newsletter Fall 2002

Our mission is to champion the arts for children with disabilities and advocate access to the arts.

Fine art and smooth jazz will be featured at the annual Accessible Arts Auction. From 6:00 – 9:00 PM, Friday, November 19th, the American Century Investment Towers Atrium becomes the venue for a satisfying blend of fine art, artists and jazz. This fundraiser, sponsored by American Century Investments, JPMorgan Retirement Plan Services and the Hallar Gallery, will benefit Accessible Arts and feature an exciting live art auction, silent auction items, wine, cuisine, live jazz and a chance to meet many of the Midwest’s finest artists.

The Accessible Arts Auction is your opportunity to purchase fine art at exceptional prices and get an early start on your Holiday shopping. Participating artists include Philomene Bennett, Lou Marak, Bev Gegen, Jane Booth, John Phillip Davis, Dean Kube, Mike Toombs, Mark Manning and many others.

Admission is $50 per person and reservations can be made by calling (913) 281-1133 (credit cards will be accepted).

An exhibit of the artwork will open to the public at no charge from 9:00 am - 5:00 pm, Monday through Friday, November 2-18, in the Atrium.

The American Century Investment Atrium is located between the towers at 4500 Main Street, Kansas City, Missouri (one block East of the Plaza).

Free parking will be available in the American Century covered garage. Please join us for this wonderfully unique event and celebrate the arts!

American Century Investments
JPMorgan Retirement Plan Services
Hallar Gallery
Les Bourgeois

The distant sound you hear is the low rumble of drumming and the pounding of children’s feet as they dance to the rhythm. Accessible Arts’ third, bi-annual 99 Drums Music & Cultural Camp is returning to the Kansas State School for the Blind, April 15-17, 2005. It isn’t too early to register your child (age 9-15) for this unique weekend of drumming and dancing. Children with and without disabilities are welcome. The cost is only $50 and includes twelve workshops, six meals and two overnight stays! Space is limited and the camp will fill up fast so call for a registration form today at (913) 281-1133 or visit our website, www.accessiblearts.org

99 Drums is a weekend of interactive music and dance workshops exploring the arts, history, customs, and food of West African, Native American, Slavic, Caribbean and Hmong cultures. Workshops and performances will be presented by professional artists from the Traditional Music Society (with Bird Fleming, Artistic Director for 99 Drums), Accessible Arts, local ethnic communities and storytellers.

This is the third 99 Drums Camp to be presented by Accessible Arts. The first two camps were offered in 2001 and 2003. Both were very successful, drawing children from throughout the Kansas City metropolitan area and other cities including Topeka, Lawrence and Wichita. For many of the children, it was their first experience in dormitory living, multi-cultural drumming and dancing classes and inclusive arts. But all the participants learned more about the diverse cultures and many gained valuable understanding of their peers.

This camp will bring together a group of children with and without disabilities to experience music and dance in a celebration of diverse cultures in an inclusive environment. The weekend will culminate with a free public performance on Sunday, April 17th at 3:30 PM in the gym on the campus of the Kansas State School for the Blind.

A parent of one of the children wrote, “As parents, we actively pursue opportunities which allow our son to participate in new experiences and to broaden his perspective on the world and its many different inhabitants. This event is tailor-made for this sort of parenting philosophy.”

When interviewed, Kristy, a girl with mobility and visual impairments said, “If you don’t experience something like this you don’t really know how many differences there are between you and hundreds of other people. Then if you experience all this stuff, you appreciate their culture more.”

Many adult volunteers are essential to the success of the 99 Drums Music and Cultural Camp. The volunteers accompany the children to music and dance workshops, assist with serving the meals and/or chaperone the children during the overnight stays. We encourage you to join us for this wonderful event.

This column (helpful tips and top-notch topics) is for and by teachers, caregivers, etc. who champion the arts for children with disabilities.
We invite your contributions for future inclusion.

