[ View Opportunity ]
| Last updated on July 10, 2008 |
The mission guiding VSA arts of Massachusetts is to serve individuals with disabilities by creating opportunities for participation in the arts and integration into the cultural and educational mainstream of our communities. Through collaborative and proactive advocacy, VSA arts helps people with and without disabilities make systemic change influencing the quality and accessibility of cultural and educational resources throughout the state and across the nation.
Description:
VSA arts of Massachusetts (VSAM) reaches close to 50,000 people annually through groundbreaking and effective statewide programs in the two broad areas of education and cultural access. Hundreds of thousands more benefit from the national components of these programs, including Internet users served each year through the organization's national cultural access web site, www.accessexpressed.net.
The education programs of VSA arts of Massachusetts advocate the use of the arts from preschool through high school to support curricula and to encourage the inclusion of students of all abilities and learning styles. Projects include: Artist Residencies in the public schools, Professional Development Trainings for teachers and paraprofessionals, the Multi-Arts Resource Guide and two children's participatory arts festivals in the spring.
Cultural access advocacy benefits both individuals with disabilities who wish to participate in their communities' rich cultural life and cultural venues seeking to expand their audiences. VSA arts of Massachusetts, through forging enduring partnerships with cultural organizations and facilities, promotes access to museums, concert halls, historic sites, sports arenas, parks, movie theaters and other community cultural venues. From the creation of a burgeoning national network for access to the piloting of the Boston ARTreach ticketing program for low-income people with disabilities, VSAM prevails as a pioneer in the field of cultural access. Other Cultural Access projects include: 1) Vocational Rehabilitation to develop the employment potential of local artists with disabilities; 2) Access Expressed! -a) a seasonal newsletter celebrating the accomplishments of artists with disabilities, discussing issues of cultural access and providing a calendar of accessible Massachusetts events; it is now only available on www.vsamass.org, our web site. b) a Cultural Resource Directory detailing access information to cultural venues throughout the region, c) a national web site, www.accessexpressed.net to provide information about cultural events and venues across the country and to open a national forum about access issues; and, 3) Technical Assistance and the Cultural Access Institute to train teams of people in cultural access issues and to provide ongoing Technical Assistance for cultural organizations.
History:
VSA arts of Massachusetts represents part of an international network of VSA arts organizations serving all 50 states and nearly 100 other nations. VSA arts was founded in 1974 by Jean Kennedy Smith and remains an affiliate of The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C.
Formerly named Very Special Arts, VSA arts changed its name in 1999 discontinuing the use of the word "special" to honor the advancement made by members of the disability community since the organization's inception. The letters VSA now reflect the Vision of an inclusive community, Strength in shared resources and Artistic expression that unites us all.
Contact people:
Office fax number: 617-482-4298
Address:
 |
2 Boylston Street, #211, The China Trade Center
Boston, MA 02116
(See a map) |
Web Site: http://www.vsamass.org
Directions:
|
We are located in the China Trade Building at 2 Boylston Street in Boston. Our office is on the 2nd floor at the top of the escalator. Parking in the area is very expensive and the HP parking is. . . (more)
Nearest Metro/Subway Stop: Chinatown, Orange Line,
Walk distance (in minutes): 2
Nearest Bus Stop: Buses 55 and 43; Silverline, 5 minute walk
For maps or information, please see http://www.mbta.com/schedmaps/index.cfm |
Be the first person to offer feedback on this agency!
Post a volunteer reflection to share your experiences with other volunteers!
|
