If you have come to this page from a search engine, here is a link to CAPE's Home page.
Chicago Arts Partnerships in Education (CAPE)
203 N. Wabash, Suite 1720, Chicago, Illinois 60601-2417
312/870-6140 fax 312/870-6147
2004 INTERNATIONAL VSA arts FESTIVAL
| CAPE Executive Arnold Aprill was privileged to be a keynote speaker at the 2004 International VSA arts Festival in Washington, D.C. VSA arts is an international nonprofit organization founded in 1974 by Ambassador Jean Kennedy Smith. VSA arts is creating a society where people with disabilities can learn through, participate in, and enjoy the arts. Each year nearly five million people participate in VSA arts programs through a network of affiliate organizations with programmed activities in every state, and over 60 countries worldwide. |  |
What was most meaningful to your work?
Presentations by researchers at the conference validated the importance of practitioner documentation and action research, two practices central to CAPE's work. The idea from Arnold's keynote presentation that seemed to resonate most with audience members was the concept that all students (even very young students) can engage in complex critical thought in and through the arts.
What ideas struck the strongest chord?
Panel discussions introduced the idea that the artistic experiences of people with disabilities make a needed aesthetic contribution to the wider artistic community: that honoring the aesthetic thinking of people with disabilities is as important as issues of access to the arts world. In other words, participation in the dialogue and debate defining aesthetic points of view is an underutilized organizing strategy for people with disabilities. A practical example of this concept came from Graeae Theatre Company in the United Kingdom. Graeae theater artist Jamie Beddard leads theater programming and instruction at London Metropolitan University, not only modeling leadership by an artist with disabilities, but also redefining audiences, purposes and forms of theater for all students and for the University itself.
Moderator Ann-Ellen Lesser introduced the idea that we should move from a concept of "accessibility" to a concept of "usability" that all resources should be usable by all people for their own purposes as a matter of basic social justice and inclusion, rather than as a favor to excluded people who get access to other people's resources. This was part of a larger discussion that access is not just about hardware (ramps and rails, interpreters and Braille), but also about software (real social, intellectual, and aesthetic respect and inclusion) for empowering people with disabilities.
The artists presenting at the festival were lively, outspoken and thoughtful. Performances included the cabaret "Club Soda", featuring such literary artists as Laura Hershey and James Ferris. Theater works include the audacious, raucous Actual Lives Performance Project from Austin, Texas.
What can you envision doing next, or what did you do on "Monday morning" based on the experience?
Collaborative relationships were developed with Jamie Beddard, Claire Hodgson, and Owen Smith from the UK; Jay Tribby, Ph.D. of Georgia; and Barbara Romain of Los Angeles. Barbara's paintings of hip hop text mandalas echo CAPE's interest in the intersection of text and image. These new relationships are likely to contribute to CAPE's on-going development.
© 2004-2008 Chicago Arts Partnerships in Education (CAPE)
203 N. Wabash, Suite 1720, Chicago, Illinois 60601-2417
312/870-6140 fax 312/870-6147 www.capeweb.org
If you have come to this page from a search engine, here is a link to CAPE's Home page.