Vsa Minnesota

Filing Period

Oct 1, 2010 to Sep 30, 2011

Signed

Mar 1, 2012

Return Version

2010v3.4

Gross Receipts

$515,127

Mission

Major Activities

Activity 2

Professional development:vsa minnesota conducted two workshops that addressed topics crucial to successfully using the arts with students with disabilities. The workshops brought together both residency artists and others seeking to improve their skills in working with students with disabilities in and through the arts. One of those workshops, held at the perpich center for arts education in golden valley in february, 2011, brought three nationally recognized arts education specialists to town for a day-long vsa institute. The professional development program area also includes facilitation and promotion of networking and technical assistance to artists with disabilities as a continuation of vsa minnesota careers forum in 2002 and our careers workshops during the summer of 2004. This is primarily accomplished via the twin cities-based artists with disabilities alliance (awda) monthly gatherings, artist networking gatherings in three greater minnesota locations and an email posting service that lists current information pertinent to minnesota artists with disabilities, including employment opportunities, calls for art, accessible performance listings, and announcements of happenings by and for artists with disabilities. Finally, this program also includes the emerging artists grant program which recognizes minnesota artists with disabilities who have identified a project to move their careers forward. Seven $1,500 grants were awarded this year to writers, performing and visual artists.one new component of the professional development program area included a series of two, two-hour workshops to assist arts administrators in providing accommodations for their patrons who are blind or who have low vision in four locations around the state including rochester, duluth, moorhead and st. Cloud.

Activity 3

Cultural access and inclusive arts services:vsa minnesota serves as a resource to state arts organizations on disability awareness, the americans with disability act, and physical and programmatic access to arts venues and services, using on-site materials and community resources. The program was greatly expanded this year with the initiation of the ada improvement grant program for metro arts organizations made possible by a grant from the metropolitan regional arts council (st. Paul). This program allowed vsa minnesota to make grants to 19 organizations seeking to improve access to their programs by people with disabilities through physical or program improvements. The maximum grant amount was $20,000.this program area also continues to include access to performing arts which is a long-standing program that provides technical assistance to arts organizations in the areas of american sign language interpretation and audio description for individuals who are deaf or blind who attend asl and ad performances. Technical assistance includes marketing to deaf/hard of hearing and blind/low vision communities and building performance organizations capabilities to meet the needs of audience members from these communities.

Filer

EIN

36-3440452