Professional Development for Artists
VSAVT
provides Professional Development for artists in two ways: we train
artists who would like to teach in our programs to use inclusive methods
and adaptive tools, and we also help artists with disabilities who are
interested in furthering their professional goals. For more information contact us, or visit our Resources page.
“I learned a lot about what is possible with this group. I
appreciated the support I got from the staff at Lincoln Street, Inc. while
I was there.”
Veda Crewe Joseph, drama at
Lincoln St. Inc., in Springfield
Recent Examples
With help
from the Vermont Community
Foundation, VSAVT toured a one-woman show by performance artist, Gail Marlene Schwartz, M.F.A.,
called “Crazy,” to five college campuses. Through that tour, Schwartz
developed contacts with community organizations and new audiences.
Artwork created in Can Do Arts
classes taught by Melinda White Bronson has been sold at shows at the
Statehouse, at conferences and at galleries. Becky Cross, an artist whose
work sold at the statehouse and also was used in VSAVT greeting cards,
says: “I liked having my paintings sold. It made me feel pretty good. It
was a good idea.”
Artists who teach in Can Do Arts classes at
senior centers and for area mental health agencies find enormous reward in
the joyful engagement of people taking their classes.
“All my experiences with
VSAVT have been so good. It very quickly becomes a spiral of contacts
and networks. This is the first time “Crazy” has had the structure, the
response and the enthusiastic participation that I’ve wanted for it.
I’ve spent years trying to find the right structure for this project.
VSAVT has been the hub that has brought in other interested
organizations and collaborations. Together we are able to present
ourselves, really, as a community project.”
Gail Schwartz,
creator and performer of one-woman show, “Crazy.”
“The participants were receptive, appreciative and
enthusiastic. This was a very satisfying teaching experience for
me!”
Bonnie Stearns, clay building at
Springfield Adult Day Services
A stylized photo of performer Gail Schwartz shows her with
head back and arms raised in a triumphant moment of song, during her
one-woman show, Crazy, toured by VSAVT to five colleges in
order to reduce stigma associated with mental illness.
In this painting by David Bessette, which was sold at an
exhibit at the Vermont statehouse, a brown monkey with a long tail
cavorts through an abstract blue and green landscape. Proceeds of
the sale went to the artist.
“The awareness that not
everybody learns like you, that’s really in my bones now. That was huge
for me. It was an opportunity to work with a new group and to find it
immensely satisfying and challenging. It forced me to not rely so much
on language, to re-invent how I was going to communicate across a wide
range of communication styles. It’s something I can take with me to
other settings, such as my teaching at Community Colleges.”
Gail Marlene Schwartz, theater at Champlain
Community Services
