Spring 2003, Vol. 10, Number 1
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 Cutting Edge Techniques
link to Journey to Middle Earth
link to Accessible Arts Wish List
link to Opportunities for All
link to Tips & tops - new column
link to Annual Awards in Arts & disbilities
link to Valuable Resources
link to Constructing Youth Engagement
link to Accessible Arts Studio Opens
link to Discovery Trails 2003
link to Student Artwork Winners!
link to Board of Directors & Staff
link to Calendar of Coming Events
link to Change your status in our database
CAUTION:
THIS NEWSLETTER CONTAINS
CUTTING-EDGE TECHNIQUES AND
NEW FEATURES THAT MAY CAUSE
ACCELERATED LEARNING AND
ENERGETIC PARTICIPATION!
Accessible Arts has expanded and improved its newsletter with the goal of providing ‘nuts and bolts,’ ‘how-to’ techniques, expert tips and specific information that can be used by people working with children with disabilities in the arts.
In this issue you’ll find two art lesson plans, tips on engaging youth
in arts activities, valuable resources and an entire page of OPPORTUNITIES on
page three. Opportunities include arts activities for children with and without
disabilities, professional development training for educators and artists, and
Accessible Arts programs that can come to you!
Please give us your feedback. What information is useful? What are YOUR NEEDS?
We promise to do our best to honor your requests and meet your needs.
Join
Us For a
Journey to Middle Earth:
The Lord of the Rings
The Heart of America Wind Symphony will present a concert with Accessible Arts
at 7:00 PM, Sunday, April 13th in Yardley Hall at Johnson County Community College.
The concert is entitled Journey to Middle Earth: The Lord of the Rings and will
feature Johan de Meij’s Symphony #1 - The Lord of the Rings which was inspired
by J.R.R. Tolkien’s popular trilogy. The evening will also include dance
performances by Reach…a movement collective inc. and the City in Motion’s
Children’s Dance Theater, mime performances by JJ and Juliana Jones and
visual art displays by artists with disabilities. Tickets may be purchased for
$5 (students, seniors) and $10 (adults) by calling the Carlsen Center box office
at (913) 469-4445. Tickets may also be purchased at the door with cash, check
or credit card.
The Heart of America Wind Symphony (HAWS) was formed to present quality wind
instrument concerts and to raise awareness and funds for charitable agencies
and service organizations. Accessible Arts champions the arts for children with
disabilities and advocates access to the arts. This event is the third collaboration
between HAWS and Accessible Arts. Both organizations are committed to creating
a performance that integrates many different arts, artists and abilities.
The four talented members of Reach…a movement collective inc., Elysse Power,
Terri Rathbun, Maria Ana Garza and Suzanne Ryan, will perform an interpretive
movement piece to a narrative selection from Tolkien’s books. City in Motion’s
Children’s Dance Theater will perform a dance accompanied by the Symphony.
Visual artists with disabilities will display their works of art in the lobby.
John Tait, tackle for the Kansas City Chiefs, will attend and make a special
presentation. He will also have several of his own paintings on display. It’s
also rumored there will be visitors from Middle Earth.
Martin English, Accessible Arts Executive Director said, “This performance
will have something for everyone: children, adults, music and dance lovers,
Tolkien fans and artists. It’s also an opportunity for us to educate the
public about the world of arts and disabilities.” The performance will
be held in Yardley Hall at Johnson County Community College and is made possible
in part by the JCCC Community Arts Partner program. Yardley Hall is located
in the Carlsen Center, 12345 College Blvd., Overland Park, KS 66210. For tickets,
call (913) 469-4445. For information about Accessible Arts, call (913) 281-1133
or visit 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.
Arts Supplies
& Other Items Volunteers Needed
To Help With: Opportunities
For Children, Educators & Artists! For
information on any opportunity listed below, call (913) 281-1133 or visit www.accessiblearts.org
99
Drums
The
Art of Learning
Rhythm
Weavin' Participate
too!
The
Return of the Scarlet Pimpernel
T
I P S Exploration
& Discovery Finger Painting
with Shaving Cream individuals who
have developmental disabilities. When dry, the finished painting has three-dimensional
depth created by the shaving cream. Printing with
Found Objects Kit
Bardwell is Program Director for Accessible Arts, Inc.
