ArtThread is honored to be working with VSA arts of Florida
Tampa, FL (PRWEB) May 5, 2009
In order for persons with disabilities to navigate critical career pathways in the 21st century they need technical and entrepreneurial skills as well as their creative imagination. The Work of Art program is a learning and social entrepreneurship program where artists receive hands-on training in the technical and entrepreneurial skills needed to sustain a career as an independent artist.
A joint project of the ArtThread Foundation and VSA arts of Florida, the Work of Art program features online art-making with Splash!, ArtThread's innovative online painting tool that makes it easy to get creative. Splash! has great depth and is both sophisticated and unpredictable, allowing artists to explore a new way of painting online.
Participating artists with disabilities from the VSA Artists Registry learned the basics of producing digital images for the web, online art-making skills, and basic online business skills, all in conjunction with ArtThread's product-maker feature, which allows them to have their art imprinted on one-of-a-kind items like t-shirts and posters. These items are for sale in their online stores, and revenue from these sales is the start of a small online business for the artists. They also learned to use the ArtThread Gallery's art sharing functions as a way to promote their work.
Many artists are not exposed to occupational training that provides computer-based art-making and art distribution skills, and these are crucial for the developing artist to achieve entrepreneurial self-reliance. The Work of Art program provides a starting place - a way for the artist with disabilities to take specific steps towards overcoming the challenges caused by physical and fiscal logistics.
"We are very excited about this new program, and our partnership with the ArtThread Foundation," said Marian Winters, Executive Director of VSA arts of Florida. "The Work of Art program aligns perfectly with one of our core principles - that all individuals with disabilities who aspire to careers in the arts should have the opportunity to develop appropriate skills."
"ArtThread is honored to be working with VSA arts of Florida," said Jay Klein, CEO of the ArtThread Foundation. "This training program introduces artists to the full array of tools available to them on the ArtThread Interactive Online Gallery. From creating art online to marketing and selling their work, VSA arts of Florida artists have the essential tools needed to create a self-sustaining micro-enterprise." For their work with the Work of Art program the ArtThread Foundation was given the Community Partner of the Year award by the VSA arts national office in Washington D.C.
The first class of successful Work of Art graduates have contributed over 600 works of art to their own custom-online galleries and e-commerce stores at the VSA arts of Florida-ArtThread Online Gallery, where clothing and accessories imprinted with their art are available to the public for purchase.
Post-training survey responses from the artists with disabilities in the Tampa Bay Work of Art program were overwhelmingly positive. One of the artists in the training made a comment that sums up the experience: "We were stuck in wells and you gave us colorful ladders to climb out."
The Work of Art Program is the result of a major grant from The Able Trust, also known as the Florida Governor's Alliance for the Employment of Citizens with Disabilities, which was awarded to the ArtThread Foundation and VSA arts of Florida to create this unique program that helps artists with disabilities in the greater Tampa Bay area achieve success as working artists.
"The Able Trust is happy to support VSA arts of Florida," said Susanne Homant, President & CEO of The Able Trust. "We look forward to seeing this program develop and help Floridians with disabilities obtain employment."
The ArtThread Foundation is a 501(c)(3) non-profit foundation whose mission is to make art and creative expression more available to those impacted by illness, physical limitations, or social consequence. Using a three-pronged approach to partnerships, ArtThread shares its technology to support education, research, and service. From persons with disabilities, to cancer survivors, or children at risk, ArtThread provides a healthy way for people to connect, foster creativity, and thrive in their daily lives.
The Work of Art program is an example of how ArtThread shares its technology assets with other non-profit organizations whose mission is to support arts in healthcare, community-building, and people in crisis or those with special needs.
VSA arts of Florida is dedicated to creating a society where people with disabilities can learn through, participate in, and enjoy the arts. VSA arts of Florida provides arts, education, and cultural opportunities for and by individuals, and believes all individuals with disabilities who aspire to careers in the arts should have the opportunity to develop appropriate skills.
To learn more about the ArtThread Foundation and see the Interactive Online Gallery, visit http://www.ArtThread.org. For more information on VSA arts of Florida, visit http://www.vsafl.org, and for more information on The Able Trust, visit http://www.abletrust.org.
###
We're here to help.
Call 1-866-640-6397
©Copyright 1997-, Vocus PRW Holdings, LLC.
Vocus, PRWeb, and Publicity Wire are trademarks or registered trademarks of Vocus, Inc. or Vocus PRW Holdings, LLC.
