For many, participating in the arts is a way to release creative freedom and expression. For individuals living with a disability, the arts can mean so much more.
VSA Indiana, formerly Very Special Arts, was founded in 1982 as Arts Unlimiting, and since 1986 has been the state affiliate for VSA, an international program of The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. Located in the Harrison Center for the Arts in Indianapolis, VSAI provides inclusive arts classes for people of all ages and abilities to interact through different mediums like music and ceramics.
VSA Indiana offers a number of programs designed to spread arts into the community.
Urban Artisans
Designed to help young adults, between the ages of 16 and 22, the Urban Artisans program aims to offer support for those transitioning from school to the workplace. By learning applicable skills through marketing and selling artwork in a professional studio, students with and without disabilities gain the confidence they need to step out into the world. Products the students create are available for sale at VSA Indiana’s enROUTE Gallery and other retail shops around Indianapolis.
The Lolly Project
Named for the memory of a special education teacher, Lolly Albert, this program specializes in bringing accessible art and activities to children and their families who are receiving treatment at central Indiana and South Bend children’s hospitals. Offering relief from medical procedures and decisions, the program gives children an opportunity to be creative and walk away from each class with a piece of art they are proud of.
In the schools
This program acts as a supplement of sorts to art programs in grades K-12 for children with disabilities. VSA Indiana Teaching Artists work with classroom teachers on a statewide scale. These partnerships between teachers and Teaching Artists can last from only a week to a year long depending on the artistic medium. They team teach so that after the Teaching Artist leaves, the program will continue long after the residency. For more information about bringing an Artist in Residence to your school, contact Linda Wisler at lwisler@vsai.org or at 317-974-4123.
For more information about these programs and other VSA Indiana initiatives, call 317-974-4123 or email info@vsai.org.