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Giving Tuesday
Annually VSA Florida provides over 150 artist in residency programs (over 1,200 lessons!) to schools throughout Florida to engage students with disabilities in music, movement, drama, or visual art. These residencies are provided FREE OF CHARGE to the schools. The actual cost to VSA Florida is about $50/lesson or $400/residency (all administrative fees are covered by other funds).
You Can Help!
Our goal is to fund 80 lessons or 10 residencies through our Giving Tuesday campaign! You can help by funding one lesson for $50, one residency for $400, or a donation of any amount to help fund supplies. To donate, click here.
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Brevard County Performing Arts Showcase
The fifth annual Brevard Achievement Center (BAC) and VSA Florida- Brevard County (VSAFL-BC) Performing Arts Showcase, the first to be performed on the King Center for the Performing Arts' main stage, was a terrific success! The showcase featured performers from eight middle and high school classrooms within the Brevard Public Schools, as well as one adult classroom from the BAC Adult Training Program. The performers presented acts that they had practiced over an 8-week residency with a VSAFL teaching artist. In addition, this year they hosted a special guest artist, Karen Peterson of Karen Peterson and Dancers from Miami.
The very talented performers were from Gallie High School, Space Coast Jr/Sr High School, Astronaut High School, Bayside High School, Madison Middle School, Viera High School, and the Brevard Achievement Center. The teaching artists were musician Chris Kahl, dance and movement teachers Marty Mercado and Nicole Warren, improv artists Sandi Paine and Erick Terhune from Blast Off Performing Arts, and drummer Ed Eliason.
This Performing Arts Showcase was made possible by the generous support of the LaHam family. The Showcase was also supported by the Leadership Council of VSAFL-BAC and the State of Florida- Division of Cultural Affairs. This event would not be possible without the dedication of Lee Sorensen, VSAFL-BC's Director, whose commitment to arts programming in the VSAFL-BC Community is unwavering. Please visit bacbrevard.com for more.
"Art and the Holocaust" at Deerlake Middle School
The students walked, one-by-one, to honored spots where they would set their painted stones of remembrance. Parents and friends in the audience watched and listened as students read quotations from readings about the Holocaust and placed their cache to make a memorial garden. Each individual ceremony was completed with the words, "We will always remember; we will never forget."
The November afternoon program, accompanied by an exhibition of art and a reception, comprised the final session of VSA Florida's "Art and the Holocaust" residency at Deerlake Middle School in Leon County. Designed in conjunction with teacher Vicki Lightfoot and the Holocaust Education Resource Council, the nine-week residency incorporated multi-media art making and social skills with state-mandated history lessons.
Students undertook several artistic experiences,
including developing a personal symbol after reading the children's novel, "Yellow Star", and learning about the symbolism of the Star of David. The students then carved their symbol into linoleum blocks and printed and framed them.
Ms. Lightfoot wrote, "My exceptional students benefited from the 'Art and the Holocaust' residency in so many ways. Not only are they now able to visualize and verbalize their disbelief and understanding of a horrific event, they are skilled at expressing their feelings through their art. Whereas art for these students was an enjoyable activity, it now holds more of a purpose."
2017 Florida Young Soloist Performs at the Vinoy Concert in the Park
2018
Application deadline, January 15th
For the past eight years, VSA Florida has partnered with the Florida Orchestra at their Annual Concert in the Park at Vinoy Park in St. Petersburg, sharing the vocal and instrumental talents of our statewide Florida Young Soloist competition winners. On Saturday, October 21st, Florida Young Soloist winner Jennifer Gordon took the stage and charmed the crowd with her vocal talents. Jennifer attends the nationally recognized Shenandoah Conservatory in Winchester, Virginia, and is currently pursuing a degree in Vocal Performance in the voice studio of Michael Forest.
VSA Florida is proud to announce our 11th annual statewide Florida Young Soloist competition. To be eligible, applicants must excel vocally or instrumentally, have a disability, and be between the ages of 14-25. Florida Young Soloist finalists, as well as all other applicants, will represent Florida by having their musical entries sent to Washington, DC, to compete in the VSA International Young Soloist Program.
Applications for the 2017-2018 VSA Florida Young Soloists Competition will be accepted online. For more information visit http://vsafl.org/programs/young-soloist . The application deadline is Monday, January 15, 2018 at 11:59 p.m. EST.
VSA Florida is proud to announce Nicholas McNealy and Kristin Fultz as the November 2017 Students of the Month.
12-year-old Nicholas was nominated by Danette Fuller, an art teacher and art club sponsor at Deeper Root Academy in Gotha. Ms. Fuller writes, "Nicholas has a God-given talent that is simply remarkable to witness. Art is where he excels." Inspired by Disney with a dream to become a "Disney Imagineer", Nicholas is ever honing his graphic characterizations and notable songwriting skills. Art provides Nicholas with an escape from the social pressures that come with having Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and being mainstreamed in his middle school classrooms. Ms. Fuller enthusiastically shared Nicholas' story with us, understanding that the Student of the Month award will provide the self-confidence boost that every budding artist needs from time to time.
