Creative Activities and VSA Washington » News Archive http://www.creativeactivities.org Working jointly for equal access to the arts for all. Tue, 07 Sep 2010 20:33:16 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0.1 The Challenge – Show Your Support in September! http://www.creativeactivities.org/news/the-challenge-show-your-support-in-september http://www.creativeactivities.org/news/the-challenge-show-your-support-in-september#comments Tue, 07 Sep 2010 20:33:16 +0000 Deborah Witmer http://www.creativeactivities.org/?p=2416 In August, one of our donors challenged us – they would make an additional contribution for every individual donation we received in August.  THANK YOU!  To everyone who showed their support for our work!

Our donor has now challenged us to do better – and extended the offer through the month of September.  We know how hard things are for a lot of folks right now.  The vast majority of our Artists live on fixed incomes and their lives are even more complicated in tough times like these.  Students across the State are now returning to classrooms that are very likely NOT to have art as a regular part of their day – or even week.

Our programs and services are even more in demand – and we really need your help to prove to potential funders that the community believes it is important that we continue to provide them.  It doesn’t take much – a donation of any amount meets our Challenge and sends a vote that people with disabilities matter.

Please take a moment NOW and send your vote – use the Donate Now link (on the left side of the page) or you can call 206.443.1843 for assistance making your donation by phone.  Every donation sends an important message – and every dollar rasied is put immediately to work in our Studio and in our schools.  Help us make a real difference in the lives of youth and adults with disabilities – any amount you give sends an important message.  Thank You!

]]> http://www.creativeactivities.org/news/the-challenge-show-your-support-in-september/feed 0 Dance Class Registration Now Open! http://www.creativeactivities.org/news/dance-class-registration-now-open http://www.creativeactivities.org/news/dance-class-registration-now-open#comments Mon, 30 Aug 2010 20:52:52 +0000 Deborah Witmer http://www.creativeactivities.org/?p=2092 Creative Activities/VSA Washington has partnered with 6th Day Dance to present 

Dance First:   Adaptive Dance for Adult Individuals with Developmental Disabilities or Mental Health Diagnosis.

 Participants will enjoy learning new skills in dance movement with an emphasis on the aesthetic or artistic appearance of modern technique in a safe and comfortable environment.  The instructor will incorporate Dance Movement Therapy Techniques into each class.  Focus will be on individual growth.  Participants will showcase their skills thru performance opportunities open to the public.  Registration deadline September 10th, early bird registration by August 23rd receives 1 free class. 

Class Details

Age: Class open to participants ages 18 and over
Dates: September 12th-December 12th (No class November 28th and October 17th) Sundays 2:00-3:00pm
Location: Westlake Dance Center Studio 2, 10701 8th Avenue Northeast, Seattle 98125  (Located behind the Northgate Mall).
Cost: 12 week program $60 total ($5 per class).  A limited number of partial scholarships are available thru Creative Activities/VSA Arts of Washington, please contact us directly about scholarship opportunities at (206) 443-1843.

Registration and InformationRegistration deadline September 10th, early bird registration by August 23rd receives 1 free class.  For more information, to view video of the class style and for registration forms: http://www.sixthdaydance.org/classes/outreach

]]> http://www.creativeactivities.org/news/dance-class-registration-now-open/feed 0 VSA Institute on Arts & Inclusive Learning – Register NOW! http://www.creativeactivities.org/news/vsa-institute-on-arts-and-inclusive-learning-register-now http://www.creativeactivities.org/news/vsa-institute-on-arts-and-inclusive-learning-register-now#comments Mon, 23 Aug 2010 20:10:17 +0000 Deborah Witmer http://www.creativeactivities.org/?p=2300 Creative Activities and VSA Washington presents a VSA Institute on Arts and Inclusive Learning, with guest instructors Susan D. Loesl and Fran Sillau.  The Institute will be held Saturday, September 24, from 9am – 4pm at The Seattle Center; refreshments and lunch will  be provided.  Educators, teaching artists, and administrators are welcome to participate in this educational, hands-on experience!  Topics include:  Theories and methods for teaching in inclusive environments; engaging in hands-on teaching techniques, and the foundations of inclusive educations and arts-based learning.

