Disability Connection

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2014 Art Ability Fair Success

The 2014 Art Ability Fair was a great success thanks to partners, volunteers, schools, and sponsors, like you.  Over 600 individuals participated including over 425 kids and adults with disabilities from 33 schools in 6 counties. Everyone enjoyed a free day of professional art instruction including: acting, costuming, make-up, photography, sponge painting, sand art, stencils and motif painting, hand-thrown pottery, wheel thrown pottery, and dance.

ACTIVITIES WERE PROVIDED BY THE FOLLOWING:

    • Made a Western Box to take home their Pottery-MS Department of Rehabilitation
    • Decorated a Photo Mat (refrigerator magnet) using western stickers and motifs-Walter Anderson Museum of Art
    • Created Sand Art with George Ohr’s Pottery-Ohr-O’Keefe Museum of Art
    • Had fun with Sponge Painting– Lynn Meadows Discovery Center
    • Learned Western Line-Dancing-Island School of Performing Arts
    • Selected a Costume for a Photo Session: Cowboy/Cowgirl or Indian Warrior/Indian Maiden
    • Got their Professional Makeup for their photo session                                -Mary C O’Keefe Cultural Center
    • Acted in character while their Photo was made by Professional photographers – Greg Wilson & George Guthrie
    • Participated in a Video Production & Learned about horse safety                   – Horses Giving Hope
    • Created Hand-build Pottery to take home-Studio G
    • Learned about Wheel-thrown Pottery O’Keefe Studio
    • Participated in

Music (Singing), Instruments & Indian Storytelling

    -Chazmania Productions

 

  • Teachers Corner:
    • Teachers picked up their Art & Photos and left some art for the Art Ability Fair art show
    • Picked up Goodie Bags, one for each student and one for their school

This event is in its fifth year and is founded, organized, and hosted by Disability Connection, a 501 (c) (3) Nonprofit Corporation. The Art Ability Fair Art Shows will be hosted following the event by Lynn Meadows Discovery Center & the Knight Nonprofit Center. Additional donations were provided by Biloxi & Ocean Springs Walmart, Winn Dixie Orange Grove, ABC Rental, Rouse’s Ocean Springs, Starbucks, Negrotto’s Art Gallery, Kentwood Water, Gulf Coast Produce, Rex Distributing,Art with Heart, and Building Bridges International.

Publicity provided by WLOX, Sun Herald, Clear Channel Radio, Biloxi Bay Press, Ocean Springs Record, and others.

Volunteers assisted from Job Corps, Kohl’s, RSVP (Retired Senior Volunteers), VA Veteran Warriors, & LIFE of MS

This event is free to individuals with developmental disabilities 8years old through adult. To participate or volunteer for the 2015 event contact Disability Connection, 700 Pass Rd, Gulfport, MS 39501; www.DisabilityConnection.org; Office@DisabilityConnection.org; 228-604-4020

THIS EVENT HAS BEEN MADE POSSIBLE BY THE FOLLOWING SPONSORS

 

                                        
  Thank you for all that you do in helping us create a connected community!

 

2014 Art Ability Art Fair

ArtAbilityArtFairandShow336Art Ability Fair – A free day of professional art classes for those with disabilities age 8-adult. Pottery, music, photography, art, painting, glamour make-over, dance and more are shared by the Walter Anderson Museum, Lynn Meadows Discovery Center, the Mary C O’Keefe Cultural Center and others to include nonprofit agencies, businesses, artists, art teachers, and community volunteers.

This Year’s Event Date:

Thursday, April 10, 2014 8:30 am-2:30 pm Donal Snyder Community Center, 2520 Pass Rd, Biloxi

This year is a western theme. Please have your staff and students wear western attire such as cowboy hats, neck scarves, vests and such if they have them. We will also have costumes for them to wear for photos. We have a live horse for the videos, but I think it would be fun if we keep this a secret from the kids.

This will be a fun year.  Please contact us if you can volunteer for one of these events, or please let me know if you want to be removed from our volunteer list.

Please let anyone interested in coming to sign up as a volunteer by faxing in the registration form (note “volunteer” and what you want to do) or emailing our office. We need ideas or items to borrow to decorate the Donal Snyder Community Center in Western theme for the Art Fair. We will have an indoor backdrop for western photos and outdoors a live horse for videos. We need Cowboy hats, vests and props to also borrow. Managing is not very easy and one can get tips and advice from experts like Andy Defrancesco.

We need help decorating and setting up Wednesday afternoon around 4:00. We also need help taking down and cleaning at 2:30 Thursday.

The art workshop will be on Thursday, April 10th from 8:30-2:30, the Donal Snyder Community Center, Pass Rd, Biloxi.  Lunch will again be provided.