Resources
Helpful Sites & Resources
- Access-Able Travel Source
- Providing Access Information for Mature and Disabled Travelers Online Since 1995.
- Anodyne Artists Company
- Located in the Midway district of Saint Paul, trains and mentors artists with disabilities in both theatre, where participants create new plays, and visual arts, where new works are displayed and sold in a large gallery. For information, call (651) 642-1684 or e-mail: anodynearts@gmail.com.
- Artists With Disabilities Alliance (AWDA)
- This informal group of visual artists, writers, photographers, performers, musicians, etc. meets monthly in the Twin Cities to provide a supportive environment for all Artists with Disabilities; opportunities for artists to give and receive feedback, critique and support; mentorship opportunities to allow artists to share and/or increase their skills; and connections with the broader community through artistic expression. It offers artist profiles and portfolios, a message board and other news.
- Careers in the Arts for People with Disabilities Guide site at VSA
- Putting Creativity to Work: a free book on how artists with disabilities can work in the arts. Produced by VSA and the Social Security Administration.
- CAST Academy of Acting
- Established in 1971, CAST is a full-time, professional acting studio, offering an intensive 1 - 4 year actor training program. We prepare talent (18 Yrs & Up) for acting careers on TV, Film, and Stage. 5213 Saint Moritz Dr NE, Minneapolis, MN 55421; Phone: 763-789-2353.
- Deaf and Hard of Hearing Services Division
- A division in the Minnesota Department of Human Services.
- Deafblind Information
- Minnesota's Online Resource about Combined Vision and Hearing Loss.
- Disability Viewpoints
- Disability Viewpoints is an award-winning monthly program that airs on North Suburban Access Corp. CTV Channel 15, based in Roseville, MN. Mark Hughes has been the host for more than 10 years. Sheri Melander-Smith hosts the "Living Forward" segment, which can be linked to on YouTube.
- Disabled and Proud
- KFAI-FM in Minneapolis broadcasts the "Disabled and Proud" radio program Thursdays from 6:30 PM to 7:00 PM. Host Sam Jasmine and her interview subjects bring you insights into, ideas about and discussions of disability culture. Artists with disabilities are featured regularly. Listen live on 90.3 FM Minneapolis, 106.7 Saint Paul, or stream live from the website, where each show is stored for two weeks. To suggest future subjects, call 612-341-3144 ext. 817; mail KFAI, 1808 Riverside Avenue S., Disabled and Proud Box 116, Minneapolis MN 55454; or email disabledandproud@tcq.net (where you can request their weekly emailed program announcements).
- Housecalls Network
- Provides resources to seniors and physically challenged people, living in the Twin Cities, who wish to live as independently as possible.
- Interact Center for the Visual and Performing Arts
- Located in the Minneapolis Warehouse District, was founded to provide artists with disabilities a place to pursue and develop their art to its highest potential, and to increase their integration into the broader professional arts community. A staff of professional musicians, actors and visual artists provides advocacy, mentorship and collaboration - producing several original theatre productions each year and displaying new visual art in the Inside-Out Gallery. (612) 339-5145.
- Interpreter Referral
- Information about sign language interpreters, how to use them and how to find them.
- Karawane: Or, the Temporary Death of the Bruitist
- Karawane is a Twin Cities-based journal of experimental performance texts. Karawane Website at My Space (www.myspace.com/karawane). Email: Karawane@earthlink.net.
- Loft Literary Center
- The Loft Literary Center is a nonprofit arts organization offering services for readers and writers at every level: from novels to children’s literature, from playwriting to poetry, from spoken word to memoir. Programs include readings by acclaimed local and national authors, classes and workshops, weekend genre festivals, competitions and grants, open groups, writer’s studios, a newsletter and more. Jerod Santek is director of programs for writers: phone: 612-215-2575, email: jsantek@loft.org. 1011 Washington Avenue S, Suite 200, Minneapolis, MN 55415.
- Minnesota Association of Community Theatres
- Founded to encourage excellence in amateur theatre, MACT offers play festivals, workshops, and a Hotline and e-mailed MACTograms with auditions, jobs, theatre news, a performance calendar, classes and other networking connections.
- Minnesota Children's Museum
- Minnesota Children's Museum is dedicated to providing children with a fun, hands-on and stimulating environment to explore and discover. The Museum helps to instill a life-long love of learning by nuturing the real-world skills children need to become engaged citizens in the future.
- Minnesota Governor's Council on Developmental Disabilities
- The Minnesota Governor's Council on Developmental Disabilities provides materials to enhance independence, inclusion, individual productivity and self-determination for people with disabilities. They have self-paced, online learning courses increase one's knowledge and skills in self advocacy, education and employment. Free materials and features include: Resources for individuals, families and professionals; "Parallels in Time: A History of Developmental Disabilities"; The Learning Center: a library of 10,000 pages of documents on a wide array of topics, produced by the DD Council. For more information: MinnesotaDDCouncil@msn.com.
