National Endowment for the Arts Announces Minnesota State Arts Board as Recipient of 2007 National Accessibility Leadership Award

Minnesota State Arts Board recognized for increasing access to the arts

December 5, 2007

		Contact: Sally Gifford 202-682-5606 giffords@arts.gov

Washington, D.C. — The National Endowment for the Arts announced the Minnesota State Arts Board as the recipient of the 2007 National Accessibility Leadership Award/grant for their outstanding accessibility work. Sponsored by the National Endowment for the Arts and the National Assembly of State Arts Agencies (NASAA), the award recognizes exceptional and effective initiatives or programs that make the arts accessible and inclusive. The award will be presented on December 7, 2007, at the annual conference of the National Assembly of State Arts Agencies (NASAA) in Baltimore, Maryland.

The award is presented to the Minnesota State Arts Board in acknowledgement of its exceptional leadership and highly effective work to make the arts fully inclusive throughout their organization, programming and state. Among the exceptional accomplishments of the Minnesota State Arts Board:

• In March 2002, the Minnesota State Arts Board joined with VSA arts of Minnesota to present the first-ever statewide forum, "The Art of Employment: Careers in the Arts for People with Disabilities." As a result, the Artists with Disabilities Alliance was formed in the Twin-cities area that brings artists with disabilities together to work on projects for advancing arts training and career opportunities.

• Subsequently, the Arts Board, in partnership with regional Minnesota arts councils, organized and created six regional networks of artists and arts administrators with disabilities throughout Minnesota. The Minnesota State Arts Board continues to provide support to the regional groups for a wide variety of activities such as: exhibits, performances, workshops, publicity, marketing, and access accommodations including interpreters. This successful model is being replicated by the Texas Commission on the Arts.

• In August 2007, the Minnesota State Arts Board expanded its technical assistance to the national level by co-hosting the "Leadership Exchange in Arts and Disability" conference with the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. This conference brought together 180 artists, arts administrators, educators, and accessibility consultants from around the country to further advance their skills in making the arts fully accessible.

The Arts Endowment and NASAA established the National Accessibility Leadership Award in 2001. Since 2002, the award has provided a $30,000 NEA competitive grant to the selected state or regional arts agency to advance its access work. Previous award recipients are the Maine Arts Commission (2006); the Massachusetts Cultural Council (2005); the New Jersey State Council on the Arts (2004); the New York State Council on the Arts (2003); Ohio Arts Council 504/ADA Program (2002); and the Arizona Commission on the Arts (2001).

• The NEA Leadership Initiative on Universal Design, which educates designers, schools of design, and others on a design process that goes beyond special accommodations to incorporate features that may be used by everyone at all stages of life.

• Subsequently, the Careers in the Arts for People with Disabilities leadership initiative, which features a partnership with VSA Arts and the National Arts and Disability Center at UCLA. The initiative convenes statewide forums with representatives from the arts, rehabilitation, education, and disability communities to address barriers and implement strategies for advancing training and career opportunities of artists and arts administrators with disabilities.

• The first-of-its-kind study "Creativity & Aging: The Impact of Professionally Conducted Cultural Programs on Older Adults." The NEA initiated and is the lead sponsor of this recently completed study.

Information about the NEA AccessAbility Office and its programs and publications are available at http://www.nea.gov/resources/Accessibility/office.html.

About the National Assembly of State Arts Agencies

The National Assembly of State Arts Agencies (NASAA) is the membership organization of the nation’s state and jurisdictional arts agencies. The public sector plays a unique and essential role in ensuring that the benefits of the arts accrue to all American communities. State arts agencies broaden citizen access to the arts in every corner of the country, making the cultural, civic, educational and economic benefits of the arts an essential ingredient of state policy and practice.

About the National Endowment for the Arts

The NEA is a public agency dedicated to supporting excellence in the arts -- both new and established -- bringing the arts to all Americans, and providing leadership in arts education. Established by Congress in 1965 as an independent agency of the federal government, the Arts Endowment is the largest national funder of the arts, bringing great art to all 50 states, including rural areas, inner cities, and military bases. For more information, please visit www.arts.gov.

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