VSA arts 2003 Annual Meeting and Leadership Institute
Session Schedule and Descriptions

Wednesday, June 18, 2003

9:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.
New Directors Orientation and Lunch with Advisory Council (Invitation Only)
Wabasha Board Room - Lobby/Street Level
Affiliate executive directors and Collaborator representatives who have joined the VSA arts U.S. network in the last year will have an opportunity to meet with VSA arts staff.  You will also learn about the accreditation and funding processes and the relationship between VSA arts and the network.  Advisory Council members will be participating and sharing their experiences and wisdom.

3:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Break

5:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m.
Welcome Reception				Wabasha Suite - Lobby/Street Level
Join the VSA arts of Minnesota staff and board as they welcome you to St. Paul, Minnesota.  It's a time to get reacquainted with old and meet new friends.  Refreshments will be served.  

Performances by Rebecca Kragnes and Joseph Baird.

Dinner on your own.


Thursday, June 19, 2003

8:30 a.m. - 9:15 a.m.
Breakfast Buffet  						Pool Area - 1st Floor/Upper Level

9:30 a.m. - 10:30 a.m.
Keynote Speaker:  Ben Cameron, Executive Director, Theatre Communications Group (TCG) in New York City.				Capitol Ballroom - Lower Level

10:30 a.m. - 10:45 a.m.
Break

10:45 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
Affiliate and Collaboration Session			Capitol Ballroom - Lower Level

12:00 p.m. - 1:00 p.m.
Lunch							Pool Area - 1st  Floor/Upper Level

1:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m.
Affiliate and Collaboration Session			Capitol Ballroom - Lower Level

1:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m.
International Delegates Meeting			State Room I  - Lower Level
VSA arts International Department will host this meeting to provide an opportunity for discussion and information sharing.


3:00 p.m. - 3:30 p.m.
Break/Refreshments								Lower Level

3:30 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Affiliate and Collaboration Session			Capitol Ballroom - Lower Level

3:30 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.
International Delegates Meeting			State Room I - Lower Level
Continuation of meeting to provide an opportunity for discussion and information sharing.

Dinner on your own.


Friday, June 20, 2003

8:00 a.m. - 9:00 a.m.
Breakfast Buffet						Pool Area - 1st Floor/Upper Level

9:15 a.m. - 10:15 a.m.
Keynote Speaker:  Soula Antoniou, President of VSA arts.
Capitol Ballroom - Lower Level

10:15 a.m. - 10:30 a.m.
Break

10:30 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.  Morning Breakout Sessions
1. Using the Holiday Special - "A Christmas Carol" as a Fundraising and Consciousness Raising Event			Capitol Ballroom - Lower Level
Presenters and Discussion Leaders:  Kippy Rudy and David Webster (Maine)
"A Christmas Carol" is a holiday favorite performed every year all across the country.  With a clear marketing plan we can partner with a theater to raise funds AND make a statement about social justice as well as cause our audience to think twice about the 20th century's original "poster child."



2. Building and Keeping Good Board Members	State Room I - Lower Level
Presenter and Discussion Leader:  Ginny Miller (Kentucky)
Are you at a loss to find board members with the right expertise to serve your organization?  This session will help you determine what kind of members you need, as well as how to locate and recruit these individuals.  Additionally, you will learn ways to keep your members interested and focused on your organization's needs.

3. Partnerships for Including People Who are Deaf-Blind:  The Next Frontier of Cultural Access					State Room II - Lower Level
Presenters and Discussion Leaders:  Bonnie Kaplan and Charles Washburn (Massachusetts)
This workshop is an introduction to the Deaf-Blind community and the technology and techniques employed to make cultural events accessible to them.  We will describe model programs in theater and the performing arts and provide resources for connecting with the Deaf-Blind community in your area.

4. Disability and the Making of Art				State Room III  - Lower Level
Facilitator and Discussion Leader:  Stephanie Moore (Washington, D.C. - Home Office)
When presenting the work of artists with disabilities, several considerations come into play.  Do you disclose disability and to what extent?  How are advocacy efforts infused in the presentations that we offer?  What aspects of disability culture surface within art, and how are they managed under the auspices of the Department of Education and our K-12 audiences?  Put your thinking cap on for this lively discussion about presenting art by people with disabilities to the general public.

5. Affiliate Application Process - (Macintosh Users)
Facilitators and Discussion Leaders:  Janice Hastings and John Spitzer
Meet outside of the Judges Suite on the Lower Level at 10:15 a.m. to walk over to the Science Museum of Minnesota Computer Education Lab.

6. ArtsWork
Site visit to ArtsWork.  Meet outside of the Judges Suite on the Lower Level at 10:15 a.m. to walk over to ArtsWork for a site visit.

