teaching children who are deaf and adults with developmental disabilities.
Kit holds degrees in music from the North Carolina School of the Arts and the University of Missouri – Kansas City. She was the Founder and Artistic Director of the Pocket Theatre, a touring company that offered participatory theatre for children from 1987 to 1993. Over the past twenty years, Kit’s experiences include working as a Program Specialist for Young Audiences of Kansas City, General Manager for Paul Mesner Puppets and as a freelance performer, director, and playwright.
She has presented at numerous national and international conferences and is well known for her work as an Orff Schulwerk clinician. Her experience in working with individuals with disabilities includes teaching music at the North Carolina School for the Deaf and working as a Program Coordinator for Triality, a provider of day habilitation for adults with developmental disabilities.
Kit is already busy with a wide variety of Accessible Arts projects. These include teaching classes at the Kansas State School for the Blind, presenting arts workshops throughout the community, organizing special events and developing the new Arts Center to be located in the historic Carriage House on the campus of the Kansas State School for the Blind.
Valuable
Resource Materials
Viewers
are encouraged to
let us know of other exceptional materials we might
consider adding to our collection
Accessible Arts recommends the following books for educators and/or artists who work with children with visual impairments and other disabilities. All materials are available on loan from the Accessible Arts Resource Center. Please contact us for additional information.
Anderson,
Francis E., Art for All the Children (2nd Ed.), Charles C. Thomas, Springfield,
IL, 1992
ISBN: 039806007X (pbk); Class: LC 4025 .A54 1992; 373 p., includes bibliographical
references and indexes
Anderson,
Francis E., Art-Centered Education and Therapy for Children with Disabilities,
Charles C. Thomas, Springfield, IL, 1994
ISBN: 0398060061 (pbk); Class: LC 4025 .A53 1994; 268 p., includes bibliographical
references and indexes
Museum
of Fine Arts, Houston, Beyond the Limits ~ Music and Fine Arts ~ Creative
Art Solutions for People With Special Needs, Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, Texas,
1991
Class: LC 4025 .B4 1991; Bar Code: 30000141; 99 p., Kit—video tape (15
min.), accompanied by 20 slides and 6 pictures. Includes bibliographical references
(p. 93-95)
Ludins-Katz
& Katz, Elias, Art & Disabilities ~ Establishing the Creative
Art Center for People with Disabilities, Brookline Books, Cambridge, MA, 1990
ISBN: 0914797514:
$24.95; Class: NX 180 .H34L84 1990; 197 p., includes index, Arts and disabilities
Kennedy,
John M., Drawing and the Blind ~ Pictures to Touch, Yale University Press,
New Haven, 1993
ISBN: 0300054904; Class: HV 1664 .A75K45 1993; 315 p., includes bibliographical
references (p. 301-310) and index
Murdock,
Maureen, Spinning Inward ~ Using Guided Imagery with Children for Learning,
Creativity, and Relaxation, Shambala Publications, Boston, 1987
ISBN: 0877734224 (pbk): $14.95; Class: BF 723 .I47 B87 1987; 158 p., includes
bibliography: p. 155-156 and suggested recordings: p. 157-158
Rodriguez,
Susan, Special Artist’s Handbook ~ Art Activities and Adaptive Aids
for Handicapped Students, Dale Seymour Publication, Palo alto, 1984
ISBN: 0866514767 (pbk); Class: LC 4025 .R63 1984; 278 p., includes index
'The Art of Learning' Workshops
One,
two, three, four;
We all want to come
back for more!
For those who did not attend 'The Art of Learning' Professional Development Workshop, this headline needs a bit of explanation. One of the most memorable presentations was by Dee Hansen, Kansas State Department of Education. Following her talk with power-point presentation about learning styles/personality characteristics, she asked us to use what we had learned to group ourselves according to our strongest traits.
Ones: Imaginative Learners. Seek meaning, learn by listening/sharing ideas. They absorb reality. Interested in people and culture, look at things from many angles, idea people, (innovative, involved in issues, bring unity, ask why/why not).
Twos: Analytic Learners. Seek authoritative facts. Learn by thinking through ideas. They form reality, less interested in people than ideas, like traditional classrooms, (create concepts and models, seek self-satisfaction and intellectual recognition, ask what).