ONLY $20 – SPACE IS LIMITED!  REGISTRATION DEADLINE IS FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 17

Download Registration Form:  VSAInstituteRegistration  in Word        VSAInstituteRegistration  as a PDF

To Register – or for more information: Email Deborahw@creativeactivities.org or Call 206.443.1843

Susan D. Loesl, MA, ATR-BC, WATR, has, for the past 21 years, worked as an Adaptive Art Specialist/Art Therapist for the Milwaukee Public Schools in Milwaukee, WA.  She is an Art Therapy and Graduate Education Adjunct Faculty at Mount Mary College in Milwaukee, and a frequent presenter at national conferences relating to art education, art therapy, persons with disabilities and assistive technology. She has presented workshops and in-service training throughout the USA, Puerto Rico and China.  Sue is a consultant on adaptive arts strategies and low-tech adaptive art tools for schools, universities and organizations throughout the USA.  She also collaborates with the Milwaukee Institute of Art and Design students to design and develop new adaptive tools for persons with special needs.  Sue is author of three chapters on adaptive arts strategies in three separate books.

Mr. Fran Sillau has served as a teacher, writer, director, actor, and producer, yet his most notable professional accomplishments have been that of teacher and director.  He was recently awarded the 2008 VSA Teaching Artist Fellowship, and was also a past recipient of the Access to the Arts grant awarded by The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts and The National Endowment for The Arts.  Currently, Sillau serves as a teaching artist, actor, and director at The Omaha Theater Company (OTC) in Omaha, Nebraska.  When not working at OTC, he facilitates workshops enabling teachers in integrating theater arts into core curriculum.

Link to download a PDF flyer for the VSA Institute:  VSAInstitue

]]> http://www.creativeactivities.org/news/vsa-institute-on-arts-and-inclusive-learning-register-now/feed 0 Testing Out Unique Painting Device at Seattle Center! http://www.creativeactivities.org/news/testing-out-unique-painting-device-at-seattle-center http://www.creativeactivities.org/news/testing-out-unique-painting-device-at-seattle-center#comments Tue, 17 Aug 2010 20:50:00 +0000 Deborah Witmer http://www.creativeactivities.org/?p=2250 If you are in the Seattle area this Thursday (August 19th from 11am – 6pm), you really should stop by and check this out!  We are pulling a unique painting device out of storage, setting it up, and seeing how it works!  Based on a manual wheelchair, it is fitted with an extension arm which holds a paintbrush.  It needs a REALLY large space to use!

So, when Seattle Center offered us the chance to use the space in the newly opened Center Square, we jumped at it!  The weather looks good, we have all the supplies we need, and we are ready to set it up and see what can be created.  Any CA/VSAAW artist (whether in a chair or not) may take a turn trying out this device.  Artists in chairs get priority, and they must be able to transfer themselves or have a caregiver with them to assist.  Sorry, members of the general public are welcome to watch, but will not be allowed to participate.

Stop by any time between 11am – 6pm – or call for more information (206.443.1843).  We’ll be set up in the NE corner of the Center Square space – just west of the EMP.  We hope to see a lot of you here – it should be a lot of fun!

]]> http://www.creativeactivities.org/news/testing-out-unique-painting-device-at-seattle-center/feed 0 You Are Being Challenged! http://www.creativeactivities.org/news/you-are-being-challenged http://www.creativeactivities.org/news/you-are-being-challenged#comments Mon, 02 Aug 2010 04:56:15 +0000 Deborah Witmer http://www.creativeactivities.org/?p=2143 One of our Donors has issued a Community Challenge:  they will make an additional contribution for each individual donation we receive by August 31st.
Please help us make the most of this opportunity!

