Good Teaching

As I've told you repeatedly, VSA Arts is in the business of creating a world where people with disabilities can "learn through, participate in, and enjoy the arts."

Visitors to their terrific website will find resources galore and some non-free things too, including this 5-module magic-box called "Express Diversity"; which encourages children to "ask questions, engage in discussions, and work toward a better understanding of each other." The program costs $75 plus $12 shipping. Surprisingly, $87 is more than many TAs make for a workshop.

(pause)

You could ask your employer to buy one for the office.

Here's the order form (PDF.)

Also: Liz Lerman Dance Exchange - Ferocious Beauty: Genome

Go

VSA Arts is now accepting entries for Accelerate, a juried exhibition of visual art by emerging artists with disabilities.

Discovery

The VSA arts Playwright Discovery Program encourages middle and high school age young people to write plays that explore the ways in which disability affects their lives and the lives of others. Young playwrights with and without disabilities may submit scripts that they have written alone or in collaboration with others. So this could be potentially be a class project.

The winner gets $2,000 and a trip to Washington, D.C., to see his or her play performed at the Kennedy Center.

The deadline for submissions is April 15, 2009.

Download the official rules and guidelines here (pdf).

Download the official application here (pdf).

The Show

The Armory Show is upon us already.

It opens on March 5th and runs until March 8th, 20009.

This year, VSA arts is part of The Armory Show’s International Fair of New Art and the organization is promoting the work of 16 artists with disabilities on Pier 94. Exhibiting VSA Artists include: Lanham Bundy, Caleb Charland, Emily Eifler, Busser Howell, Sophie Kahn, Lihua Lei, Ryan McDonald, Eric McGehearty, Coralina Meyer, Katie Miller, Ken Morgan, Mark C. Parsons, Gordon Sasaki, Linda Carmella Sibio, Ricky Subritzky, and Mare Vaccaro.

For more information and to purchase tickets visit the Amory Show's website.

LOCATION: Twelfth Avenue at 55th Street in Manhattan.

Hours: Thursday, March 5 - Saturday, March 7 (noon to 8 pm); Sunday, March 8 (noon to 7 pm)

Admission tickets run from $30 to $60 and are available at the door during show hours.

If you want to help stimulate what's left of the economy you could go buy something.

The art market is in trouble, hurry.

Apply Yourself

VSA arts is seeking proposals for exhibitions to be produced in 2009-10. The deadline for receipt is coming up on February 20, 2009, which is like, you know, tomorrow.

Anyway, VSA arts is committed to expanding the understanding, development, and appreciation of contemporary work by artists with disabilities. Curators are encouraged to incorporate the work of artists with disabilities into their exhibitions. Individual or group proposals may be submitted.

If you're a curator, but you feel like you don't know enough working artists with disabilities, just wait...or try harder.