Threes: Common Sense Learners. Seek usability, want to know how things work. Learn by testing theories. They edit reality, want hands-on experiences that lead to personal discovery, want relevance between action and real life, depend on sensory experiences, (practical application of ideas, view of present is influenced by future security, ask how).
Fours: Dynamic Learners. Seek hidden possibilities. Need to know what can be done with things. Learn by trial and error. They enrich reality, perceive information concretely and process it actively, like change, at ease with people but sometimes seem pushy, often reach accurate conclusions without logical justification, test experience (action oriented, visionaries who work toward goal, ask what can this become?).
As we all divided, there were so many type ones, they made up four subgroups! Each group was asked to create a slogan, a logo, and a song, and we had as much fun as children, showing off our creativity. Revitalizing and enriching our lives and our teaching (to be more childlike) was a separate message related during the conference.
As I reflect back on the experience, the power of hands-on learning really made an impact on me. I remember vividly the concepts related through small dramatizations. Second place impact goes to the table discussions. The 'lectures' were invaluable, but to use them I need to refer to my personal notes and the outstanding learning materials that were provided by all trainers. We sang songs, laughed, cried with empathy, frolicked, and LEARNED.
Mini-dramas included a wrong-way meeting of principal and artist; collaborative planning by wacky science teacher and artist; a right-way meeting of principal, artist and teacher; an experience doing simple art projects with simulated disabilities; and an excellent demonstration of easy-to-make adaptations to facilitate arts participation by children with physical disabilities.
The 60 participants asked for ways to keep in touch and continue their learning process. They will meet again February 8, 2003 in Wichita, and we anticipate having video clips by then. The next Art of Learning Workshop is tentatively scheduled for June 25-27, 2003, in Kansas City, Kansas and repeated July 16-18 in Salina. Accessible Arts will gradually add to our website (www.accessiblearts.org) other information gleaned from the workshop. The Fall 2002 newsletter includes a new column, 'Tips and Tops', which will relate tips for facilitation, and topics of special interest related to the arts and children with disabilities.
The fifth annual Oregon Trail Trek, conducted by Accessible Arts and the Kansas State School for the Blind, engaged twelve teens with visual impairments in pioneer adventures along the 2000-mile Trail. Each year’s trek staff includes artists to stimulate our imaginations and facilitate creative reflection and expression of our modern pioneer experience.
Dubbed the “artists colony,” this year’s group was led by actor and storyteller Wolfgang Bucher. Kendall Kerr served as artist and videographer, Jolan Smith as musician, and Cathie Meighan as artist and sculptor.
Bucher discovered that more than 2,500 journals, diaries and letters remain as records of the pioneer adventure, which led him to choose journaling and storytelling as the major focus of the 2002 Trek. “Our intention as artists was that each member of the wagon train would acquire skills in storytelling, record their experiences, and use a variety of art forms to share their experiences of ‘the elephant’ with others,” Bucher said.
Trail pioneers called their extraordinary and dangerous Trail experiences “seeing the elephant”. Under huge cottonwood trees at Fort Kearny, Nebraska, our group of twelve teens and eleven adults were regaled by two gifted storytellers, presenting women’s tales of the Trail in poetry, song and journal readings.
Just as the program ended, the elephant came upon our group in the form of a violent hail storm, with stones the size of softballs, but not as soft. Hail hit some of our teens and scared us all. When we were safe again, squeezing twenty -two people into two minivans and taking refuge in a church basement for the night, we enjoyed making stories of our encounter with the elephant.
“I ran as fast as a rabbit.” “We were stacked in the van.” “We were packed like a cargo ship.” “Such a contrast: the trees dropping white floating cotton and from the sky, falling white ice.”
Our encounters with the elephant multiplied through the days that followed. We put it all in a daily group journal and each wagon (minivan of trekkers) created poems, song lyrics and melodies to tell our Tales of the Elephant on the Oregon Trail.
The
Return of the Scarlet Pimpernel
A Musical play about
the hero in each of us....
The final line from Accessible Arts’ touring production of The Return of the Scarlet Pimpernel summed it all up, “All for one and one for all!”
The line was sung out proudly by the diverse cast of characters including Percy (who used a wheelchair), Margaret (who was visually impaired), Trevor (who had a learning disability), Percy’s Grandfather and Uncle Lou.
Throughout the play, each of the characters overcame specific challenges and used his or her own ability as a productive part of the team. As a group, with their combined skills and unique abilities, they accomplished wonderful things. Audiences of children with and without disabilities witnessed the power of tolerance and teamwork; and that to be ‘different’ is to be worthy and unique.
