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Hi my name is Anna Maria and I'm here with
Charlie Washburn.
What is VSA?
VSA is an international
network of organizations commited to providing access
to the arts by people with disabilities.
We're affiliated through the John F. Kennedy Center in Washington DC.
Oh Wow that's cool!
Anna Maria:What is this day today?
Charlie: Today we're having a reception for an art show
that we've put up in our gallery.
We're here at the NonProfit Center in Downtown Boston.
Our friends from The Community Access To The Arts
also known as CATA have put together
a collection of artwork which adorns our walls and
the artwork is for sale.
We're promoting the careers of a group very capable
artists from the Great Barrington Massachusetts.
Oh Wow that's far from here, Wow!
Sandy, how is it running this?
Well I founded Community Access To The Arts in 1993
so we're in our 17th year.
We bring the visual and performing arts to people
with disabilites in the community and find ways to
celebrate their talents and abilites with a wider
and wider community so it's a great opportunity to be here
in Boston today to share our work.
Anna Maria: What kind of things do you do?
Well we have over 1,000 workshops
so the visual and performing arts that go on from September to June
throughout Berkshire County and
The Art on Tour program has been
travelling throughout Berkshire County so this coming to Boston is a
great experience for us and a wonderful
time to widen our community.
How did the art gallery come along?
Translator: Ok it's been a dream of ours.
We had been planning this for a long
time prior to moving to this location.
Our goal was to make it a gallery more than an office.
We had a lot of vision, a lot of dreams, a lot of ideas
and how we could work with the community to bring some fabulous artwork to our center.
And they have some fabulous artwork
that obviously is you can see today is here.
We're excited to have the paintings on the wall
and my favorite painting is right there.
And I was so excited that it's actually hung behind my desk.
So every time if I'm having a bad day
I look up and I see something that calms me
it's almost like medication you know?
Anna Maria: Why is it your favorite painting?
Translator: I can interpret this painting in a multitude of ways
the color is beautiful, the colors are subtle
they're natural and can fit in almost anywhere.
I already can see where I put it in
it my house.
Charlie: We have the good fortune of having four of these artists
from the show.
They've trekked through the cold and
the threatening weather to leave the Berkshires and come
east to Boston to share their artwork and to talk about it with us.
Dave, how do you like painting?
I like painting because it's
a fun thing to do.
It's kind of
to express your
inner self you know?
I like because it's a
exciting thing to do.
Hmm that's cool which one your paintings?
Well I've got two paintings I got number ten here and seven here.
Hmm that's cool!
Anna Maria: What did you use to the paint the pictures with?
Dave: Well Anne Marie, with a little bit of
water color and acrylic together
this one here you might think that's it you know
white paint with a little dark black spots
believe it or not it's just you know leave a white
spot open and little dashes of dark
to make a birch tree.
Anna Maria: Was it hard painting?
Dave: Sometimes I find myself in that set of area you know
ask myself like this how am I gonna paint this or what should I do
what am I gonna express myself to paint this painting so
this one here, as I started talking about something
simple and then if you can tell I went with the flow
with this one it's kind of exciting someone said
that it was sort of reminded him
some like something like DNA
and I said "Oh wow that's fancy I didn't think of that way and that's kind of cool."
Do you like painting?
Yeah I like to paint. I take a lot of Community To The Art Classes
including Shakespeare.
Oh that's nice ooh that's nice that's awesome.
Anna Maria: What did you use?
Eric: I think it was water color also some of the
products we have out here for sale help make those on Tuesdays.
What did you like best about painting?
It's just fun to do.
Myles how is it hard painting?
It was hard...
hard like...
Easy.
Oh it's easy!
Anna Maria: What did you paint?
Myles: All colors, rainbows...
Anna Maria: How did you feel about it?
Myles:Good
You must be excited.
Yeah!
How was the trip?
Long.
(chuckles)
How's it feel to have all these beautiful arts around you?
It feels really calming most of the time but I
really I find myself some times when I need to take a break I can just look up
and just stared a piece of art and this show's been a really great for
kind of having those moments in peace and just looking at what somebody else's
created it's been really great.
How does art help people with disabilites?
Well I think it offers everybody this wonderful opportunity
to find their voices to shine a light
on themselves on their abilities and they all have visions and talents
and it usually comes out in the artwork.
Our visual artists feel that they're great artists, they're working artists.
They receive 50% commission on anything that's
sold so they can earn an income and
also have more experiences
in their communities to have more
exposure and integration into the community.
How does art help people?
Translator: Art is very important.
Art can contribute in a multitude of ways.
Therapeutically, recreationally,
for pleasure, for learning experiences
and it can bring a lot of joy to people's lives.
There's so many things you can do with art it dosen't have
to be an amazing art piece or a Monet.
You can start with something
simple and go from then and create something.
For example what we have today look around you it's beautiful.
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