Over the past three years Accessible Arts has enjoyed a working relationship with Horizon Academy. The Academy is a private school with the mission to provide a caring and respectful environment for children with learning difficulties, where they are given the opportunity to achieve their highest potential, becoming life-long learners and develop into productive, responsible citizens of their community. The Academy was established in 1999 with 22 students. They now have 70 students and have expanded their curriculum offerings to include high school students.

Last March, Accessible Arts brought fresco artist and teacher, Joy Baer, to Horizon Academy to present a fresco workshop to the high school class who, at the time, were studying the history of Italy. Under Joy’s direction, the students used the time-honored method to make frescoes using “fresh” plaster, “fresh” water and “fresh” earth minerals. This “fresh” recipe creates carbonization, a chemical bond that endures for centuries.

The students learned Italian painting concepts such as “sgraffito fresco” which uses the process of layering colors. Using this concept, a design is incised to show the color undercoats. Other vocabulary words put into action included “buon fresco, pouncing, trullisatio, arenato,” and “intonaco.”

Frescoes can be found in cultures around the world. The fresco process can be painted on plaster, stone, slate, marble, cement, bisque ceramic and cave walls. In the workshop, the Horizon Academy fresco artists explored the fresco process on small plaster slabs.

Inspired by the storytelling frescoes of Pompeii, Italy, where Joy Baer teaches fresco workshops, the students painted their own personal story. Each fresco reflected the lost language of symbolism in the numerous layers of earth minerals.

Frescoes have been painted in homes for centuries, but now are becoming a growing trend in homes, churches and businesses across the United States. For more information, contact Joy Baer at frescojoy.com or 913-381-1324.

Joy Baer is an accomplished frescoe artist who lives in Overland Park, Kansas. Her frescoes can be seen worldwide, and she presents frescoe workshops nationally and in Italy.

Emily McCulley of Wichita is one of 15 finalists for the VSA arts “Driving Force” exhibit sponsored by Volkswagen of America. Her work in colored pencil is entitled Morph and depicts two bowls with whimsical griffins on top. The awards reception was September 23, 2004, in the Rayburn House Office Building in Washington, D.C. The "Driving Force" exhibit will be open to the public through November 29, 2004 at the S. Dillon Ripley Center on the Mall (next to the Smithsonian Castle). Asked what the teenager would do with her $1,000 reward, she responded, “Apply it toward an accessible car.”

The sixteen-year-old said her aunt and uncle from California will take her to Washington D.C. for the September 23 awards ceremony. Emily, who has only recently started to foster her artistic abilities, is a student at Northeast Magnet High School in Wichita, studying art with Cheryl Lindstrom. The school specializes in science, law, and visual arts. Although the young artist has spinal muscular atrophy, she says her disability rarely affects her art, except she gets tired easily and that makes it hard to paint for long periods.

As for the benefits derived from art, Emily said, “Not only does art stimulate the eye, but it has also helped with hand-eye coordination in other areas of education as well. Creating art helps me relax and de-stress at the end of the day.” She also plays the piano, the violin, and has recently started teaching herself to play the guitar.

We are evaluating our readers’ interest in receiving our newsletter, either in e-mail
form or through an email notice of posting on our website. If this interests you, would you please send your email address, stating your interest. Let us know by e-mail to accarts@accessiblearts.org.

For readers whom we contact periodically about specific programming, some of you have changed your email address recently and we no longer have that means of reaching you with specific information. Please let us know your new e-mail (work and home). When our e-mails don’t go through, much time is spent identifying the intended recipient, calling to get the new address and sending them again.

The Flight of the Parakeet
A Public Participation Mural at Kaw Point
Commemorating the Bicentennial of Lewis and Clark in Kansas City

Parakeets fly over Kansas City again, on a 300 foot mural painted by the general public under the direction of teens and artists gathered in June by Accessible Arts' Kit Bardwell and Eleanor Craig.

Great numbers of Carolina Parakeets were once native to the midwest. Today’s mural birds roost on a length of flood wall above the Missouri River at a site where the Lewis and Clark Expedition camped and first saw the birds. Onto a colorful background of blue and purple stripes the teens painted white outlines of the parakeets at rest and in flight. Other templates depicted ladies’ hats decorated with parakeet plumage--one of the causes of the birds’ extinction.