Over three thousand students and four hundred adults experienced Accessible Arts’ touring production of The Return of the Scarlet Pimpernel during the month of April, 2002. The Return of the Scarlet Pimpernel, a musical play about the hero in each of us, featured a fast-paced plot with clever dialogue, delightful original music and plenty of action.
Following each performance, the artists and Accessible Arts staff conducted interactive arts workshops in drama, music/movement and visual arts. The workshops focused on the themes of self-worth, tolerance, respect, problem solving and teamwork.
The target audiences included children, ages 7-14, with and without disabilities across the state of Kansas. Students, educators, and parents in Kansas City, Bonner Springs, Olathe, Independence, Victoria, Hays, Dodge City, Liberal, and Wichita had the opportunity to participate in this project.
The Return of the Scarlet Pimpernel project was generously sponsored by Kansas Arts Commission, VSA arts, Theresa Foundation, Francis Families Foundation, Muriel McBrien Kauffman Foundation, Junior Leagues of Wyandotte & Johnson Counties and Sisters of Loretto.
Monday, November 18, 2002 at 7:00 PM
Big Chiefs, Big Art, Big Night -A Fundraiser for Accessible Arts
Webster House, 17th and Wyandotte, KC, MO
This unique event will include appearances and paintings by Kansas City Chiefs John Tait, Will Shields, etc. Admission is $45 at the door and includes food, drinks and a live auction. For reservations call (913) 281-1133.
Saturday-Sunday, September 28-29, 2002 Noon-5:00 PM
The Nature of Art - Mark Manning & Friends
Turkey Creek Pathway, Merriam, KSMark Manning, an artist with a disability, and several other artists will host an outdoor art exhibit along the beautiful Turkey Creek walking path. For info call (913) 281-1133.
Saturday, October 5, 2002 at 6:00 PM
“The Living Museum” - Reception & Film Screening
Reception at Unity Temple on the Plaza - Screening at Cinemark
Palace on the Plaza Theaters, 500 Nichols Road, KC, MOThe Kansas City premiere of an incredible documentary about the artists working at Creedmoor Psychiatric Center in Queens, New York. Admission is $7 for the film or $15 to attend the reception and the film. For reservations call (913) 281-1133.
April 25-27, 2003
99 Drums
The second year of a weekend of hands-on music and dance workshops exploring the arts, history, customs and food of West African, Native American, Meican, and Caribbean cultures.For children ages 7-16 from across the state of Kansas and the Kansas City metropolitan area. Call now for information and to put your child's name on the spring mailing to those who have expressed an interest. The cost will be $35, with a few scholarships available. See, also, Archives on the web, Spring and Fall 2001 newsletters.
Accessible Arts Board of Directors
Kathleen White, President
Vickie Tucker, Vice President
Walter Dietrich, Treasurer
Martin Zander, Secretary
Heidi Benham
Jen Johnson
J.J. Jones
Danny Meisinger
Dawn O’Brien
Donna Tout
Accessible Arts Staff
Martin English, Executive Director
Kit Bardwell, Program Director
Eleanor Craig, Executive Assistant
Beverly Johnson, Communications Coordinator(913) 281-1133 [Voice/TTY]
(913) 281-1515 [FAX]
accarts@accessiblearts.org
www.accessiblearts.org
We are happy to continue sending our newsletter to all persons who wish to receive it. If you would like to remain in our database as a consultant, artist, etc. but no longer wish to receive the newsletter, please let us know. Our new database will allow us to make this distinction. However, if you no longer want to remain in our data base, please help us by letting us know. We will immediately remove your name from our list. If you have any changes or updates for our mailing list, please notify us. You can e-mail us at accarts@accessiblearts.org or drop us a note at Accessible Arts, Inc., 1100 State Ave., Kansas City, KS, 66102-4411 or feel free to call us at (913) 281-1133. We also welcome feedback about our programming, the content of our newsletter, and our web site. Thank you for your help in this matter.
Accessible
Arts, Inc.
1100 State Avenue,
Kansas City, KS 66102-4411
(913) 281-1133 [Voice & TTY] (913) 281-1515 [Fax]
e-mail:
accarts@accessiblearts.org
For large print or Braille newsletter contact Accessible Arts
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