17-year-old Kristin was nominated by her mother Lisa Baxter, founder and principal of Special Kids Academy in Largo. She proudly writes, "Kristin has loved to dance since she was five years old and is a good example of what a child with a disability can accomplish. Every child with special needs is given a talent and Kristin has rhythm." With a solid foundation of seven years of formal dance lessons in ballet and tap, Kristin now spends her time teaching herself hip-hop moves, getting healthy exercise while having the time of her life. As a visual learner, Kristin is able to watch a demonstration, repeat it...and share it! She has performed at numerous venues including the Family Café in Orlando and The Buddy Walk in Largo, and has appeared on FOX 13 Charley's World and Bay News 9. Her mom shares, "Kristin has Down syndrome and a heart condition. She works very hard to accomplish everything to be the best she can be!"
In the coming weeks, VSA Florida is looking forward to presenting
Nicholas
and
Kristin
with their gift certificates and personalized trophies for winning this prestigious award.
The VSA Florida Student of the Month Program is designed to increase public awareness and recognize the impact arts make on students with disabilities statewide. Students who participate in the arts develop creativity, have increased self-confidence, understand teamwork, have increased language and math skills and are generally more engaged.
For more information about the Student of the Month program and others, please visit www.vsafl.org. To nominate a student, please click here.
The Art-to-Art Conversation
Imagine carrying on a conversation without words. Instead of sentences your creative expression becomes the medium for exchanging ideas and emotions. This happens every day on the VSA Florida/ArtThread Interactive Online Gallery. The Gallery is a place to make and share art online, in a safe and no-fail environment, and it is the core of our long-standing partnership with the ArtThread Foundation. Students and teachers in Florida public schools have access to the customized VSA Florida Gallery, supported by Modern Skills for Success residencies, which places VSAFL teaching artists in classrooms with transition-age students. The program provides students with opportunities for creative expression along with 21st century computer skills.
The artwork made by the students is inspiring, and while doing it they get a chance to make substantial steps toward self-reliance. VSAFL teaching artist Bonnie Hammer has taught numerous residencies using ArtThread's tools. "I really love it, I really believe in it. I work with students with special needs and I teach them to make art on the computer. They get so excited, and many of them take what they learn home with them. It's a very rewarding experience," says Bonnie.
VSA Florida and the ArtThread Foundation are proud to be working together to provide students with a set of tools to foster creativity, improve self-esteem, gain entrepreneurial skills, and increase their exposure to art activities. The VSAFL/ArtThread program provides a new way of connecting students with each other and their families and friends, and helps level the playing field for students with disabilities.
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December: Basic Accommodations in the Arts
This webinar is perfect for new teaching artists or classroom arts teachers, or those looking to brush up on basic accommodations for including students with disabilities in the arts. A variety of types of disabilities and art forms will be presented.
Presenter:
Jennifer Sabo is the Executive Director for VSA Florida and provides leadership and management to VSA Florida's statewide arts organization as well as conducts all training programs. Prior to arriving at VSA Florida, Ms. Sabo served as Executive Director at the Children's Museum of Alamance County, Director of Education at the Golisano Children's Museum of Naples, and Youth Programs Manager at the Ringling Museum of Art. Ms. Sabo serves as a member of the Parent Involvement and Engagement Strategic Planning Committee for the Florida Department of Education- Bureau of Exceptional Education and Student Services. Ms. Sabo has a Master of Arts in Museum Studies with a concentration in Education from the University of Florida and a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Studio Art from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
- December 6, 12-1 (east coast time)
- December 7, 4-5 pm (east coast time)
To register for one of these FREE webinars, please click here.
VSA Florida webinars are supported in part by the Florida Department of Education's Bureau of Exceptional Education and Student Services and the Florida Department of State's Division of Cultural Affairs.
VSA Florida Artist Registry Offers Opportunities for Artists with Disabilities
VSA Florida showcases artists with disabilities through our Artist Registry. All art forms are represented including visual art, performing art, and literary work. The Registry is a FREE service. Click here for an application. For more information, please contact Sandra Sroka, Adult Program Coordinator, at
srokas.vsafl@gmail.com
or 813-974-0712.
Are you an artist looking for opportunities? Click here to visit our Call for Art page.
Check out our
Calendar of Events
to find other VSA Florida programs or events in your area!
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Join Us in Bringing Accessible Art to Florida!
Help VSA Florida continue to provide, support, and champion arts education and cultural experiences for and by people with disabilities.
Click here for more information about VSA Florida programs.
Donations can be made online here.
Thank you for helping Florida's children with disabilities!
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For more information about VSA Florida and our programs please contact
Jennifer Sabo, Executive Director at 813.974.0721 or
jsabo@usf.edu
VSA Florida
4202 E. Fowler Avenue, EDU105
Tampa, FL 33620
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