VSA arts of Indiana
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1505 North Delaware Street |
Jim Nulty |
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Tel.: (317) 974-4123 |
Website: |
Organizational Profile:
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Full-time Staff: 7 |
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VSA arts of Indiana’s mission is to provide access to the arts for all individuals, educate through quality arts experiences, advocate for children with disabilities, and provide access to the arts for all people. VSA arts of Indiana’s state office is located in Indianapolis. Other areas of Indiana are locally served through VSA arts of Indiana’s statewide service partners.
Programming Partners and Other Funders:
Indiana Department of Education, Division of Exceptional Learners; National Endowment for the Arts, Indiana Arts Commission; Arts Council of Indianapolis; AT&T; Central Indiana Community Foundation; Christel DeHaan Family Foundation; Nina Mason Pulliam Charitable Trust; Penrod Society; Indianapolis Public Schools; Lilly Endowment; Indianapolis Foundation; Hensel Foundation; Psi Iota Xi
Educational Programs and Artist Residencies
Artists-in-Residence
VSA arts of Indiana places teaching artists in schools where they administer and teach inclusive, accessible, arts-related learning curricula for students with and without disabilities.
Community Classes
VSA arts of Indiana community studio art classes are offered four days a week in year-round eight-week sessions. These classes serve all ages and are adapted to include youth and adults with and without disabilities. Some of the individuals served are also receiving services through after-school programs, shelters, community service agencies, group homes, and employers. In addition, VSA arts of Indiana presents model arts programming for college students majoring in education.
Lolly Program
This program—named for Lolly Albert, a special education teacher who included arts in her instruction—provides weekly clay and visual arts classes for patients and their families in the Oncology Unit at Riley Children’s Hospital in Indianapolis and at Peyton Manning’s Children’s Hospital. This arts enrichment program provides a creative and recreational outlet in a medical environment for young patients and families experiencing life-threatening situations. In addition, the program provides a creative and non-medical activity for patients and their families to enjoy together.
Professional Development and Technical Assistance
Artist Training
Teaching artist training sessions focus on effective adaptive arts teaching techniques for artists and the development of curriculum-based projects that support state standards. The training explores practices, methods, and expected outcomes of an artist residency through program assessment and self-assessment tools. VSA arts of Indiana also presents model arts programming for college students majoring in education.
Urban Artisans
VSA arts of Indiana offers the Urban Artisans program, a cooperative of student artists, ages 16–22, who create work for sale, learn important vocational skills, and generate funds, both for themselves and to sustain the program for future artisans. Participating students market and sell their products to coffee shops, garden shops, and gallery and museum stores throughout central Indiana.
Cultural Access and Inclusive Arts Services
Special Projects
VSA arts of Indiana provides services necessary to ensure that sustainable, accessible and adaptive arts services develop in the community. Services include coordinating audio description equipment and interpreting services for performance groups, providing technical assistance to partner agencies that need help addressing accessibility issues, and training artists and administrators to deliver quality adaptive programming.
Public Awareness and Outreach
Festivals
VSA arts of Indiana, in conjunction with community organizations, organizes, facilitates, and implements statewide arts festivals. These events provide arts learning experiences for students with disabilities and their peers. The festivals focus on adaptive and accessible arts activities for children. Activities at the festivals may lead to the enhancement of the classroom curriculum. These festivals provide children, families, and their teachers with arts experiences and highlight the importance of inclusion and disability awareness.
Web Site and Newsletter
VSA arts of Indiana distributes a monthly e-newsletter that highlights activities, opportunities, and accomplishments of participants in VSA arts of Indiana programs. VSA arts of Indiana also maintains and upgrades a Web site that provides information appearing in the e-newsletter and an online artist gallery. These two methods of information dissemination increase public awareness of the organization and disability-related issues.
(F) 202-429-0868