WHAT YOU CAN DO RIGHT NOW:
1. Click the Donate Now button to the left;
2. Call 206.443.1843 (M-F 9am – 5pm) to speak with a staff member to make a donation by phone; OR
3. Send your donation to:  CA/VSAAW  305 Harrison St.  #303, Seattle, WA  98109

THEN:  Post this challenge to YOUR FACEBOOK PAGE!  Tell people why you support CA/VSAAW and ask them to help us make the most of this challenge opportunity!  Pass it on!

We must receive the donation by August 31st to qualify; anonymous (cash) donations will not count towards fulfilling the Challenge.  No personal information of any kind will be shared with anyone, including the Donor.

Every dollar raised will be used to support artists with disabilities and K-12 inclusive classrooms in
Washington State.  Thank You for your support!

]]> http://www.creativeactivities.org/news/you-are-being-challenged/feed 0 No Boundaries “Transcendence” Final Gallery Showing http://www.creativeactivities.org/news/no-boundaries-2009%e2%80%942010-%e2%80%9ctranscendence%e2%80%9d-reception http://www.creativeactivities.org/news/no-boundaries-2009%e2%80%942010-%e2%80%9ctranscendence%e2%80%9d-reception#comments Tue, 20 Jul 2010 21:20:11 +0000 Roger Morrell http://www.creativeactivities.org/?p=2101

Jessica Thompson - "Bristlecone Pine Tree" - SOLD

The No Boundaries 2009—2010 “Transcendence” show is in its last days – through August –  at the Wikstrom Brother’s Gallery  located at 5411 Meridian Ave N. Seattle.   The Gallery’s hours are Tuesday – Friday 5pm to 7pm;  Saturday 12 to 3pm;  and by Appointment (206) 633-5544 .  This is the exhibit’s last venue; please take the opportunity to see it while you can.  To view the artwork in the show Click Here

]]> http://www.creativeactivities.org/news/no-boundaries-2009%e2%80%942010-%e2%80%9ctranscendence%e2%80%9d-reception/feed 0 Seattle SummerStage’s “Annie Jr.” : Aug. 6-8 http://www.creativeactivities.org/news/seattle-summerstages-production-of-%e2%80%9cannie-jr-%e2%80%9d-aug-6-8 http://www.creativeactivities.org/news/seattle-summerstages-production-of-%e2%80%9cannie-jr-%e2%80%9d-aug-6-8#comments Thu, 15 Jul 2010 20:13:46 +0000 Deborah Witmer http://www.creativeactivities.org/?p=2081   
Seattle Musical Theatre is happy to announce this year’s Seattle SummerStage program for youth theatre education under the direction of Artistic Director Beth Mahmoud-Howell and Music Director Paul Linnes.
 
SummerStage is the brainchild of Ms. Mahmoud-Howell and Mr. Linnes. It is an intensive, two-week immersion in musical theatre education for students, who then participate in three public performances at Seattle Musical Theatre in Magnuson Park. Students take daily classes in music, dance and acting taught by our professional staff, with rehearsals in the afternoons culminating in a fully staged production. 
 
 “Annie Jr.” will feature unusual double-casting in three lead, comedic roles. Deaf actress Casey Johnson-Pasqua has been paired with Kayla Wheeler, who uses a wheelchair for mobility, to play orphanage mistress Miss Hannigan. Austin Ake will work alongside Sofian Mahmoud as the caddish Rooster, and Amber Winkler will double Sarah Porter as Rooster’s girlfriend, Lily. Austin and Amber are both deaf. Casey and Kayla were previously paired in a middle school production of “Beauty and the Beast,” also directed by Ms. Mahmoud-Howell, at Madrona K-8 in Edmonds.Classes and rehearsals for the new SummerStage production of “Annie Jr.” begin July 26, with performances Aug. 6-8. Musical theatre is a great place to build self-esteem, enhance communication skills and foster creativity in youth.
 