12:00 p.m. - 12:45 p.m.
Lunch								Pool Area - 1st Floor/Upper Level

1:00 p.m. - 1:30 p.m.
Performance by Kevin Kling				Capitol Ballroom - Lower Level




1:30 p.m. - 3:00 p.m. Afternoon I Breakout Sessions
1. Disability Culture					Capitol Ballroom - Lower Level
Presenters and Discussion Leaders:  Rick Cardenas, Gail Larson, and Carol Robinson (Advocating Change Together, Inc., Minnesota)
Join disability rights activists to take a fresh look at what it means to be disabled in America.  Through hundreds of images and a high-powered delivery, this is disability in our own words: who WE say we are.  An ideal workshop for those seeking a deeper understanding from a minority and cultural perspective.

2. Board Roles and Resources				State Room I - Lower Level
Presenter and Discussion Leader:  Amy Wagner (MAP for Nonprofits, Minnesota)
This workshop provides an overview of board roles and responsibilities, as well as effective board and staff relationships.  Special emphasis will be placed on resources (e.g. books, websites, etc.) that provide timely, useful information to promote effective boards.  Discussion will be tailored to participants' interests and concerns, so please come prepared with your own questions.

3. 99 Drums:  An Inclusive Program from Conception to Evaluation
State Room II - Lower Level
Presenter and Discussion Leader:  Martin English (Kansas)
In April, 99 Drums, a weekend of interactive music and dance workshops exploring various cultures, brought together an integrated group of children with disabilities and their non-disabled peers.  Martin English will use this project as a model to demonstrate how to create a multi-disciplinary, inclusive program with multiple collaborators and artists.

4. School Inclusion Through the Arts				State Room III - Lower Level
Presenter and Discussion Leader:  Charles Washburn (Massachusetts)
This workshop introduces the alignment of artist-in-residence programs to learning standards and methods for effecting change in instruction and learning through arts infused learning.  Multiple Intelligences Theory for the classroom is introduced and how the Multi-Arts Resource Guide and Start With the Arts can extend the impact of residency programs.

5. Affiliate Application Process - (PC Users)
Facilitators and Discussion Leaders:  Janice Hastings and John Spitzer
Meet outside of the Judges Suite on the Lower Level at 1:15 p.m. to walk over to the Science Museum of Minnesota Computer Education Lab.

3:00 p.m. - 3:30 p.m.
Break/Refreshments								Lower Level


3:30 p.m. - 5:00 p.m. Afternoon II Breakout Sessions
1. Promoting Inclusion Through Free and Discounted Tickets / Elements of Cultural Access / Promoting Access by Publishing a Cultural Access Directory
Capitol Ballroom - Lower Level
Presenters and Discussion Leaders:  Bonnie Kaplan, Charles Washburn, Janice Hastings, and Daniel Schmitt (Massachusetts)
Participants will learn how VSA arts of Massachusetts adapted the model created by Artreach in Philadelphia for building relationships between cultural program presenters and human service organizations.  Participants will learn about the essential elements of the ticket exchange programs and how they work in both Philadelphia and Boston.  Participants will also be introduced to the VSA arts Cultural Access Initiative and starting points others used to state initiatives.  We will cover the elements of a successful partnership, including the state arts council and representatives of the disability community.  Participants will receive a description of available resources for training and program development.  The presenters will also describe the Cultural Access Survey process and how they use www.accessexpressed.net to support publication in print.  Participants will learn about how the print directories were funded and how they are used to promote inclusion of people with disabilities in the cultural life of their communities.

2. Accessible Websites					State Room I - Lower Level
Presenters and Discussion Leaders:  Britta Beeck, (Independent Web Designer, Minnesota) and Phil Kragnes (University of Minnesota, Minnesota)
Britta Beeck and Phil Kragnes will speak about web accessibility using the VSA arts of Minnesota web site as an example.  Topics will include the planning process for developing an accessible web site and the myths of web accessibility.  Various web set-ups and features will be displayed including both good and bad examples.  We will end our presentation with a discussion about the future of the Minnesota web site including new pages and forms.  Although primarily presentation, there will be lots of time for questions and answers.

3. Actual Lives Performance Workshop		State Room II - Lower Level
Presenters and Discussion Leaders:  Celia Hughes, Laura Griebel, and Chris Strickling (Texas)
Starting with communication exercises, participants will move into writing personal narratives and sharing them with the other participants.  Movement and music may be explored in the shared performances.  The Ethic of Accommodation, a core principle of Actual Lives, is demonstrated in the facilitation of the workshop.  No writing or performance experience necessary.



