Vol. 10, No. 1 Spring 2003 This newsletter made possible, in part, by a grant from Jewish Heritage Foundation

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Join Us For a Journey to Middle Earth: The Lord of the Rings The Heart of America Wind Symphony will present a concert with Accessible Arts at 7:00 PM, Sunday, April 13th in Yardley Hall at Johnson County Community College. The concert is entitled Journey to Middle Earth: The Lord of the Rings and will feature Johan de Meij’s Symphony #1 - The Lord of the Rings which was inspired by J.R.R. Tolkien’s popular trilogy. The evening will also include dance performances by Reach…a movement collective inc. and the City in Motion’s Children’s Dance Theater, mime performances by JJ and Juliana Jones and visual art displays by artists with disabilities. Tickets may be purchased for $5 (students, seniors) and $10 (adults) by calling the Carlsen Center box office at (913) 469-4445. Tickets may also be purchased at the door with cash, check or credit card. The Heart of America Wind Symphony (HAWS) was formed to present quality wind instrument concerts and to raise awareness and funds for charitable agencies and service organizations. Accessible Arts champions the arts for children with disabilities and advocates access to the arts. This event is the third collaboration between HAWS and Accessible Arts. Both organizations are committed to creating a performance that integrates many different arts, artists and abilities. Rathbun, Garza and Ryan performed with the symphony during one of the segments. The four talented members of Reach…a movement collective inc., Elysse Power, Terri Rathbun, Maria Ana Garza and Suzanne Ryan, will perform an interpretive movement piece to a narrative selection from Tolkien’s books. City in Motion’s Children’s Dance Theater will perform a dance accompanied by the Symphony. Visual artists with disabilities will display their works of art in the lobby. John Tait, tackle for the Kansas City Chiefs, will attend and make a special presentation. He will also have several of his own paintings on display. It’s also rumored there will be visitors from Middle Earth. Martin English, Accessible Arts Executive Director said, “This performance will have something for everyone: children, adults, music and dance lovers, Tolkien fans and artists. It’s also an opportunity for us to educate the public about the world of arts and disabilities.” The performance will be held in Yardley Hall at Johnson County Community College and is made possible in part by the JCCC Community Arts Partner program. Yardley Hall is located in the Carlsen Center, 12345 College Blvd., Overland Park, KS 66210. For tickets, call (913) 469-4445. For information about Accessible Arts, call (913) 281-1133 or visit www.accessiblearts.org

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Accessible Arts Wish List

As a non-profit organization, we are always looking for donations which help us meet our large commitment to champion the arts for children with disabilities. Our “Wish List” is one way to engage the community. Are you a business or individual who has items you no longer use? Perhaps you know someone who does. Below are suggestions that may give you some ideas of how you can help. Of course, financial donations are also welcome.
Arts Supplies & Other Items		Volunteers Needed To Help With:
Model magic clay (by Crayola) Clay tools Poster board Left-handed children’s scissors Colored tissue paper Construction paper Feathers - various sizes and colors Sticky Wick	Unusual beads and buttons Percussion Instruments (all types & sizes) Children’s costumes, hats, masks 1" white 3-ring binders (w/plastic insert front/spine) Hat Rack/Clothes Tree	Bulk mailings General filing Copying / folding brochures Photo album maintenance Arts Programming

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Opportunities For Children, Educators & Artists!

For information on any opportunity listed below, call (913) 281-1133 or visit www.accessiblearts.org

99 Drums Music & Cultural Camp is a weekend of hands-on music and dance workshops exploring the arts, history, customs and food of West African, Native American, Mexican and Caribbean cultures. Children ages 7-16 are invited to attend this camp from 4:00 PM, Friday, April 25th to 5:30 PM, Sunday, April 27th. 99 Drums will be held on the campus of the Kansas State School for the Blind, Kansas City, Kansas. The cost is $35 per child if registered before April 17th ($50 after). The fee includes all the workshops, six meals, and two overnight stays. Adult volunteers are also needed for this event. The Art of Learning professional development training is designed to give artists the tools to work in schools and schools the tools to work with artists. Interactive workshops improve effective collaboration, enhance capacity for teaching and learning creatively and expand resourcefulness in providing arts opportunities for all students (including children with disabilities and at-risk youth). Educators, artists, and youth program providers may choose to attend the training at the Hilton Garden Inn in Kansas City, Kansas, June 25-27 or the training at Salina Holidome in Salina, Kansas, July 16-18. The cost is only $75 per person (teams of 2 or more are $50 per person). Graduate credit is available from Baker University for the Art of Learning Workshops.

