Requests for Proposals for Statewide Forums and Follow-up Activities
 
Applications are now available for funding: 1) a Statewide Forum on Careers in the Arts for People with Disabilities and 2) Follow-up activities to a forum previously conducted.
The deadline for both applications is May 19, 2008. 
RFP for Statewide Forum on Careers in the Arts for People with Disabilities - New Applicants Only
RFP for Follow-up Projects-For those who have already conducted a forum.

For more information on Statewide Forums and Follow-up Projects, read below.

Under the auspices of the National Arts and Disability Center, twenty state arts agencies and VSA arts affiliates have conducted Statewide Forums in Careers in the Arts for People with Disabilities since 2002. These forums addressed challenges and opportunities for people with disabilities pursuing employment in the arts. States varied in the ways they carried out their forum with some states hosting 1-2 day state conferences or a series of regional meetings. The lead agencies worked in concert with a planning committee consisting of artists with disabilities and representatives from education, rehabilitation, social security, arts employers and others from the disability community. Each state was required to develop ‘next steps’ to continue the work of the forums.

The Statewide Forums on Careers in the Arts for People with Disabilities is a joint program of the National Arts and Disability Center at UCLA, the National Endowment for the Arts, VSA arts and the Social Security Administration.

• 2002: Maryland, Minnesota, New Mexico;
• 2003: California, Hawaii, Mississippi, Puerto Rico, Washington;
• 2004: Arkansas, Indiana, Massachusetts, Missouri, Texas;
• 2005: Arizona, Florida, Nebraska, New Hampshire, and Ohio.
• 2006: Tennessee, Maine
• 2007 -2008: Michigan, North Dakota and Colorado 

• Elaine Mariner Colorado Arts Council
  Email: elaine.mariner@state.co.us
  March 8, 2008

The Colorado Council on the Arts, VSA Colorado, and PHAMALY (the Physically Handicapped Actors and Musical Artists League, Inc.) are joining forces to offer the first statewide Colorado forum on careers in the arts for people with disabilities. This exciting one-day event at the Metropolitan State College of Denver on Saturday, March 8, 2008 will provide arts practitioners, arts employers, vocational counselors for people with disabilities, artists with disabilities, and all others who are interested an opportunity to convene and explore topics of arts employment in Colorado for people with disabilities. Breakout sessions to include:

• Career planning and placement workshop for artists with disabilities
• Panel with arts organizations/arts employers to explore common challenges and solutions of accessibility accommodations for employers of people with disabilities
• Roundtable discussion for artists with disabilities to identify challenges and successes of marketing, networking, public relations, and promotion of artists with disabilities
• Performances/exhibitions of the work of disability-related theatre/dance/visual arts organizations
• Social networking for artists with disabilities and Colorado arts organizations

• John Bracey, Michigan Council for Arts and Cultural Affairs
  Email: jmbrace@michigan.gov
  October 24-26, 2007

Michigan’s Career Forum for Artists with Disabilities offers professional development through training workshops including Social Security benefits, business and marketing plans, web site development, taxes and accounting; a professional artists panel; keynote by Jaehn Clare, disability advocate, actor, director, producer, and playwright; and showcase opportunities for participating artists. Presented by VSA Arts of Michigan, as a partner at the annual Michigan Rehabilitation Conference, the Forum collaborators are Michigan Council for Arts and Cultural Affairs, MARO Employment and Training Association, Michigan Statewide Independent Living Council, Michigan Commission on Disability Concerns, and ArtServe Michigan. Members of these organizations are extremely active in the disability community, and set policy that affects the livelihood of its members. Funding is from National Arts and Disability Center, Social Security Administration, National Endowment for the Arts, VSA arts, and an anonymous Grand Rapids area donor.

• Amy Schmidt, North Dakota Council on the Arts
  Email: amschmid@nd.gov
  April 7, 2008

North Dakota would like to identify, and then assist individuals with disabilities who are pursuing, or who would like to pursue, careers in the arts. Presently, neither the arts field nor the disabilities field has any substantive information on who these individuals are; how their careers are progressing; what impedes their professional progress; and what resources or strategies are needed for them to be successful. The North Dakota Council on the Arts, together with Dakota West Arts Council (a VSA arts affiliate), and the North Dakota Center for Persons with Disabilities (a University Center of Excellence on Developmental Disabilities), will conduct a program to assess the education and career needs and barriers for artists and arts administrators with disabilities; and develop and implement strategies to overcome the barriers and advance the careers of individuals with disabilities.