Model magic clay
(by Crayola)
Clay tools
Poster board
Left-handed children’s scissors
Colored tissue paper
Construction paper
Feathers - various sizes and colors
Sticky Wick
Unusual beads and
buttons
Percussion Instruments
(all types & sizes)
Children’s costumes, hats, masks
1" white 3-ring binders (w/plastic insert front/spine)
Bulk mailings
General filing
Copying / folding brochures
Photo album maintenance
Arts Programming
Carpentry/building shelving
99
Drums Music & Cultural Camp is a weekend of hands-on music and dance workshops
exploring the arts, history, customs and food of West African, Native American,
Mexican and Caribbean cultures. Children ages 7-16 are invited to attend this
camp from 4:00 PM, Friday, April 25th to 5:30 PM, Sunday, April 27th. 99 Drums
will be held on the campus of the Kansas State School for the Blind, Kansas
City, Kansas. The cost is $35 per child if registered before April 17th ($50
after). The fee includes all the workshops, six meals, and two overnight stays.
Adult volunteers are also needed for this event.
The
Art of Learning professional development training is designed to give artists
the tools to work in schools and schools the tools to work with artists. Interactive
workshops improve effective collaboration, enhance capacity for teaching and
learning creatively and expand resourcefulness in providing arts opportunities
for all students (including children with disabilities and at-risk youth).
Educators,
artists, and youth program providers may choose to attend the training at the
Hilton Garden Inn in Kansas City, Kansas, June 25-27 or the training at Salina
Holidome in Salina, Kansas, July 16-18. The cost is only $75 per person (teams
of 2 or more are $50 per person). Graduate credit is available from Baker University
for the Art of Learning Workshops.
Threads
of Diversity
Rhythm
Weavin’ will bring your school’s Character Education goals to the
students in a fun and energetic way. Diversity and disability themes come alive
as Bongo Barry and Cowbell Martin engage your 6th-8th grade students in this
interactive rhythm, music and movement workshop. This program is available October
20 - December 20 and costs $300. The program is 1.5 hours in length and can
accomodate 100 students.
Participate
too! is an interactive conference utilizing creativity, skills and ideas from
artists, arts organizers, educators, volunteers, board members and everyone
who believes in the power of the arts in Kansas communities. Possible dates
are November 14-15 or 21-22 in Topeka, Kansas. Times and cost TBA.
A musical about the hero in each of us...
Clever
dialogue and delightful songs are only a part of this fast-paced musical play
about the hero in each of us. Throughout the play, characters of different abilities
discover that each of them has a unique voice and skills. Following
each performance, artists will conduct interactive workshops featuring themes
from the play. Designed for 3rd-8th grade students, this tour is available in
April, 2004. A fee of $625 includes the performance and three workshops. The
maximum audience size is 350. Dates are limited so call today!&
T O P S
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.
by Kit Bardwell
It
is a common practice to show students an example of a visual art project and
then instruct them on how to replicate it. With this approach there is often
the assumption that the child is familiar with the medium, or materials to be
used. Creativity is also limited to recreating the finished product modeled
by the teacher. Educators and professionals who work with children of all abilities
should consider providing a number of structured experiences that will allow
the children to explore and discover the possibilities, as well as the limitations,
of the material. Experiences such as these are referred to as “open-ended”
art projects and can often produce spectacular and aesthetic results.
You
will need: shaving cream, tempera paint – primary colors (red, yellow and
blue), and finger painting paper.
Shaving cream adds a very desirable tactile experience to finger painting. Place
two or more small mounds of shaving cream on a piece of slick finger painting
paper. Pour a small amount of primary color tempera paint on each mound. The
students are then free to experiment with the tactile sensation of the shaving
cream and paint.
As
the students do this, there is the potential for them to create dramatic blends
of secondary colors through the mixing of the primary
colors.
This
exploration has worked well with students who have low vision or are blind and
has also been highly successful with
You will need: a large piece
of paper (white or colored) for each student, a tray containing a variety of
objects (paperclips, keys, key rings, cups, leaves, etc.—objects do not
necessarily have to be flat), a variety of colored tempera paints in shallow
pans, pieces of scrap paper, paint brushes and water for cleaning the brushes,
large bowl of water and paper towels.Students
place objects into the pans of paint to coat them and then lay them on the big
piece of paper. Or they can coat the object with paint by placing the object on
the piece of scrap paper and painting the object with a paintbrush. Encourage
them to explore rolling or dragging the object as it places paint on the paper.
After each printing the object can be wiped off with a paper towel or placed into
a large bowl of water to be dried off by the next person to use it. Students can
also paint their hands to include handprints in their design.