The mural began with University of Kansas Medical Center volunteers priming the wall. The mural invited the creative efforts of all ages and all levels of talent. Designed by Kit Bardwell with creative consultation by muralist Mike Toombs, the Flight of the Parakeets is a permanent addition to the newly rennovated park at the junction of the Missouri and Kansas Rivers in Kansas City, Kansas.

Discovery Trails Program participants from Kansas, Iowa, and Texas teamed up with North Dakota youth of the Three Affiliated Tribes of Mandan, Arikara, and Hidatsa June 23-27 to prepare the mural wall and assist the public with their painting. The teens camped together near Parkville. Under the guidance of Jay Mule and Toni Tsatoke, the teens shared Native American drumming games. The North Dakotans explored Kansas City.

Eight teens who traveled 2500 miles along the Lewis and Clark trail in 2003 made presentations in the Tent of Many Voices, the Lewis and Clark exhibition tent of the National Park Service. The teens told tales of the trail and screened a documentary of their adventures which aired June 24th on public television in Kansas City.

Teens met "William Clark" and other Expedition reenactors, and Choctaw singer and drummer Jay Mule taught the teens to make and use drumsticks. The teens played a traditional stick and drumming game with the general public.

Volunteers in large numbers contributed to the great success of the mural project, preparing and cleaning the mural site, gathering food and preparing meals for thirteen hungry teens, and helping distribute paints to the Saturday crowd of more than two hundred fifty eager painters. Groups included Wyandotte County employees, Board members from VOICE foundation and two employee groups participating in Day of Caring: KU Med Center and KPMG. Hard working individuals included Cheryl Adler and her extended family, and Frances Walters who recruited food donations from many sources.

AAI Board member Jen Johnson and young friends were among the many who provided
help and food. Wyandotte County Bicentennial Task Force members Nancy Morrison and Mike Calwell, Firefighters with Chief Craig Duke, employees of KPMG of Kansas City, AAI Board member Jen Johnson and young friends were among the many who provided help and food.

WHAT’S NEXT?

May 28-June 11, 2005 fifteen teens with visual impairments will camp their way along the trail to the Great Salt Lake, following the infamous Donner Party. Discovery Trails annual summer treks and related arts programs began in 1998 and are a collabor-ation between Accessible Arts and the Kansas State School for the Blind. For information call Eleanor Craig at Accessible Arts, 913-281-1133.

The Nature of Art with Mark Manning & Friends

The Nature of Art with Mark Manning and Friends will be presented for the third time at the Turkey Creek Streamway Park in Merriam, Kansas. On Saturday and Sunday, October 2nd and 3rd, the public is invited to stroll along the mile and a quarter path and view art in the very setting that inspired it.

Accessible Arts is proud to be counted among Mark Manning’s friends. A watercolorist, Mark Manning developed his talent as he rehabilitated from a spinal injury thirty six years ago that left him paralyzed from the chest down. Using as his models the butterflies, birds and flowers that literally live in his backyard along the Turkey Creek Streamway Path, Mark has painted twenty five paintings that will be exhibited in the show on trees and easels along the pathway.

Mark first exhibited his work in the Merriam Community Center in 1998. Visitors of the show commented that they recognized many of the locations in the paintings and thought it would be pleasant to view the painting on the actual site where they were painted. Two years later with the City of Merriam as a major sponsor, Mark presented the first Nature of Art on the Turkey Creek Streamway Path.

The City of Merriam continues to sponsor this event every other year, but the show would not be possible without the help of Mark’s large family. (He has 10 brothers and sisters.) The entire extended family assists with setting up the show on Saturday morning. Then they take all the artwork down for the evening before setting it all up again the next morning. Mark’s nephew, Joseph Manning, is a world class Irish Step Dancer who offers a number of performances during the weekend.

