VSA Mississippi Press

PRESS RELEASE                               For Immediate Release

                                                                                                July 19, 2011

Contact:   V. A. Patterson, Executive Director

                 601-965-4866 or jacvsa@bellsouth.net

 VSA MISSISSIPPI RECEIVES MISSISSIPPI ARTS COMMISSION GRANTS

            (Jackson, MS) – VSA Mississippi (VSA MS), The State Organization on Arts and Disability, has been awarded a $17,800 general operating grant from the Mississippi Arts Commission for FY2012.  This grant is a portion of the $1.5 million in grants the Commission will award in 2011-2012 and will be used to support the VSA MS programs for children, youth, and adults with disabilities in Mississippi. The grants are made possible by continued funding from the Mississippi State Legislature and the National Endowment for the Arts.

            “The mission of VSA Mississippi is to promote and provide arts opportunities for people with disabilities in Mississippi.  We are delighted to receive this generous operating grant from the Mississippi Arts Commission to support our programs,” said V. A. Patterson, Executive Director of VSA Mississippi. 

            VSA Mississippi is a member of the international network of VSA, The International Organization on Arts and Disability, an affiliate of The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.  VSA MS receives funding the central office of VSA, under an award from the U. S. Department of Education; the Mississippi Arts Commission; Greater Jackson Arts Council; City of Jackson; and donations from area corporations and individuals.  Formerly called Very Special Arts, VSA Mississippi has been providing arts programs for people with disabilities in Mississippi since 1978.

            For more information, call 601-965-4866.


FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE, August 3, 2010

Contact:  V. A. Patterson, Executive Director, VSA Mississippi
601-965-4866 or 601-201-9366

  

VSA Mississippi ArtBuds Exhibit and Reception

Saturday, August 7

 

            (Jackson)  The 3rd Annual VSA Mississippi and Jackson Arts Collective ArtBuds Exhibit and Reception will be on Saturday, August 7, from 2:00 – 4:00 p.m., at the Mississippi Arts Center, 201 East Pascagoula Street, in Jackson.  The public is invited.

            ArtBuds is a VSA Mississippi visual arts program for youths with disabilities designed to provide art education, mentoring, and collaboration in partnership with local artists. 

            The students attend two class sessions of instruction by the VSA Mississippi Senior Artist in Residence, Tom Harmon.  Each student is then paired with a professional artist and, as “ArtBuds,” produces a collaborative piece of art.  The program culminates with the exhibit and reception at which individual works by the student and the professional artists are displayed, along with the collaborative “ArtBuds” piece.  VSA Mississippi partners with the Jackson Arts Collective on this program.

            Participating “ArtBuds” artists are: Sam Clark, Josh Hailey, Chip Shepard, Ginger Williams-Cook, Jerri Sherer, Ann Campbell, Tony Davenport, Tony DiFatta, George Miles, Richard Stowe, and KC Williams.

            VSA Mississippi, The State Organization on Arts and Disability, is a statewide nonprofit organization that promotes and provides arts opportunities for people with disabilities.  VSA Mississippi is a member of the international network of VSA, The International Organization on Arts and Disability, an affiliate of The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.  VSA Mississippi has been providing arts programs for children, youth and adults with disabilities since 1978.

            VSA Mississippi receives support from the Mississippi Legislature through the Mississippi Department of Education; the central office of VSA, under an award from the U. S. Department of Education; Mississippi Arts Commission; Mississippi Department of Mental Health; Greater Jackson Arts Council; City of Jackson; and private donations from individuals and corporations.


PRESS RELEASE                               For Immediate Release

                                                                                                August 3, 2010

Contact:   V. A. Patterson, Executive Director

                 601-965-4866 or jacvsa@bellsouth.net

 

VSA MISSISSIPPI RECEIVES

MISSISSIPPI ARTS COMMISSION GRANTS

 

            (Jackson, MS) – VSA Mississippi (VSA MS), The State Organization on Arts and Disability, has been awarded a $21,750 general operating grant from the Mississippi Arts Commission for FY2011.  This grant is a portion of the $1.64 million in grants the Commission will award in 2010-2011 and will be used to support VSA MS programs for people with disabilities in Mississippi. The grants are made possible by continued funding from the Mississippi State Legislature and the National Endowment for the Arts.