• Morgan Lewis, Florida State Arts Agency
  mblewis@dos.state.fl.us The State of Florida, Division of Cultural Affairs in partnership with VSA arts of Florida (VSAFL) proposes “Creating a Community Presence”, a comprehensive program to support members of the VSAFL artist registry of artists with disabilities through training, technical assistance and a statewide exhibition program. The program includes training opportunities on skill development, networking with artists with and without disabilities and exhibition opportunities both inclusive and only for artists with disabilities. VSAFL recently entered into a long term partnership with the West Tampa Center for the Arts (WTCA) to house our Open Door Gallery, space dedicated to showcase art work created by artists with disabilities. WTCA houses artist studios, provides classes and exhibitions. The partnership provides the opportunity for VSAFL artists to participate in all WTCA activities including calls to art for in house exhibitions, workshop opportunities, use of studio space and networking for artists with and without disabilities. WTCA is well recognized in the Tampa Bay area for its excellence in programming and exhibitions. Receptions for WTCA exhibitions see 1000 visitors on opening night. The proposed grant would support 2 VSAFL exhibitions, 4 workshops and monthly networking events. All activities would take place at the WTCA. Through this unique partnership, VSAFL will assist the WCTA to showcase best practices for access for facility and programs for cultural organizations.

• Deborah Bunting Nebraska Arts Council
  dbunting@nebraskaartscouncil.org
• Marty Skomal Nebraska Arts Council
  mskomal@nebraskaartscouncil.org

Ongoing
In Nebraska, we will create a network of artists with disabilities to provide technical assistance, mentoring and workshops called the Enabled Artists Collective. Working with this group of five invited artists, we will develop an emerging leaders group and peer to peer mentoring program facilitated by the EAC which will enable established artists to work with others who are considering or currently seeking careers in the arts. Our culminating event will be a forum where participating artists can present, exhibit or showcase their work.

• MBrenda Tharp, Texas Commission on the Arts
  brenda@arts.state.tx.us

Ongoing
ArtWorks NetWork Series has been developed by VSA arts of Texas and the Texas Commission on the Arts to empower artists with disabilities to unite and support each other as a community. In five regional workshops around the state of Texas, we will partner with the local office of Cultural Affairs to present ArtWorks NetWork. At the initial meeting artists will learn about local and state resources for artists, specific resources for artists with disabilities, and how to use Social Security work incentives to become self-employed as an artist. This networking session will allow individuals to share resources to support mutual artistic goals, have critique sessions, and organize group exhibitions in order to advance the growth of the arts community in their region. ArtWorks NetWork meetings are being scheduled for El Paso, Houston, San Antonio, Tyler, and Fort Worth. After two meetings supported by VSA arts of Texas staff, the workshop participants are expected to lead the program on their own. Strong leaders have been identified in each location.

The Statewide Forums on Careers in the Arts for People with Disabilities program had its genesis in 1998 when the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) in partnership with three federal agencies: the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, U.S. Department of Education, and the Social Security Administration convened the National Forum on Careers in the Arts for People with Disabilities at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington DC. Its purpose was to assess the state of education and career opportunities for individuals with disabilities, and to identify strategies for overcoming obstacles. Significant obstacles exist for individuals with disabilities who want to pursue careers in the arts such as:

• Lack of access to appropriate training and education in the arts;
• Limited exposure to information and resources pertaining to the range of career opportunities as artists, arts technicians or arts administrators;
• The arts not being perceived by rehabilitation professionals as a valid career path;
• Stereotyped rejection of disability content in the arts as innately sentimental or therapeutic and
• Fear of loss of social security income and health benefits with movement into employment.

  A key recommendation made at the National Forum was for individual states to convene Statewide Forums on Careers in the Arts for People with Disabilities.

  Since the initiation of this program, participating states build their capacity to develop, implement and support effective employment strategies for artists with disabilities through:
• The full participation of individuals with disabilities in the planning, development, implementation and evaluation of Forum and related activities;
• Empowering artists, arts technicians and administrators with disabilities to pursue their careers in the arts;
• Establishing partnerships with individuals, state and community agencies, and organizations to expand resources and enable solutions to identified problems;
• Forming a network of artists with disabilities and collaborators; and
• Educating policymakers.

View the Report 

View the Report 

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