Mark has developed the art show into an event for all families. Young and old alike can come and enjoy not only the art but music and inexpensive refreshments as well. There will even be a demonstration of wild birds from the Ernie Miller Nature Center. Accessible Arts will be participating for the second time with a hands-on activity of building bird houses donated by Home Depot and a large loom to be woven with fabrics donated by Cy Rudnick’s of Crown Center.

Other friends of Mark Manning who will be exhibiting art include Jim Hamil, Crandall Vail, Mark Weber, Cindy Eaton and Diana Werts, to name a few.

Please come visit all of us on October 2nd and 3rd from 12:00 PM to 5:00 PM on the Turkey Creek Streamway Path at I-35 between 67th and 75th streets. If you need directions, give us a call at Accessible Arts, (913) 281-1133 or check out our web site at www.accessiblearts.org.

Accessible Arts presented The Art of Learning Professional Development Workshop in Hays (June) and Garden City (August). The Workshop is a collaboration with Kansas Alliance for Arts Education, Baker University, Storytellers, Inc. and Kansas State Department of Education. The goal is to give artists the tools to work in schools and give schools the tools to work with artists. The following comments are representative of the participants’ enthusiasm:

“It was a great experience to have people who are committed to the arts and the teaching of the arts to others gathered here in Garden City for the Art of Learning in August. It was especially nice to host folks from other parts of Kansas way out here in the west. I found it helpful to share frustrations and pick up ideas for solving problems that seem to pop up from time to time. Everyone was so enthusiastic that it was positively contagious! All those who came to present the various phases of the workshop were knowledge-able, positive and very helpful. I hope more people across the state will take the initiative to learn at the next presentation. They won’t regret it.” Carole Geier, Garden City Arts Council

“I want to thank the facilitators again for a quality workshop—the Art of Learning. I continue to ‘bump’ into workshops that were centered around art and people/children with disabilities. I received the participant packet with my [reminder] note to myself. It’s motivating me to work towards my goal.” Maria Martinez, Hays, Kansas

“I really got a lot out of the workshop. I am amazed at how affirming and supportive the great majority of your presenters are.” Andy Musick, Artist Educator, Garden City schools

“The Art of Learning Workshop was a great way to kick off the summer and infuse everyone with new information - and an enthusiasm and energy that has allowed us (and will continue to allow us) to successfully utilize that learning within our organizations. There was so much richness in the workshop sessions - due in large part to the amazing team you assembled to lead each of them. That caliber of respected professionals was on a par with anything you would expect to see at a national conference - but better because they know us, [and] they know the arts in Kansas and the issues we face on a daily basis. There were many participants from Hays, and the response from all of them was nothing short of enthusiastic! You found a way to give everyone - artists, educators, arts administrators - something valuable and practical. Friends were made, partnerships were fostered, and spirits were enlightened and lifted. You can’t ask for much more than that. So thank you Accessible Arts!”
Brenda Meder, Director, Hays Arts Council

The next Art of Learning Workshop will be held in Pittsburg, Kansas, June 8-10, 2005 so watch for the flyers or call Accessible Arts for more information.

Julia Austin: In addition to creating art, collage and performance, Julia has more than ten years experience in advocating for the arts and a lifetime of living openly with a disability. On October 5, she will be the keynote speaker at the Missouri Arts Council and VSA arts “Careers in the Arts for People with Disabilities” at the Kauffman Foundation Conference Center. Julia is looking forward to a great experience where she will also be joining with our Executive Director, Martin, and art consultant, Tina Blatter, with whom we have close ties.

Julia said, “My daily family life consists of serving my three-legged cat and overlord, Pyawacket. The rest of my family is located in metro KC area.” (Julia was interviewed by new Board President, Vickie Tucker)

Elaine Houtman: We are pleased to receive Elaine as a new board member. Her vast knowledge of nonprofit organizations, and work with issues that affect those with disabilities, makes her an extremely valuable addition to our board. Elaine has been the manager of the Capper Center of Kansas City since 1995. She ensures that adaptive technology is available to children and adults throughout the Kansas City area. She is responsible for fund raising and marketing of the Kansas Cityservices, as well as its day to day operations.

