New Partners for VSA arts

By Joan Leotta

Since 1974, VSA arts, formerly known as Very Special Arts, has made a name for itself as a prestigious outlet for artists with disabilities. One of the guiding principles of VSA arts is to foster acceptance and inclusion in all aspects of life for artists with disabilities. The program promotes creative power for people with disabilities in 47 states and the District of Columbia, and its global reach spans 83 countries.

Mainstream corporations have often approached VSA arts with offers of support. Now, mainstream artistic organizations have begun to approach VSA arts as well. Last year, art.com and Nickelodeon Network partnered with VSA arts to both enhance this unique program and further their own goals.

art.com

Online retailer art.com approached VSA arts last year about sponsoring a fundraiser. With an inventory of 25,000 works for sale, art.com offers sculpture and photo animation works as well as more traditional pieces including watercolors, sketches, and oils. Founded in 1997, art.com is part of the larger Getty Inc., one of the world's largest providers of digital images.

Relates VSA arts public relations manager Jennifer Kaplan, "Art.com executives admired the work of artists in our registry and proposed an online auction." During each of the last six weeks of 2000, six original pieces of art, each week from a different VSA artist, appeared on the site for auction. Posted as well were biographies of the artists. Proceeds benefited the artists and the VSA arts program. In addition to providing the auction, art.com presented a $10,000 gift to VSA arts.

Says Michael Kahn, art.com's vice president for marketing, "We were looking for something a little different to do to give back to the art community. We wanted something that would be more than writing a check and that would possibly become brand association. We hoped to raise visibility of our brand."

Before deciding to partner with VSA, art.com "did a ton of research to determine the organization with which we would like to affiliate," relates Kahn. "VSA arts helps artists who support themselves and works to bring visibility to the demand to bring their art to market. VSA arts provided a roster of such artists. They already had access to the talent at a high level knew and could locate it. They could facilitate communications with the artists and provide a national reach for our national project."

How successful was the six-week run for VSA arts? Says Kahn, "Two of the six featured works sold. It was a good match for us. We wanted a range of price and artists who we felt would represent the project well."

The two sold works were "Bird House Lane" by Illinois artist Karen De Witt and "Reeds," a work of water-mixable oils on gesso paper created by New York artist Jane Kirby.

DeWitt's limited-edition print is based on an original pencil drawing. The artist says of her works, "I am not trying to 'tell a story' or 'set a mood,' but rather to expose an otherwise unseen, unnoticed facet of my subject." The biography that accompanied her piece on the Web site notes that she always wanted to be a professional artist, and that her career was accelerated by MS. As the disease progressed, it gave her the incentive to leave her day job and return to what she loved best—her art—in order to make the best use of her productivity.

"Reeds" artist Jane Kirby was born and raised in North Carolina, where she received her training as an artist and a stage performer. When Parkinson's disease made acting difficult, Kirby returned to creating on canvas. Says the artist, "landscapes live in my memory and in my imagination. The sky and the earth enveloped me as a child and created those images, those hundreds of images that are waiting to come to life on my canvas."

Nickelodeon

At the same time that art.com was setting the wheels in motion to sell the works of VSA artists, Nickelodeon cable network approached the program for a cooperative venture as well. Last fall, Nickelodeon was trying to find ways to promote Pelswick, a new animated series about a 13-year-old boy who uses a wheelchair. Relates VSA's Jennifer Kaplan, "Through our affiliates, VSA arts arranged for screening parties of children with and without disabilities in the show's target age group in Connecticut, Florida, Utah, and Washington, D.C. These youth previewed a Pelswick episode in which the title character explores his interest in creating cartoons for his school newspaper, and offered their feedback to the network through letters and drawings. These events also presented a unique social opportunity for participating children. Our affiliates and collaborators throughout the nation and around the world also form a great many partnerships in their own communities."

Other arts organizations

Many corporations and other donors and sponsors work with VSA arts on an ongoing basis. However, not all of these partnerships are tied to a specific VSA arts program. For example, Panasonic Consumer Electronics each year sponsors a Young Soloists Award. Two promising American musicians with disabilities, aged 25 or younger, are presented scholarship funds and the opportunity to perform at Washington, D.C.'s John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts during a Young Soloists evening.

The Future

More projects that promote both the corporate goals of mainstream art organizations and VSA arts are likely in the future. Because of the success of last year's venture, art.com plans to continue its association with VSA arts. Kahn relates that art.com was contacted with notes of interest from customers, many requesting more information on VSA arts. "We plan to continue the relationship. Our staff enjoyed working with VSA arts. It gave me a great feeling when I went to VSA arts for the wrap-up to realize that we had partnered with such a good group. As the relationship grows, we may even branch out to VSA's local groups."

For more information about VSA arts, contact Jennifer Kaplan at . To find out about art.com's upcoming ventures, contact Heather Willis at .