Rhythm Weavin’ Threads of Diversity Rhythm Weavin’ will bring your school’s Character Education goals to the students in a fun and energetic way. Diversity and disability themes come alive as Bongo Barry and Cowbell Martin engage your 6th-8th grade students in this interactive rhythm, music and movement workshop. This program is available October 20 - December 20 and costs $300. The program is 1.5 hours in length and can accomodate 100 students. too Participate too! is an interactive conference utilizing creativity, skills and ideas from artists, arts organizers, educators, volunteers, board members and everyone who believes in the power of the arts in Kansas communities. Possible dates are November 14-15 or 21-22 in Topeka, Kansas. Times and cost TBA. Clever dialogue and delightful songs are only a part of this fast-paced musical play about the hero in each of us. Throughout the play, characters of different abilities discover that each of them has a unique voice and skills. Following each performance, artists will conduct interactive workshops featuring themes from the play. Designed for 3rd-8th grade students, this tour is available in April, 2004. A fee of $625 includes the performance and three workshops. The maximum audience size is 350. Dates are limited so call today!

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T I P S & T O P S

This column (helpful tips and top-notch topics) is for and by teachers, caregivers, etc. who champion the arts for children with disabilities. We invite your contributions for future inclusion.

Exploration & Discovery by Kit Bardwell It is a common practice to show students an example of a visual art project and then instruct them on how to replicate it. With this approach there is often the assumption that the child is familiar with the medium, or materials to be used. Creativity is also limited to recreating the finished product modeled by the teacher. Educators and professionals who work with children of all abilities should consider providing a number of structured experiences that will allow the children to explore and discover the possibilities, as well as the limitations, of the material. Experiences such as these are referred to as “open-ended” art projects and can often produce spectacular and aesthetic results. Finger Painting with Shaving Cream You will need: shaving cream, tempera paint – primary colors (red, yellow and blue), and finger painting paper. Shaving cream adds a very desirable tactile experience to finger painting. Place two or more small mounds of shaving cream on a piece of slick finger painting paper. Pour a small amount of primary color tempera paint on each mound. The students are then free to experiment with the tactile sensation of the shaving cream and paint.
As the students do this, there is the potential for them to create dramatic blends of secondary colors through the mixing of the		primary colors. This exploration has worked well with students who have low vision or areblind and has also been highly successful with
individuals who have developmental disabilities. When dry, the finished painting has three-dimensional depth created by the shaving cream. Printing with Found Objects You will need: a large piece of paper (white or colored) for each student, a tray containing a variety of objects (paperclips, keys, key rings, cups, leaves, etc.—objects do not necessarily have to be flat), a variety of colored tempera paints in shallow pans, pieces of scrap paper, paint brushes and water for cleaning the brushes, large bowl of water and paper towels. Students place objects into the pans of paint to coat them and then lay them on the big piece of paper. Or they can coat the object with paint by placing the object on the piece of scrap paper and painting the object with a paintbrush. Encourage them to explore rolling or dragging the object as it places paint on the paper. After each printing the object can be wiped off with a paper towel or placed into a large bowl of water to be dried off by the next person to use it. Students can also paint their hands to include handprints in their design. This exploration uses the fine motor skill of using the fingers to pick up and place objects. For children who have difficulty closing their hands on small objects, take a short dowel or pencil and create a comfortable handgrip by adding Model Magic™ around the grip area. Next, place a small piece of modeling clay or Silly Putty™ on the end of the pencil. The modeling clay will stick to the objects and permit them to be lifted in and out of the paint.

Kit Bardwell is Program Director for Accessible Arts, Inc.