            “The mission of VSA Mississippi is to promote and provide arts opportunities for children, youth and adults with disabilities in Mississippi.  We are delighted to receive this generous operating grant from the Mississippi Arts Commission to support our programs,” said V. A. Patterson, Executive Director of VSA Mississippi. 

            VSA Mississippi is a member of the international network of VSA, The International Organization on Arts and Disability, an affiliate of The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.  VSA MS receives funding from the Mississippi Legislature through the Mississippi Department of Education; the central office of VSA arts, under an award from the U. S. Department of Education; the Mississippi Arts Commission; Mississippi Department of Mental Health; Greater Jackson Arts Council; City of Jackson; and donations from area corporations and individuals.  Formerly called Very Special Arts, VSA Mississippi has been providing arts programs for people with disabilities in Mississippi since 1978.

            For more information, call 601-965-4866.


 

For Immediate Release, May 26, 2010

Contact: V. A. Patterson, Executive Director, VSA Mississippi

               601-965-4866 or 601-201-9366

 

 

Mississippi Artist Sheri Marshall of Holly Springs

to have artwork exhibited at Smithsonian

 

 

            Sheri Marshall, of Holly Springs, is one of 54 artists from around the world whose work has been selected for the VSA “Revealing Culture” exhibition, an international juried exhibition of art by artists with disabilities, June 8 – August 29, 2010, at the Smithsonian Institution’s International Gallery, in Washington, D.C.

Marshall is the only artist from Mississippi with work in the exhibition.  A skilled craftsperson, she works in several media, including pottery, tile, fused and kiln-cast glass, precious metal clay (PMC) and fiber.  She is a teaching artist for VSA Mississippi, an Exhibiting Member of the Craftsmen’s Guild of Mississippi, listed on the Mississippi Arts Commission Artist Roster, and a juried member of the Oxford Artist Guild.  “Through my artwork,” she says, “I attempt to relate that having a disability does not exclude me from being an artist.”      “Revealing Culture” is a groundbreaking exhibition of contemporary art by artists with disabilities. It presents more than 130 works of art in a broad range of media – including installations, video, performance, painting, sculpture, and printmaking -- showcasing 54 artists juried from more than 400 submissions.  The exhibition is a visual arts component of the 2010 International VSA Festival, June 6-12, in Washington, D.C., an event that brings together artists, educators, and policymakers with and without disabilities from around the world for a multicultural celebration of the arts and education.  With a guest list totaling more than 2,000 people, including VSA’s 54 international affiliates, its U.S. network, and audience members from all corners of the globe, the Festival will feature a dazzling array of visual, performing, literary, and media artists. It will be the largest arts event featuring artists with disabilities to take place in Washington, D. C., to date.

VSA, the international organization on arts and disability, was founded more than 35 years ago by Ambassador Jean Kennedy Smith to create a society where people with disabilities learn through, participate in, and enjoy the arts. VSA provides educators, parents, and artists with the resources and tools to support arts programming in schools and communities. VSA showcases the accomplishments of artists with disabilities and promotes increased access to the arts for all people. Each year, 7 million people participate in VSA programs through a nationwide network of affiliates and in 54 countries around the world. VSA is an affiliate of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. For more information about VSA, visit www.vsarts.org

            VSA Mississippi (VSA MS), the state organization on arts and disability, is a statewide nonprofit organization that promotes and provides arts opportunities for people with disabilities. VSA MS is a member of the network of VSA, the international organization on arts and disability, an affiliate of The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.  Formerly called Very Special Arts Mississippi, the name was changed in 1999.  VSA MS has been providing arts programs for people with disabilities in Mississippi since 1978. For more information about VSA MS, visit www.vsartsms.org or e-mail info@vsartsms.org.

