VSA arts Start with the Arts Family Festival June 5, 2006

VSA arts Start with the Arts Family Festival
Month-long celebration of the arts

VSA arts encourages families to participate in its second annual Start with the Arts Family Festival in Washington, D.C., in June. The free festival is a month-long celebration of the arts featuring artists with disabilities of all ages, focusing on two days of activities at Union Station, June 9-10.

The festival opens on June 5 with two art exhibits. ?A View From My Window,? featuring art by children with disabilities, grades K-12, will be on display at Union Station through June 25. ?Transformation,? an international juried exhibition by artists with disabilities, ages 22 and older, will debut at the Kennedy Center Terrace Gallery, June 5-29. The exhibition will include 75 original works of art that illustrate personal experience with disability, learning, and self-discovery. ?Transformation? will feature a large sculpture by renowned artist Mark di Suvero on the grounds of the Kennedy Center.

On June 6, the first of two jazz concerts will take place as part of the festival. The Matt Savage Trio will perform at the Kennedy Center Millennium Stage at 6:00 p.m. June 8, The Matt Savage Trio, and African Drum Ensemble Tokounou will perform a concert in the park at Farragut Square, noon until 2:00 p.m.

Come to Union Station for two days of live stage performances, Celebrity Story Hour, art activities, a disability book fair, and much more on June 9 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and on June 10 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

The Start with the Arts Family Festival will give children of all ages interactive arts experiences in drawing, theater, dance, and music. Visit www.vsarts.org for performance schedule and more information.

About VSA arts
VSA arts is an international nonprofit organization founded in 1974 by Ambassador Jean Kennedy Smith to create a society where all people with disabilities learn through, participate in and enjoy the arts. VSA arts provides educators, parents, and artists with resources and the tools to support arts programming in schools and communities. VSA arts showcases the accomplishments of artists with disabilities and promotes increased access to the arts for people with disabilities. Each year millions of people participate in VSA arts programs through a nationwide network of affiliates and in more than 60 countries around the world. VSA arts is an affiliate of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.

Official Website: http://www.vsarts.org