Instead of shadowing one another in a typical, signed/voiced performance approach, the paired partners will be acting simultaneously on different sides of the stage. Getting all three sets of partners to work in sync while developing six, unique portrayals is an exciting challenge. Our deaf-program coordinator, Jenna Paslay, is translating the script into stylized signing necessary for stage work.
 
“Annie Jr.” takes the popular comic strip heroine center stage in one of the world’s best-loved musicals. Annie is a spunky, Depression-era orphan determined to find the parents who abandoned her on the doorstep of a New York City orphanage run by cruel, embittered Miss Hannigan. In a series of adventures and familiar songs, Annie foils Miss Hannigan’s evil machinations, befriends President Franklin Delano Roosevelt, and finds a new family and home with billionaire Oliver Warbucks and a lovable mutt named Sandy.
 
The 29-member cast is composed of students, ages 9-15, from around the Seattle area. All students, beginners and experienced alike, willing to commit to the rewarding work of SummerStage were encouraged to take part.
 
The program takes place July 26 to August 6.
Performances of “Annie Jr.” at Seattle Musical Theatre are:
Aug. 6th and 7th at 7:00 p.m., and Aug. 8th at 2:00 p.m. Tickets are $10.
 
Please email Ann@seattlemusicaltheatre.org or call (206) 363-2808 for your tickets. All performances will be sign-language-interpreted, but reservations are requested for those needing seating in our ASL section.

]]> http://www.creativeactivities.org/news/seattle-summerstages-production-of-%e2%80%9cannie-jr-%e2%80%9d-aug-6-8/feed 0 Call For Art – No Boundaries 2010-2011 http://www.creativeactivities.org/news/call-for-art-no-boundaries-2010-2011 http://www.creativeactivities.org/news/call-for-art-no-boundaries-2010-2011#comments Fri, 25 Jun 2010 07:06:19 +0000 Roger Morrell http://www.creativeactivities.org/?p=1844 Deadline: July 30, 2010 

ELIGIBILITY:
Open to artists with disabilities who reside in Alaska, Idaho, Montana, Oregon and Washington. All works must be for sale.  All works must be original, produced within the last three (3) years and completed since acquiring a disability.  Open to artists age 18 and up. 

MEDIA:
Media eligible for consideration include, but are not limited to: Painting, Sculpture, Drawing, Printmaking, Photography and Mixed Media.  Please call for other media considerations.    

SIZE LIMITATIONS:
Two ‐dimensional: 40” x 40” (incl. frame)
Three‐dimensional: 25” x 25” x 25”
less than 20 lbs.  

*All applications must be hand ‐delivered, postmarked or electronically delivered to the Creative Activities/VSA Washington office by 5PM, Friday, July 30, 2010.    

APPLICATION INSTRUCTIONS:
JURY BY DIGITAL IMAGE:  Artists may submit up to four (4) works of art, explained in the Description Sheet and represented by a maximum of four (4) digital images.  Send tiff files at a minimum of 200 dpi and 2” x 2”.  The file name must include the Artist’s Name and the Piece Number that corresponds with the Description Sheet (ex:Chris_Smith_01.tif) and submitted on a CD or DVD‐R.

AWARDS/PUBLICITY:
Four (4) cash awards, including cover art, will be given in recognition of outstanding work.  Each accepted artist will be featured on our website http://www.cretiveativities.og for the 2010‐2011 tour.  

SHIPPING:
Artists are responsible for transportation of accepted works to and from VSA. Work may be delivered to and picked up from the VSA office during regular business hours (9 AM ‐ 5 PM, Monday ‐Friday).  