This
exploration uses the fine motor skill of using the fingers to pick up and place
objects. For children who have difficulty closing their hands on small objects,
take a short dowel or pencil and create a comfortable handgrip by adding Model
Magic™ around the grip area. Next, place a small piece of modeling clay
or Silly Putty™ on the end of the pencil. The modeling clay will stick
to the objects and permit them to be lifted in and out of the paint.
Arts
& Disabilities Awardees Honored by
Kansas State Board of Education & Accessible Arts
by Beverly Johnson
Since
1984, Accessible Arts and the Kansas State Board of Education have been recognizing
the valuable work of Kansans who include children with disabilities in art experiences.
The Accessible Arts Awards Committee, chaired this year by Board Vice President
Vickie Tucker (Wyandotte Special Education Co-op), is responsible for selecting
the recipient of the Distinguished Service Award. Honorees for Educator of the
Year are nominated by their peers across the state. At the March 12th Awards
Ceremony, representatives from Accessible Arts and the Kansas State Board of
Education recognized this year’s honorees.
Dr.
Dee Hansen, Associate Professor of Music Education, Baker University in Baldwin
City, Kansas, and Connie Burket, Director of Kansas Alliance for Arts Education,
Salina, Kansas, were selected to receive the award for Distinguished Service
in Arts and Disabilities. Barbara Adams, Art Teacher, Kansas School for the
Deaf (KSD), Olathe, Kansas, was selected to receive the award for Kansas Educator
of the Year in Arts and Disabilities.
Hansen
and Burket worked tirelessly to develop and achieve State Board of Education
approval for establishing a minimum state standard of one credit hour in Fine
Arts for high school graduation. They are also major collaborators and presenters
with Accessible Arts for The Art of Learning, a series of workshops that bring
together artists and educators to work toward more arts programming in Kansas
schools and communities. Both have been strong advocates for inclusive learning
in arts education and programming. They put ‘sparkle’ into everything
they do.
Dr.
Hansen was, until recently, the Fine Arts Consultant for the Kansas State Department
of Education. In addition to teaching classes at Baker University, she continues
to provide statewide and national in-services and publish articles and books
that address links between reading and arts literacy, assessments, learning
styles, and brain research. Hansen is currently co-writing a book for the National
Association of Music Education, entitled The Music and Literacy Connection,
that demonstrates parallel learning processes for reading and music. Hansen
is currently chair of the Kansas Citizens for the Arts, a statewide grass-roots
arts advocacy organization. She has a Doctor of Musical Arts from the University
of Missouri-Kansas City, a Bachelor in Music Education, and Master’s in
Music History from SMU.
Connie
Burket works in partnership with arts and education organizations to provide
a broad range of services that help schools, communities, artists, and teachers
across Kansas build and strengthen their arts education programs. Burket was
previously Arts Education Program Director for Salina Arts and Humanities Commission
and has served on boards and committees for numerous arts organizations. She
has exhibited her fabric art, been a dance instructor, juried shows, written
a curriculum for pre-school art classes, and contributed layout and design for
many of her affiliations. Her post secondary education was at Central Missouri
State College with majors in English and Art.
Adams has developed a K-12 art curriculum for KSD that is aligned with state
and national visual art education standards. Recently, she participated in the
‘Cows on Parade—Kansas City.’ Her design, ‘Deaf Awareness—Visual
COWmunications,’ displays the manual alphabet in American Sign Language.
It was initially on display at Union Station and is now on display at the school.
Accessible
Arts and Kansas State Board of Education honored Barbara Adams as their Educator
of the Year in Arts & Disabilities. Adams has dedicated 32 years to the
Kansas School for the Deaf, where she has taught art classes from kindergarten
through high school. During that time she has consistently encouraged her students
to enter art competitions at all levels, resulting in numerous awards for her
students’ art.
In
her nomination of Adams, KSD Elementary/Middle School Head Teacher Joan Macy
said “Her unceasing dedication to the field of art education for students
who are deaf/hard of hearing and support of deaf culture is incredible. She
continually seeks new ways for students to express themselves artistically.
”
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 who have disabilities. All materials are available on loan from the Accessible Arts Resource Center. Please contact us for additional information.