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Since 1984, Accessible Arts and the Kansas State Board of Education have been recognizing the valuable work of Kansans who include children with disabilities in art experiences. The Accessible Arts Awards Committee, chaired this year	(left to right) Kansas State Board of Education Chairperson Janet Waugh, Distinguished Service Award Winners Dr. Dee Hansen and Connie Burket.
by Board Vice President Vickie Tucker (Wyandotte Special Education Co-op), is responsible for selecting the recipient of the Distinguished Service Award. Honorees for Educator of the Year are nominated by their peers across the state. At the March 12th Awards Ceremony, representatives from Accessible Arts and the Kansas State Board of Education recognized this year’s honorees.
Dr. Dee Hansen, Associate Professor of Music Education, Baker University in Baldwin City, Kansas, and Connie Burket, Director of Kansas Alliance for Arts Education, Salina, Kansas, were selected to receive the award for Distinguished Service in Arts and Disabilities. Barbara Adams, Art Teacher, Kansas School for the Deaf (KSD), Olathe, Kansas, was selected to receive the award for Kansas Educator of the Year in Arts and Disabilities.
Hansen and Burket worked tirelessly to develop and achieve State Board of Education approval for establishing a minimum state standard of one credit hour in Fine Arts for high school graduation. They are also major collaborators and presenters with Accessible Arts for The Art of Learning, a series of workshops that bring together artists and educators to work toward more arts programming in Kansas schools and communities. Both have been strong advocates for inclusive learning in arts education and programming. They put ‘sparkle’ into everything they do.
Dr. Hansen was, until recently, the Fine Arts Consultant for the Kansas State Department of Education. In addition to teaching classes at Baker University, she continues to provide statewide and national in-services and publish articles and books that address links between reading and arts literacy, assessments, learning styles, and brain research. Hansen is currently co-writing a book for the National Association of Music Education, entitled The Music and Literacy Connection, that demonstrates parallel learning processes for reading and music. Hansen is currently chair of the Kansas Citizens for the Arts, a statewide grass-roots arts advocacy organization. She has a Doctor of Musical Arts from the University of Missouri-Kansas City, a Bachelor in Music Education, and Master’s in Music History from SMU.
Connie Burket works in partnership with arts and education organizations to provide a broad range of services that help schools, communities, artists, and teachers across Kansas build and strengthen their arts education programs. Burket was previously Arts Education Program Director for Salina Arts and Humanities Commission and has served on boards and committees for numerous arts organizations. She has exhibited her fabric art, been a dance instructor, juried shows, written a curriculum for pre-school art classes, and contributed layout and design for many of her affiliations. Her post secondary education was at Central Missouri State College with majors in English and Art. Adams has developed a K-12 art curriculum for KSD that is aligned with state and national visual art education standards. Recently, she participated in the ‘Cows on Parade—Kansas City.’ Her design, ‘Deaf Awareness—Visual COWmunications,’ displays the manual alphabet in American Sign Language. It was initially on display at Union Station and is now on display at the school.
Accessible Arts and Kansas State Board of Education honored Barbara Adams as their Educator of the Year in Arts & Disabilities. Adams has dedicated 32 years to the Kansas School for the Deaf, where she has taught art classes from kindergarten through high school. During that time
she has consistently encouraged her students to enter art competitions at all levels, resulting in numerous awards for her students’ art.
In her nomination of Adams, KSD Elementary/Middle School Head Teacher Joan Macy said “Her unceasing dedication to the field of art education for students who are deaf/hard of hearing and support of deaf culture is incredible. She continually seeks new ways for students to express themselves artistically. ”

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Valuable Resource Materials
Viewers are encouraged to let us know of other exceptional materials we might consider adding to our collection

Edwards, E.M., Music Education for the Deaf. The Merriam-Eddy Co., South Waterford, ME, 1974, Bar Code: 30002402; Class: MT1 .E 345 M 9 1974; LC Card 74076260; Subjects: Music Instruction and study, Deaf-Music education Gloeckler, T. & Simpson, C., Exceptional Students in Regular Classrooms: Challenges, Services, and Methods, Mayfield Publishing Co., Mountain View, CA, 1988, ISBN: 0874847931; Bar Code: 30002054; Class: LC 4031 .G55 1988; Subjects: Inclusive schools, Handicapped children—Education—Mainstreaming in education—United States Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, Beyond the Limits ~ Music and Fine Arts ~ Creative Art Solutions for People With Special Needs, Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, Texas, 1991 Class: LC 4025 .B4 1991; Bar Code: 30000141; 99 p., Kit—video tape (15 min.), accompanied by 20 slides and 6 pictures. Includes bibliographical references (p. 93-95) Mosier, D.B. & Park, R.B., Teacher Therapist: a Text-Handbook for Teachers of Emotionally Impaired Children, Goodyear Publishing Co. Inc., Santa Monica, CA, 1979; ISBN: 0876208898; Bar Code: 30002073; Class: LC 4169 .M 67 1979, Subjects: Mentally handicapped children-Education—Handbooks, manuals, Child psychopathology—Teacher participation in educational counseling Smith, T.E.C., Polloway, E.A., Patton, J.R. & Dowdy, C.A., Teaching Students with Special Needs In Inclusive Settings, Allyn & Bacon, Boston, 1995, ISBN: 0205146538 (pbk, acid free); Bar Code: 30002087; Class: LC 4031 .T43 1995; Subjects: Special education, Handicapped children—Education, Classroom management, Inclusive schools Schleien, S.J. Ray, M.T. & Green, F.P., Community Recreation and People with Disabilities, Paul Brookes Publishing Co., Baltimore, 1997, ISBN: 1557662592; Bar Code: 30002135; Class: GV 183.5 .S35 1997, LC Card: 96007795; Subjects: Handicapped—Recreation—United States, Handicapped Services for—Recreation centers—Recreational surveys

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Constructing Youth Engagement:
A synthesis of literature, observation, and professional opinion

by Harlan Brownlee, Director of Artistic Programming, Kanss City Young Audiences, Inc.