4. Board Member Discussion					State Room III  - Lower Level
Presenter and Discussion Leader:  Steve Schmidt (Minnesota)
This will be a "no-agenda" session intended for board members of VSA arts state affiliates.  Topics of discussion will be self-generated and could include areas such as board recruitment, review of the Executive Director, organization survival in tough economic times, fundraising ideas, board roles & responsibilities, organization governance or conflict of interest. All attending board members are encouraged to attend.

5. Affiliate Application Process - (PC Users)
Facilitators and Discussion Leaders:  Janice Hastings and John Spitzer 
Meet outside of the Judges Suite on the Lower Level at 3:15 p.m. to walk over to the Science Museum of Minnesota Computer Education Lab.

5:00 p.m. - 6:30 p.m.
Break

6:30 p.m. - 9:30 p.m.
Affiliate Awards Dinner		Great River Ballroom II & III - 1st Floor/Upper Level
All Annual Meeting registrants are invited to join the VSA arts home office in honoring Affiliate achievements with the VSA arts Awards in Excellence.  We will also recognize Affiliate executive directors who are retiring and those who have reached their 10-year anniversaries as leaders of their organizations.  Most importantly, this event is a celebration to express VSA arts appreciation of the partnership between the home office and our Affiliates and Collaborators nationally and internationally.

Entertainment will be provided by Stephanie Dawn, accompanied by Dann Thornton.


Saturday, June 21, 2003

8:00 a.m. - 8:45 a.m.
Continental Breakfast					Pool Area - 1st Floor/Upper Level

9:00 a.m. - 10:30 a.m.
Extending the Mission of VSA arts by Linking Communities & Organizations									Capitol Ballroom - Lower Level
Facilitator:  Craig Dunn (Minnesota)
Panelists:  Gaile Burke, (Minnesota State Arts Board), Lolly Lijewski (The Metropolitan 
       Center for Independent Living, Minnesota), Kathleen Maloney (Minnesota 
       Alliance for Arts in Education), Jon Skaalen (VSA arts of Minnesota)
While Minnesota is fortunate in having vital arts, disability, education and funding communities, each of the states throughout the VSA arts network have similar communities and organizations with which to work.  The panel for this session will include representatives from organizations with whom VSA arts of Minnesota has "been at the table" over the past decade.  The goal of the session will be to demonstrate how a VSA arts affiliate organization can be more than the sum of its "bottom line" by being an active and involved participant in those various communities.  Presenters will talk not only about how they have worked with the VSA arts affiliate in Minnesota but also how and why other VSA arts affiliates should connect with like organizations in their own states or countries.

10:30 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
Saturday Morning Breakout Sessions
1. Fundraising Basics - Four Steps, Three Key Areas and the Vital Partnership of Two							Capitol Ballroom - Lower Level
Presenters and Discussion Leaders:  Kippy Rudy and David Webster (Maine)
We will focus upon four basic steps, and related details for organizing fundraising ("Four Basic Steps"), cover proven approaches ("Three Key Areas"), and explore the relationship between board president and executive director - how they work together to train, motivate and coordinate all involved ("Vital Partnership of Two").

2. Developing a Special Event that Raises Awareness and Dollars
State Room I - Lower Level
Presenter and Discussion Leader:  Damon McLeese (Colorado)
In tough economic times special events take on an increasingly important part of our overall fundraising goals.  VSA arts Colorado has hosted a special Fine Art Auction to raise money and awareness of our programs.  We have netted between $10,000 and $20,000.  Last year we had 350 people attend and sold 63 of 75 items.  Our most successful event was in the fall of 2002, at a time when the economy in Colorado was at its worst in 20 years.  VSA arts of Colorado combines the dual goal of raising awareness and raising money.  We accomplish this event with minimum underwriting.  This session is designed to show how we have built on our success each year and to teach you the mistakes we made and how to avoid them.

3. Saori Hand-Weaving					State Room II - Lower Level
Presenter and Discussion Leader:  Kenzo Jo (Japan)
Kenzo Jo from Japan will lead a session on the art of Saori Hand-Weaving. The technique was created by his mother, Misao Jo.  Saori is an art of weaving by hand that is dedicated to free expression and self-development for everyone, regardless of physical or mental ability, age, or artistic aptitude. Saori weaving is pure improvisation from the heart, with no premeditated pattern in mind. Colors unfold, designs emerge, and beauty blooms directly from the genius of each unique individual working in harmony with loom, thread, and the spark of the moment. Saori is a profound inner journey, yet we can enjoy it socially, working alongside others. We can also create clothing, bags, tapestries, and many useful items that can be appreciated by all. Saori is fun, and anyone can do it!

12:00 p.m. - 1:00 p.m.
Lunch	 and Closing Remarks			Pick up your lunch in the State Room III 
and then go to the Capitol Ballroom - Lower Level for lunch and closing remarks.						

AMLI 2003 Schedule		Page 1 of 8