 


March 15, 2010

Contact: V. A. Patterson, Executive Director, VSA arts of Mississippi

601-965-4866 or 601-201-9366

 William Heard receives First Place Award in annual Goodwill Art Show

            Jackson, MS – William Heard, of Tupelo, was awarded the First Place Lynn Green Root Memorial Award at the 22nd annual Goodwill Art Show at the Mississippi Arts Center in Jackson.  His prize winning painting, “Sea Breeze Over the Mountains,” was selected from more than 170 entries by professional, nonprofessional and student artists throughout the state.  The Goodwill Art Show is an annual art competition to showcase the work of artists with disabilities in the state of Mississippi.  It is co-sponsored by Goodwill Industries, Goodwill Industries Volunteer Services, Greater Jackson Arts Council, and VSA arts of Mississippi.

            Awards in the Nonprofessional Category were: First Place, Geri Lunday, Ashland; Second Place, Margaret Harvin, Jackson; Third Place, Blanche Gaddis, Meridian; Honorable Mention, LeVernon Perry, Nate Rogers, and Jerry Dearing, all of the Jackson area; Fourth Place, Christopher Shepherd, Clinton.

            Student winners were: First Place, Cheyenne Pyron, Brandon; Second Place: Roydeshawn Booth, Mize, and Courtney Brown, Bay St. Louis; Third Place, Dimitri McKey, Bay St. Louis; Honorable Mention, Savannah Shepherd, Clinton, Michael Williams, Greenville, Dylan Schwartz, Bay St. Louis, and Brandon Peterson, Bay St. Louis.

            For more information about the Goodwill Art Show, call 601-965-4866.


January 12, 2010

Contact: V. A. Patterson, 601-865-4866
Executive Director, VSA arts of Mississippi

 

22nd annual Goodwill Art Show call for artwork from artists with disabilities

 

            Jackson, MS – Goodwill Industries, Greater Jackson Arts Council and VSA arts of Mississippi are calling for artwork by artists with disabilities for the 22nd annual Goodwill Art Show to be held in the Arts Center of Mississippi, 201 East Pascagoula Street, Jackson.  The Goodwill Art Show is an annual art exhibit to showcase art by artists with disabilities in Mississippi.

            Artwork should be brought to the Greater Jackson Arts Council office in the Arts Center of Mississippi, January 19-22, between the hours of 10:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m.  The exhibit will run from January 26 through February 21, with an award ceremony and reception on Sunday, February 21, at 2:00 p.m. Cash prizes, totaling more than $2,000, in Professional, Nonprofessional, and Student categories, will be awarded.

            The competition is open to all visual artists with disabilities in Mississippi.  Professional and nonprofessional artists may enter three pieces of artwork.  Students in elementary, junior and senior high schools may enter one piece of artwork each. All paintings and drawings must be framed or matted and wired for hanging.  Three-dimensional works may be submitted.

            For more information and applications, call 601-965-4866 and 601-960-1557.


 




PRESS RELEASE
For Immediate Release

VSA ARTS OF MISSISSIPPI RECEIVES
MISSISSIPPI ARTS COMMISSION GRANTS

                                                                                                July 15, 2009

Contact:   V. A. Patterson, Executive Director
601-965-4866 or jacvsa@bellsouth.net

 

            (Jackson, MS) – VSA arts of Mississippi (VSA MS) has been awarded a $19,558 general operating grant and a $1,000 minigrant from the Mississippi Arts Commission for FY2010.  The grants are a portion of the $1.5 million in grants the Commission will award in 2009-2010.  The operating grant will be used to support the VSA MS programs for people with disabilities in Mississippi.  The minigrant will support a teaching artist for a summer art program for youths with disabilities.  The grants are made possible by continued funding from the Mississippi State Legislature and the National Endowment for the Arts.

            “The mission of VSA arts of Mississippi is to promote and provide arts opportunities for children, youth and adults with disabilities in Mississippi.  We are delighted to receive these generous grants from the Mississippi Arts Commission to support our programs,” said V. A. Patterson, Executive Director of VSA arts of Mississippi. 