 

The work of Kansas City Young Audiences (KCYA) is intended to improve upon the practices of teaching artists and others that provide opportunities for youth to experience and create art. Stimulated by research in Beyond the Soundbite: Arts Education and Academic Outcomes (Winner, E. and Hetland, L., 2000) and Champions of Change: The Impact of the Arts on Learning (Fiske, T., 2001), KCYA created a study to focus on deepening our understanding of youth engagement as it relates to the processes, techniques and products associated with the arts and arts integration in the classroom.	Why is engagement an important construct? Because we theorize that being engaged is an indication of active involvement in learning and we believe that being deeply involved in one’s own learning is a key factor in learning well. We assume that the greater the level of engagement the greater the potential there is for learning.
We framed this study as a first step toward validating a descriptive framework or context for the study of the arts- rich classroom. KCYA staff believed that to create a foundation for further work it was essential to answer these key questions in the study:
• What is student engagement? • What are the observable indicators of student engagement? • What instructional practices of Teaching Artists appear to facilitate student engagement? • How and why does the integration of the arts engage students in a learning experience? • What is happening in the arts experience that promotes a higher level of engagement from a student? The study had four phases of activity: • Review of literature regarding engagement to identify potential definitions and features. • Videotaping of Teaching Artists in five different disciplines conducting workshops in schools. • Interviews with Teaching Artists and a sample of students immediately following the workshops. • Observation: professional panel review of videotaped lessons.
Our study also provided a catalyst for further inquiry and self-reflection from the panel members which consisted of both classroom teachers and Teaching Artists. By simply putting forward an open-ended question and asking the participants to answer that question, a process of self-discovery unfolded for each of the panel members. In this scenario, the question was driving the learning. What other questions might we ask of Teaching Artists, and could this format be adopted to include a wide range of subjects and issues for Teaching Artists? For example, does engagement in music look different than engagement in dance? What were the common threads of engagement that cross the disciplines and can be described as universal?
The final product of our study is a definition with supporting evidence, exemplars, and descriptions of what the instructional environment must look like for engagement to emerge and be encouraged. The full report describing the results of the study can be downloaded via the world wide web at: http://www.kcya.org/. Please click on the research link in the left hand column.

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The Board of Directors and staff of Accessible Arts proudly announce the opening of our Accessible Arts Studio. Located in the historic carriage house on the campus of the Kansas State School for the Blind, this newly-renovated, accessible arts studio will serve children and artists of all abilities. This universally designed space, a barrier-free and safe environment, will function as a collaborative arts laboratory and studio space where students experiment freely with appropriate equipment adaptations and professional artistic assistance. It will be a valuable resource for children with disabilities and their families and a

place where students, professional artists, and educators can collaborate to create new curricula and accessible arts programming. Accessible Arts' Studio was made possible by generous donations from: Ross & Marianna Beach, Rita & Irwin Blitt, H & R Block Foundation, Faultless Starch, Hallmark Foundation, International Furnishings & Design, Kansas Arts Commission, Kansas State School for the Blind, Muriel McBrien Kauffman Foundation, Kemper Foundation, Metro Area Lions Clubs, Lockton Insurance, Sisters of Lorretto, Mid-America Foundation, Ann Nichols, Miller & Jeannette Nichols Foundation, Sosland Foundation and Utilicorp.

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Discovery Trails 2003 Accessible Arts has been awarded funding from the National Park Service’s Long Distance Trails Office and also its Lewis and Clark Office in support of a 5000-mile journey this June by eighteen teens who are blind or visually impaired. Coordinated by Accessible Arts with the Kansas State School for the Blind, Discovery Trails 2003 continues a six-year tradition of outdoor adventure that prepares teens to use the arts in teaching pioneer history in classrooms and senior centers. This year’s Trails journey, June 6-28th, 2003, coincides with the opening year of the Bicentennial of the Lewis and Clark Expedition. The youthful pioneers, accompanied by a Trail staff of educators and artists, will travel westward on the Oregon Trail to the Pacific coast, and then follow the Corps of Discovery along 2700 miles of the Expedition’s 1806 route through Oregon, Washington, northern Idaho, Montana and the Dakotas.