Elaine’s experience working with individuals with a variety of abilities has built her understanding of the needs of consumer programs. Managing the Capper Center gives her an insider’s understanding of the specific issues all non-profit groups experience.

Elaine was born in Kansas City, where she lived until the age of eight when she moved to Hawaii. She obtained her Occupational Therapy degree from the University of Hawaii and returned to Kansas City when her daughter, Sarah, was born. Welcome, Elaine! We look forward to utilizing your insight and varied expertise. (Elaine was interviewd by new Board Vice President, Jen Johnson)

Robert Watson: Robert is the City Attorney for Overland Park, Kansas. For the past thirty years, he has been practicing law, including some experience with the Americans with Disabilities Act. He also has a master’s degree in English and, before and during law school, he taught English at the college level for several years. With this experience, Robert brings a strong liberal arts bent to his role as a lawyer.

His wife, Caroline, is a collage artist, weaver and pianist, and she has also taught secondary art and special education in local grade and high schools. The couple are aficionados of all of the arts including the performing arts. Robert and Caroline have attended Accessible Arts events in the past, enjoyed them, and thought that their backgrounds would enable them to contribute something of value to a very worthy organization and its mission. They have been married for 34 years and have no children. (Robert was interviewed by Vickie Tucker)

Accessible Arts, Inc. invites students within the Kansas City metropolitan area to join its new After-School Arts Club. Professional artists engage children of all abilities in a variety of arts projects in a safe and supportive environment. Arts projects include pottery, paper-making, collages, and creative dramatics. With our new potter's wheels, they will learn a variety of pot-building techniques. Students from ages 9-14 explore their interests and abilities while obtaining new skills and knowledge. The cost is only $5 per class, with some scholarships available. For more information, call 913/281-1133 or visit our website: www.accessiblearts.org.

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.

Model magic clay (by Crayola)
Clay tools
Poster board
Sticky Wick
Left-handed children’s scissors
Colored tissue paper
Construction paper
Leather & leather scraps
Unusual beads and buttons
Feathers - various sizes and colors
Percussion Instruments (all types & sizes)
Children’s costumes, hats, masks
Window Blinds (37" w X 60" h)

Volunteers Needed To Help With:
Bulk mailings
General filing
Data Management
Copying / folding brochures
Photo album maintenance
Arts Programming

Nominate Your Choice for
ACCESSIBLE ARTS
2004 Kansas Educator of the Year
in
Arts & Disabilities

Do you know an outstanding individual who has made a difference in the lives of Kansas 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 deserving and nominate them for the 2004 Educator of the Year Award. The award will be presented March 9, 2005, in Kansas City, Kansas.

(We suggest a review of previous honorees at www.accessiblearts.org [What we do —> Awards])

Nominee Name_______________________________
Telephone (Day)_____________________________
Agency/Business/School_______________________
Title/Position________________________________
Evening phone)______________________________
Address____________________________________
__________________________________________

Your Name/Nominator_________________________
Telephone (Day)_____________________________
Agency/Business/School_______________________
Title/Position________________________________
Evening phone_______________________________
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.

Parent Training and Information Centers (PTI)
for the state of Kansas, serving families that
include a child with a disability.
PNC (Parent Networking Conference)
FEW (Family Enrichment Weekend)

Sept. 25 - Mini-Conference, Garden City
Oct. 2 - Mini-Conference, El Dorado
Oct. 15-16 - PNC, Topeka
Oct. 24 - Statewide Conference, Garden City
Dec. 3-4 - PNC, Wichita
Feb. 12 - Statewide Conference, Kansas City
March 4-5 - FEW, Garden City
March 4-5 - PNC, Chanute
March 11-12 - PNC, Salina
April 1-2 - FEW, Lawrence

Please contact the center nearest you.
Wichita Administrative Center 888-815-6364
Topeka Center 800-264-6343
Garden City Center 888-820-6364
Kansas City Center 877-499-9443

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.