Registry for artists with disabilities

audiodef

audiodef

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Does anyone remember VSA Arts?

VSA - Education - The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts

VSA is now just an office in the Kennedy Center. I worked for them in 2000 when they had their own suite in a building in Dupont Circle in D.C.

Within the last month, their artist registry was taken offline. I attempted to communicate to them that I would be willing to host the artist registry in my own time, on my own dime, but have gotten no response about this except to let them know if I want to be "notified of opportunities".

I find this extremely disappointing. It's as if the message here is "artists with disabilities are just not that important". I was extra-perturbed by their ignoring my offer to host and run the artist registry - with no effort or cost required of them.

I'm thinking of just doing it myself from scratch. Would the deaf artists on this site appreciate having a registry where they could fill out a profile, a bio, and upload samples of their audio/visual art work, photos of sculptures, etc.?

I would love to get a hold of Jean Kennedy Smith, who started VSA Arts. I met her once. I don't know if she's still active with these things, but it would be definite leverage if I could ask her to let me use the existing artist registry. I just hate the thought of everyone who took the time to join it having to redo it all over again, but at least with MY site they would have much more prominence.
 
VSA Iowa - Des Moines, Iowa

This is a link for VSA for my state. It's gone to the state level now with funding cuts. It is pretty active here.

I don't know how it differs state by state.
 
I'm curious. I thought deaf were trying to get themselves seen as not disabled.
 
I volunteered with VSA in my state when I was in college. It was an activity my Art History teacher was very involved in and he brought his college students into it if they expressed interest. I worked with adults with cognitive disabilities and moderate-profound dual classifications, where they needed adult one-on-one, ADL assistance etc. This was the population VSA in my area seemed to focus on.

I guess I identify VSA from that aspect and don't associate it with deaf people at all, since I don't see deaf people having "special needs".
 
Let me try this another way.

I haven't found an international, or even a national registry for artists who are differently-abled (we all know "disabled" just means differently-abled here). There are still VSA offices in many states and countries, but VSA no longer maintains a central registry of artists. I find that disappointing. The Kennedy Center said that VSA no longer has the "technical capabilities" to maintain it. As a computer professional, I know that this is techno-babble. It does not take much. I - just one guy with little money - can do it and it will look like a project that gets lots and lots of funding.

Anyway, it is that kind of centrality and single point-of-access I'm interested in. Even at the state level, do artists have the ability to fill out complete profiles online that show off their talents? I suspect, at best, that this varies from state to state.

I guess the relevant question is: do artists want a site they can sign up on to show off their works in a way that says "Yeah, I have no arms, can't see, can't hear, etc., but despite everyone telling me it was impossible, I did it anyway"?

If this is what people want, I want to support that by building such a site.
 
Let me try answering a different way...

Since VSA is pretty much out at the national level, maybe you could go state by state and compile your own, thus getting the same result since you have already been blown off.

I could give a few more suggestions, but I did tell Cheetah I wouldn't bother you. It's getting a little difficult with each successive condescending remark, but :D
 
audiodef said:
Let me try this another way.

I haven't found an international, or even a national registry for artists who are differently-abled (we all know "disabled" just means differently-abled here). There are still VSA offices in many states and countries, but VSA no longer maintains a central registry of artists. I find that disappointing. The Kennedy Center said that VSA no longer has the "technical capabilities" to maintain it. As a computer professional, I know that this is techno-babble. It does not take much. I - just one guy with little money - can do it and it will look like a project that gets lots and lots of funding.

Anyway, it is that kind of centrality and single point-of-access I'm interested in. Even at the state level, do artists have the ability to fill out complete profiles online that show off their talents? I suspect, at best, that this varies from state to state.

I guess the relevant question is: do artists want a site they can sign up on to show off their works in a way that says "Yeah, I have no arms, can't see, can't hear, etc., but despite everyone telling me it was impossible, I did it anyway"?

If this is what people want, I want to support that by building such a site.
Click to expand...

,,,
 
BTW, I have no problem with the "disabled" tag. But from my own perspective, hearing has very little to do with my art.

Overall, I'd only find this useful if the disability (or different-ability) had to be overcome to make the art. If I were a painter, being deaf would have almost no impact on what I did.
 
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