Edwards,
E.M., Music Education for the Deaf. The Merriam-Eddy Co., South Waterford,
ME, 1974, Bar Code: 30002402; Class: MT1 .E 345 M 9 1974; LC Card 74076260;
Subjects: Music Instruction and study, Deaf-Music education
Gloeckler,
T. & Simpson, C., Exceptional Students in Regular Classrooms: Challenges,
Services, and Methods, Mayfield Publishing Co., Mountain View, CA, 1988, ISBN:
0874847931; Bar Code: 30002054; Class: LC 4031 .G55 1988; Subjects: Inclusive
schools, Handicapped children—Education—Mainstreaming in education—United
States
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)
Mosier,
D.B. & Park, R.B., Teacher Therapist: a Text-Handbook for Teachers
of Emotionally Impaired Children, Goodyear Publishing Co. Inc., Santa Monica,
CA, 1979; ISBN: 0876208898; Bar Code: 30002073; Class: LC 4169 .M 67 1979, Subjects:
Mentally handicapped children-Education—Handbooks, manuals, Child psychopathology—Teacher
participation in educational counseling
Smith,
T.E.C., Polloway, E.A., Patton, J.R. & Dowdy, C.A., Teaching Students
with Special Needs In Inclusive Settings, Allyn & Bacon, Boston, 1995,
ISBN: 0205146538 (pbk, acid free); Bar Code: 30002087; Class: LC 4031 .T43 1995;
Subjects: Special education, Handicapped children—Education, Classroom
management, Inclusive schools
Schleien,
S.J. Ray, M.T. & Green, F.P., Community Recreation and People with Disabilities,
Paul Brookes Publishing Co., Baltimore, 1997, ISBN: 1557662592; Bar Code: 30002135;
Class: GV 183.5 .S35 1997, LC Card: 96007795; Subjects: Handicapped—Recreation—United
States, Handicapped Services for—Recreation centers—Recreational surveys
Constructing
Youth Engagement:
A synthesis of literature, observation, and professional opinion
by Harlan Brownlee, Director of Artistic Programming, Kanss City Young Audiences, Inc.
The
work of Kansas City Young Audiences (KCYA) is intended to improve upon the practices
of teaching artists and others that provide opportunities for youth to experience
and create art. Stimulated by research in Beyond the Soundbite: Arts Education
and Academic Outcomes (Winner, E. and Hetland, L., 2000) and Champions of Change:
The Impact of the Arts on Learning (Fiske, T., 2001), KCYA created a study to
focus on deepening our understanding of youth engagement as it relates to the
processes, techniques and products associated with the arts and arts integration
in the classroom.
Why
is engagement an important construct? Because we theorize that being engaged
is an indication of active involvement in learning and we believe that being
deeply involved in one’s own learning is a key factor in learning well.
We assume that the greater the level of engagement the greater the potential
there is for learning.
We
framed this study as a first step toward validating a descriptive framework
or context for the study of the arts- rich classroom. KCYA staff believed that
to create a foundation for further work it was essential to answer these key
questions in the study:
• What
is student engagement?
• What are the observable indicators of student engagement?
• What instructional practices of Teaching Artists appear to facilitate
student
engagement?
• How and why does the integration of the arts engage students in a
learning experience?
• What is happening in the arts experience that promotes a higher level
of
engagement from a student?
The study had
four phases of activity:
• Review of literature regarding engagement to identify potential definitions
and features.
• Videotaping of Teaching Artists in five different disciplines conducting
workshops in schools.
• Interviews with Teaching Artists and a sample of students immediately
following the workshops.
• Observation: professional panel review of videotaped lessons.
Our
study also provided a catalyst for further inquiry and self-reflection from
the panel members which consisted of both classroom teachers and Teaching Artists.
By simply putting forward an open-ended question and asking the participants
to answer that question, a process of self-discovery unfolded for each of the
panel members. In this scenario, the question was driving the learning. What
other questions might we ask of Teaching Artists, and could this format be adopted
to include a wide range of subjects and issues for Teaching Artists? For example,
does engagement in music look different than engagement in dance? What were
the common threads of engagement that cross the disciplines and can be described
as universal?
The
final product of our study is a definition with supporting evidence, exemplars,
and descriptions of what the instructional environment must look like for engagement
to emerge and be encouraged. The full report describing the results of the study
can be downloaded via the world wide web at: http://www.kcya.org/.
Please click on the research link in the left hand column.
The Board of Directors and staff of Accessible Arts proudly announce the opening
of our Accessible Arts Studio. Located in the historic carriage house on the
campus of the Kansas State School for the Blind, this newly-renovated, accessible
arts studio will serve children and artists of all abilities. This universally
designed space, a barrier-free and safe environment, will function as a collaborative
arts laboratory and studio space where students experiment freely with appropriate
equipment adaptations and professional artistic assistance. It will be a valuable
resource for children with disabilities and their families and a place
where students, professional artists, and educators can collaborate to create
new curricula and accessible arts programming.