- MinnesotaPlaylist.com
- MinnesotaPlaylist provides information and inspiration for Minnesota’s performing arts, including: in-depth articles, performance calendar, audience reviews, talent profiles for every kind of artist, and notices about auditions, jobs, classes and other opportunities.
- Minnesota Regional Arts Councils
- Region 1: Northwest Regional Arts Council
- Region 2: Region 2 Arts Council
- Region 3: Arrowhead Regional Arts Council serving Northeast Minnesota
- Region 4: Lake Region Arts Council - West Central Minnesota
- Region 5: Five Wings Arts Council
- Regions 6 & 8: Southwest Minnesota Arts & Humanities Council
- Region 7E: East Central Arts Council serving Northeast Minnesota
- Region 7W: Central Minnesota Arts Board serving the Saint Cloud area
- Region 9: Prairie Lakes Regional Arts Council serving the Mankato area
- Region 10: Southeastern Minnesota Arts Council
- Region 11: Metropolitan Regional Council serving the 7-county Minneapolis/Saint Paul area
- Minnesota State Arts Board
- A state agency dedicated to enriching the cultural lives of all Minnesota people. Contains links to 11 Regional Arts Councils. Offers some grants and resources for artists and arts organizations.
- Minnesota Travel Guide for Persons with Disabilities
- Access for All is a 501(c)3 nonprofit corporation that was created to provide information on accessibility for persons with disabilities and mature travelers. Its goal is to gather and disseminate unbiased and detailed accessible travel information for persons that travel to or live in the state of Minnesota.
- National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) of Minnesota
- The National Alliance on Mental Illness of Minnesota works to improve the lives of children and adults with mental illness and their families.
- Narrative Television Network
- The Emmy Award-winning Narrative Television Network makes movies and television accessible to millions of blind and visually impaired people by unobtrusively adding the voice of a narrator to the existing soundtrack. This Emmy Award-winning programming is now available by making your movie selection from one of the links below.
- National Arts and Disability Center
- National information dissemination, technical assistance and referral center specializing in the field of arts and disability.
- Sister Kenny Rehabilitation Institute, Art Show
- The Sister Kenny International Art Show by Artists with Disabilities had its 45th annual show April 17 to May 15, 2008 on the second floor of the Sister Kenny Building of Abbott Northwestern Hospital, 800 E. 28th Street in Minneapolis. Artwork is judged in six categories: graphic, watercolor, sculpture, photography, mixed media, oils and acrylics. For details, call (612) 863-4466.
- Springboard for the Arts
- The mission of Springboard for the Arts is to cultivate a vibrant arts community by connecting artists with the skills, contacts, information and services they need to make a living and a life. They offer an online Job Book, Opportunities and Deadlines, Workshops and other resources. For more information: 651-292-4381.
- TCDeaf.com
- An online guide to the Deaf community in the Twin Cities of Minneapolis & Saint Paul, Minnesota - News, Events, Jobs, Community Ads, and other links to the signing community - Churches, Deaf and Hard of Hearing Services (DHHS), Minnesota Association of Deaf Citizens, etc.
- Telephone Equipment Distribution
- This program gives telephone equipment to people who are hard of hearing, deaf, or have a speech or mobility impairment.
- Upstream Arts, Inc.
- The mission of Upstream Arts is to enhance the lives of youth with disabilities by promoting social and vocational independence through the power of arts education.
- VSA Headquarters, Washington D.C.
- VSA is an International organization that creates learning opportunities through the arts for people with disabilities.
- We-R-Artists
- These artists with disabilities meet regularly to offer each other support, share current projects (artwork, writing, music, etc.), meet other artists, and network on marketing, sales and other art connections. Monthly meetings are generally held the 4th Wednesday of the month from 5:00 PM - 7:00 PM at Paramount Visual Arts Center (downstairs of the Paramount Theatre, 913 W. St. Germain Street, St. Cloud, MN 56301. Enter Paramount’s back door (near Taco John’s). Paramount parking ramp and street parking are FREE after 6 PM. For more information: Stacey O’Connell, 320-420-8124, stacey12oconnell@gmail.com or Sharon Pfau, 320-230-9412, polarts56@hotmail.com.
- Writing & Publishing Resources
- VSA Minnesota has collected Writing & Publishing Resources, which includes a selected list of books on writing, publishers (primarily Minnesota or disability/arts-related), arts publications, literary organizations, Minnesota bookstores, and other writing resources and links. While resources for writers are found many places, a particularly good selection is at The Loft Literary Center.
Artists' Pipeline Issues
Arts opportunities for or related to people with disabilities.
- #50 - November 8, 2005.
- #49 - September 15, 2005.
- #48 - May 20, 2005.
- #47 - April 11, 2005.
- #46 - March 3, 2005.
- #45 - January 2005.
- #38 - September 10, 2002.
- #37 - August 20, 2002.
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- #35 - July 2002.
- #34 - February 2002.
- #33 - January 23, 2002.