            VSA arts of Mississippi is a member of the international network of VSA arts, an affiliate of The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.  VSA MS receives funding from the Mississippi Legislature through the Mississippi Department of Education, the central office of VSA arts, under an award from the U. S. Department of Education, and donations from area corporations and individuals.  Formerly called Very Special Arts, VSA arts of Mississippi has been providing arts programs for people with disabilities since 1978.

            For more information, call 601-965-4866.
 


PRESS RELEASE
 For Immediate Release

Tom Harmon Receives VSA arts
National Teaching Artist Fellowship


CONTACT:
Laura Broom / VSA arts
(202) 628-2800, ext. 3883  ljbroom@vsarts.org

(WASHINGTON, D.C.) August 10, 2009 – VSA arts announces Tom Harmon of Terry, Mississippi, as a recipient of its 2009-2010 Teaching Artist Fellows Program. Harmon is a multi-media artist who paints in watercolor, acrylics and oils, and who sculpts in clay. For eight years, Harmon, who is deaf, has been the Senior Artist in Residence for the VSA arts of Mississippi Community Art Group, where he teaches a weekly art class for adults with disabilities. Harmon is also a signature member of the Mississippi Watercolor Society and a Mississippi Arts Commission teaching artist. The premier fellowship for teaching artists with disabilities in the nation, the award provides professional development opportunities and networking support for the artists, including a retreat in Washington, D.C. from August 10-14.

“Through the Teaching Artist Fellowship program, teaching artists bring their creative projects – from comics to quilts, from paintings to ceramics – to classrooms around the country,” remarks VSA arts President Soula Antoniou. “During his residency, Tom will have the opportunity to grow as an educator as he engages students in the arts of painting and sculpture.”

VSA arts’ Teaching Artist Fellowship program identifies, engages, and supports teaching artists with disabilities in the visual and performing arts. VSA arts recognizes that teaching artists provide the creativity, guidance, and motivation necessary to allow all students, particularly students with disabilities, to achieve high standards. Artists with disabilities also serve as role models to demonstrate the importance of diversity, expression, and inclusive learning in the classroom. The program, now in its third year, is supported in part by the U.S. Department of Education and the Dana Foundation.

VSA arts selected the Teaching Artist Fellows for their artistic merit and prior artistic and educational experience. The other 2009-2010 fellowship recipients are listed below.

• Kemlyn Tan Bappe of Mount Pleasant, Iowa, is a visual artist originally from Singapore. Bappe, who has dyslexia, is artistic director for Galleria Imago Dei. In addition to creating batik style paintings, she also teaches workshops with World of Difference, an inter-cultural youth organization.
• Richard Jenkins of Cambridge, Massachusetts, who is hearing impaired, has published work as a cartoonist and illustrator for a variety of sources, including a teacher’s manual, a children’s book, graphic novels, and magazines. He has also exhibited his artwork in regional museums and galleries and trained educators in arts integration and inclusion.
• Marquetta Johnson of Decatur, Georgia, creates hand-dyed textiles, quilts, and collectibles, and she is highly active in Atlanta community arts programs. Johnson, who is paraplegic, is currently a teaching artist with VSA arts of Georgia.
• Sharon Leary of Geneseo, New York, a potter and teaching artist, specializes in functional high-fired pottery that combines elements of American and Asian ceramic traditions. Her ceramic work provides a creative activity for pain management of her chronic acute migraines, as well as an artistic vehicle for expression. Leary works primarily with elementary school students on arts integrated lessons that animate core academics with motivational arts activities.

For more information about the Teaching Artist Fellowship program, please visit www.vsarts.org or call (202) 628-2800.

About VSA arts:
VSA arts is an international nonprofit organization founded 35 years ago by Ambassador Jean Kennedy Smith to create a society where people with disabilities learn through, participate in, and enjoy the arts. VSA arts provides educators, parents, and artists with resources and the tools to support arts programming in schools and communities. VSA arts showcases the accomplishments of artists with disabilities and promotes increased access to the arts for people with disabilities. Each year 7 million people participate in VSA arts programs through a nationwide network of affiliates and in 54 countries around the world. VSA arts is an affiliate of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. For more information about VSA arts, visit www.vsarts.org.





 


 

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