Download PDF Application

]]> http://www.creativeactivities.org/news/call-for-art-no-boundaries-2010-2011/feed 0 The Artist Clinic at Country Doctor Has Been Extended http://www.creativeactivities.org/news/the-artist-clinic-at-country-doctor-has-been-extended http://www.creativeactivities.org/news/the-artist-clinic-at-country-doctor-has-been-extended#comments Fri, 18 Jun 2010 04:59:16 +0000 Roger Morrell http://www.creativeactivities.org/?p=1759 The Voucher Program Has Been Extended Through June 2010.

The Artist Clinic at Country Doctor Community Clinic offers artist-focused hours every Wednesday from 5:30–8:30pm. Appointments can also be made at other times to accommodate varying schedules. Artists of all creative disciplines are encouraged to avail of this service. Make an appointment today by calling 206/299-1600. 

During this trial period, a limited number of subsidies are available on a first-come, first-served basis. If you are eligible, a $75 voucher will be issued to you to be applied your Artist Clinic bill from Country Doctor Clinic, to a maximum of $150 (two vouchers) per individual artist during the trial period. 

To request a subsidy, please complete a short intake form intended to determine your artistic discipline, percent of income from art practice, time spent on creation of work, and education and/or training. This will help to determine your eligibility to qualify for the subsidy. 

Please remember to mention “WAHIP’s Artist Clinic Voucher” when calling Country Doctor Community Clinic for an appointment and at the front desk at CDCC to ensure that they are aware that you may be using an Artist Clinic voucher.   

Subsidies available! Uninsured (or those whose sole coverage is a high-deductible catastrophic insurance policy) low-income artists can apply for a voucher to help underwrite appointment costs in four easy steps: 

  1. Complete intake form below;
  2. Fax intake form to Artist Trust for review;
  3. If you qualify, a voucher worth $75 towards your clinic bill will be emailed or snail-mailed to you!
  4. Take the voucher in with you to your appointment at Country Doctor Community Clinic.

Please read on for more on this program. 

  

:: Download complete program description and services here. :: 

:: Download, print and fax intake form to receive your voucher here. :: 

The Country Doctor Clinic is located in the Capitol Hill neighborhood of Seattle (500 19th Ave E, Seattle, WA 98112). Make an appointment by calling 206/299-1600 and take advantage of this opportunity to experience the quality, affordable healthcare provided at the Country Doctor Community Clinic!  

The Artist Clinic is a partnership between Country Doctor Community Health Clinics and the Washington Artists Health Insurance Project (WAHIP). The subsidies are made possible through donations by WAHIP Coalition Members: 

Leadership Sponsors: Artist Trust, Seattle Musician’s Association, MusiCares®
Community Sponsors: 4Culture, Seattle Mayor’s Office of Arts & Cultural Affairs, Seattle Office of Film + Music
Community Supporters: Pratt Fine Arts, Robert Stumberger, Friends of On The Boards, Friends of the Henry Art Gallery 

If you have any questions regarding the information on this page or information on any of the resources listed on their website please contact miguel@artisttrust.org, (206)467-8734 x11 or 1-866-218-7878 x11. 

]]> http://www.creativeactivities.org/news/the-artist-clinic-at-country-doctor-has-been-extended/feed 0 First Annual Whistlestop Fundraising Dance! http://www.creativeactivities.org/news/first-annual-whistlestop-dance http://www.creativeactivities.org/news/first-annual-whistlestop-dance#comments Wed, 16 Jun 2010 16:57:37 +0000 Roger Morrell http://www.creativeactivities.org/?p=1728

Friday June 18th, 2010 6:30pm – 8:00pm
Join with the WhistleStop dancers in the First Annual WhistleStop Fundraiser Dance
Bring your mama, Bring your papa, Bring your little sister too, And don’t for get your dancing shoes!

University Heights Community Center, 5031 University Avenue, Seattle 98105  


 Adults: $8 Children (under 12): $5
www.whistlestop-dance.com
Whistlestop on Facebook!

 The Whistlestop Dance Company is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization. Whistlestop Dancers are performers, choreographers, mentors, and teaching artists. They offer a wide variety programs for children and adults of all ages and abilities.
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