In exchange for the adventure of camping and travelling—by minivan, horseback, canoe and on foot—along the Lewis and Clark Trail, each of the teens has contracted for a total of eight presentations in the two years following the 2003 Trails trek. Accessible Arts’ staff and artists will work with the teens in creating presentations in Missouri, Kansas, Iowa, Nebraska, and Texas.

In June-July 2004, the Trail teens and staff will participate in the Kansas City area commemorations of the Lewis and Clark Bicentennial. Activities at the Corps of Discovery campsite at Kaw Point will include the teens. Teens and staff have also offered to interpret the excitement of their Lewis and Clark trip for 4000 members of the National Association of the Deaf at the Biennial Conference over the July 4th holiday in Olathe, Kansas. A video documentary of Discovery Trails 2003 will be available from the National Park Service or Accessible Arts.

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Student Artwork Winners! In September of 2002 Kit Bardwell, Program Director for Accessible Arts, visited Horizon Academy. Together with Sandra Smith’s class she explored the various symbols and designs that can be created when drafting a simple map. The students began by drawing an outline of the library and marking its contents. Next the students mapped pathways throughout the library and took turns following each other’s maps. These maps could also request that the traveler maintain a specific mode of locomotion such as skipping, crawling or sliding as they followed the map. Lastly, the students listened to a variety of recorded music that they mapped with crayons, colored pens and glitter. The resulting artwork was full of movement and color. Age 11: Likes to hang out, make things, sew and read.

Age 10: Says his favorite subject in school is art. Age 8: States that math is his favorite subject in school. Later in the year, Accessible Arts began to collect student artwork to frame and use as awards for the Arts Educator of the Year and Distinguished Service Awards. Because of their lyrical movement and bright colors, the music maps of three Horizon students were selected to receive a purchase prize of $25 each. The three students pictured here were the awardees.

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Mark Your Calendars

Sunday, April 13th at 7:00 PM

“Journey to Middle Earth: the Lord of the Rings” ~ Concert & Arts Performance

Yardley Hall, Johnson County Community College, OP, KS
Heart of America Wind Symphony and performers with and without disabilities will be featured. Admission is $5 (students, seniors), $10 (adults). To purchase tickets call (913) 469-4445.

Friday-Sunday, April 25-27

99 Drums Music & Cultural Camp

Kansas State School for the Blind Campus, Kansas City, KS
Weekend of drumming and dancing workshops for children with and without disabilities. Cost is $35 per child. Final performance at 3:30 PM, Sunday, April 25th is free to the public. To register a child, volunteer or get more information, please call (913) 281-1133.

Wednesday-Friday, June 25-27

The Art of Learning Collaborative Workshop
Hilton Garden Inn, Kansas City, KS

Professional development workshops to give artists the tools to work in the schools and schools the tools to work with artists. For information please call (913) 281-1133.

Wednesday-Friday, July 16-18

The Art of Learning Collaborative Workshop
Salina Holidome, Salina, KS

See information above.

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Accessible Arts Board of Directors

Kathleen White, President
Vickie Tucker, Vice President
Walter Dietrich, Treasurer
Martin Zander, Secretary
Heidi Benham
Jen Johnson
J.J. Jones
Danny Meisinger
Dawn O’Brien

Accessible Arts Staff

Martin English, Executive Director
Kit Bardwell, Program Director
Eleanor Craig, Executive Assistant
Beverly Johnson, Communications Coordinator

(913) 281-1133 [Voice/TTY]
(913) 281-1515 [FAX]
accarts@accessiblearts.org
www.accessiblearts.org

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DON’T NEED THIS NEWSLETTER?

We are happy to continue sending our newsletter to all persons who wish to receive it. If you would like to remain in our database as a consultant, artist, etc. but no longer wish to receive the newsletter, please let us know. Our new database will allow us to make this distinction. However, if you no longer want to remain in our data base, please help us by letting us know. We will immediately remove your name from our list. If you have any changes or updates for our mailing list, please notify us. You can e-mail us at accarts@accessiblearts.org or drop us a note at Accessible Arts, Inc., 1100 State Ave., Kansas City, KS, 66102-4411 or feel free to call us at (913) 281-1133. We also welcome feedback about our programming, the content of our newsletter, and our web site. Thank you for your help in this matter.

1100 State Avenue, Kansas City, KS 66102-4411
(913) 281-1133 [Voice & TTY] (913) 281-1515 [Fax]
eMail Us: accarts@accessiblearts.org

For large print or Braille newsletter contact Accessible Arts

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