Accessible Arts' Studio was made possible by generous donations from: Ross
& Marianna Beach, Rita & Irwin Blitt, H & R Block Foundation,
Faultless Starch, Hallmark Foundation, International Furnishings & Design,
Kansas Arts Commission, Kansas State School for the Blind, Muriel McBrien
Kauffman Foundation, Kemper Foundation, Metro Area Lions Clubs, Lockton Insurance,
Sisters of Lorretto, Mid-America Foundation, Ann Nichols, Miller & Jeannette
Nichols Foundation, Sosland Foundation and Utilicorp.
Accessible Arts has been awarded funding from the National Park Service’s
Long Distance Trails Office and also its Lewis and Clark Office in support of
a 5000-mile journey this June by eighteen teens who are blind or visually impaired.
Coordinated by Accessible Arts with the Kansas State School for the Blind, Discovery
Trails 2003 continues a six-year tradition of outdoor adventure that prepares
teens to use the arts in teaching pioneer history in classrooms and senior centers.
This year’s Trails journey, June 6-28th, 2003, coincides with the opening
year of the Bicentennial of the Lewis and Clark Expedition. The youthful pioneers,
accompanied by a Trail staff of educators and artists, will travel westward
on the Oregon Trail to the Pacific coast, and then follow the Corps of Discovery
along 2700 miles of the Expedition’s 1806 route through Oregon, Washington,
northern Idaho, Montana and the Dakotas.
In exchange for the adventure of camping and travelling—by minivan, horseback,
canoe and on foot—along the Lewis and Clark Trail, each of the teens has
contracted for a total of eight presentations in the two years following the
2003 Trails trek. Accessible Arts’ staff and artists will work with the
teens in creating presentations in Missouri, Kansas, Iowa, Nebraska, and Texas.
In June-July 2004, the Trail teens and staff will participate in the Kansas
City area commemorations of the Lewis and Clark Bicentennial. Activities at
the Corps of Discovery campsite at Kaw Point will include the teens. Teens and
staff have also offered to interpret the excitement of their Lewis and Clark
trip for 4000 members of the National Association of the Deaf at the Biennial
Conference over the July 4th holiday in Olathe, Kansas. A video documentary
of Discovery Trails 2003 will be available from the National Park Service or
Accessible Arts.
In September of 2002 Kit Bardwell, Program Director for Accessible Arts, visited
Horizon Academy. Together with Sandra Smith’s class she explored the various
symbols and designs that can be created when drafting a simple map.
The students began by drawing an outline of the library and marking its contents.
Next the students mapped pathways throughout the library and took turns following
each other’s maps. These maps could also request that the traveler maintain
a specific mode of locomotion such as skipping, crawling or sliding as they
followed the map.
Lastly, the students listened to a variety of recorded music that they mapped
with crayons, colored pens and glitter. The resulting artwork was full of movement
and color.
Later
in the year, Accessible Arts began to collect student artwork to frame and use
as awards for the Arts Educator of the Year and Distinguished Service Awards.
Because of their lyrical movement and bright colors, the music maps of three
Horizon students were selected to receive a purchase prize of $25 each. The
three students pictured here were the awardees.
Sunday, April 13th at 7:00 PM
“Journey to Middle Earth: the Lord of the Rings” ~ Concert & Arts Performance
Yardley Hall, Johnson County Community College, OP, KS
Heart of America Wind Symphony and performers with and without disabilities will be featured. Admission is $5 (students, seniors), $10 (adults). To purchase tickets call (913) 469-4445.
Friday-Sunday, April 25-27
99 Drums Music & Cultural Camp
Kansas State School for the Blind Campus, Kansas City, KS
Weekend of drumming and dancing workshops for children with and without disabilities. Cost is $35 per child. Final performance at 3:30 PM, Sunday, April 25th is free to the public. To register a child, volunteer or get more information, please call (913) 281-1133.
Wednesday-Friday, June 25-27
The Art of Learning Collaborative Workshop
Hilton Garden Inn, Kansas City, KSProfessional development workshops to give artists the tools to work in the schools and schools the tools to work with artists. For information please call (913) 281-1133.
Wednesday-Friday, July 16-18
The Art of Learning Collaborative Workshop
Salina Holidome, Salina, KSSee information above.
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
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.
1100 State Avenue,
Kansas City, KS 66102-4411
(913) 281-1133 [Voice & TTY] (913) 281-1515 [Fax]
eMail
Us:
accarts@accessiblearts.org
For large print or Braille newsletter contact Accessible Arts
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