Community Access to the Arts: redefining disability

Grants Awarded to CATA

July 25, 2006

Community Access to the Arts has recently received two grants. The Berkshire Life Charitable Foundation presented CATA with an award of $8,200 to support its four performing arts companies. CATA’s weekly performing arts workshops and companies annually offer close to 100 CATA participants a unique opportunity to explore their creativity and abilities, as well as showcasing these talents to the community at large through performances and exhibitions. Based in Pittsfield, MA, The Berkshire Life Charitable Foundation is the charitable branch of the Berkshire Life Insurance Company and supports programs that provide services to Berkshire County residents with disabilities.

VSA Massachusetts awarded CATA $2,500 for an artist-in-residence program for the summer of 2007. Gordon Sasaki, a New York based artist, whose artistic and teaching methods use a multi-sensory approach to address concepts of diversity and inclusion will come to CATA for a week long residency program that will include workshops, collaborative projects, in-service talks, studio time, and will culminate in a public show and lecture. VSA Massachusetts is a Boston based organization that serves individuals with disabilities by creating opportunities for participation in the arts and integration into the cultural and educational mainstream of our communities.

CATA Presents Annual Art Exhibition – I Am A Part of Art

July 5, 2006

Community Access to the Arts (CATA) is pleased to announce an upcoming art show at their gallery at 40 Railroad Street in Great Barrington, MA. Paintings, collages, and three-dimensional works, arranged by guest curators Joan Griswold and Geoff Young, will present a feast for the eyes and soul. The show will feature pieces created by CATA participants during the 2005-2006 program year under the supervision of CATA Faculty Artists: Karen Arp-Sandel, Cynthia Atwood, Barbara Beach, Susie Hardcastle, Pat Hogan, Leslie Klein, Marlene Marshall, Caitlin Nash, Senta Reis, Janice Shields, and Michael Wolski.

The opening reception for the show will take place on Saturday, August 19, from 5-7pm. There will be a poetry reading at 5:30 with poems written and read by CATA participants and guest readers, including poets Michelle Gillett, Carol Stroll, Emily Rechnitz, and Geoff Young, writer Maria Sirois, artist Joan Griswold, and television, film, and theater actor, Sally-Jane Heit. The show will be on display from August 19 through September 15. The gallery is open weekdays from 9-5 and on weekends by special appointment.

CATA to Serve on Annual Brain Injury Association Conference Panel

June 15, 2006

Dawn Lane and Sandra Newman of Community Access to the Arts (CATA), Katie Gleason of Providence Care and Berkshire Place, and John Whalan of Black Ice Entertainment will present the film Too Much To Stop and serve on a panel at the Brain Injury Association of Pennsylvania’s (BIAPA) 6th annual conference: “Taking an Active Role: Maximizing Opportunities for Quality of Life.” The group will be discussing their roles in the collaboration documented in the film. John Whalan’s documentary film, Too Much to Stop, is a tribute to one woman’s intrepid quest to maintain the quality of her life in the face of a devastating disability.

This is the story of Marisa Yudkin, a professional dancer who was stricken with Huntington’s Disease, an irreversible neurological disorder that causes progressive paralysis. As Marisa’s condition worsened and her need for care increased, she decided to enter a rehabilitation facility. But despite her many challenges, she remained committed to herself as an artist and to the essence of her life as a dancer who wanted to continue to dance. Occupational Therapist, Katie Gleason sought to bring Marisa Yudkin together with a choreographer who could help her realize her dreams, and she enlisted the help of Dawn Lane, an extraordinary dancer and choreographer, and the Program Director at Community Access to the Arts. Under the leadership of Executive Director, Sandra Newman, the mission of CATA is to “lesson the stigma of difference and disability through shared experiences in the visual and performing arts.” CATA brings individuals with disabilities together with some of the finest talents in the rich Berkshire arts scene.

Marisa joined forces with Dawn and together, they crafted a dance piece that incorporates the movements inherent in Marisa’s disability into a brilliant work that was finally performed before a rapt audience at Jacob’s Pillow. The title Too Much To Stop is from an interview where Marisa explains how she continues to dance in the face of this debilitating illness. She says, ‘I love dancing too much to stop.’ Through interviews and performances we get to know Dawn and Marisa for their joy, humor and the artistic daring that brought them together. The documentary ends with the dance “Moving Chronicle” shot at Jacobs Pillow Dance Festival.

On one level, this is surely a film about courage, persistence, compensatory strategies and the unwillingness to go quietly in the shadows of deep personal struggle. But on another level, it is the story of a loving relationship between two women and about how a caring relationship helped transform both of them and ultimately produced a work that transcended each of their individual abilities into something unique that would have been unimaginable without their union.

To date, the film has been screened at the Triplex Cinema in Great Barrington, Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival in Becket, MA, Moving Images Film Festival in Williamstown, MA, the Guthrie Center in Great Barrington, MA, and at the Berkshire Museum in Pittsfield, MA. The BIAPA conference will take place in Harrisburg, PA on June 25th and June 26th. For more information about BIAPA please call 717-657-3601 or contact the Brain Injury Resource Line at 866-635-7097.

CATA Receives “Outstanding Community Arts Collaborative” Award from Massachusetts Alliance for Arts Education

June 10, 2006

On June 8 Sandra Newman accepted the award for Outstanding Community Arts Collaborative on behalf of Community Access to the Arts (CATA) in the Great Hall of the Massachusetts State House. CATA was founded by Ms. Newman in 1993 with a vision of a world where difference could be cause for celebration and creative energy could fuel both personal and community transformation. CATA is a unique collaboration with the schools, individuals with disabilities, senior citizens, and the art community. Programs take place in therapeutic, eldercare, educational, community, and cultural settings. CATA has a partnership with Berkshire Hills Regional School District and has joined with Monument Valley Middle School in a Massachusetts Cultural Council Creative Schools Project.

CATA excels at providing opportunities for everyone to express themselves artistically through a large array of collaborative projects in the southern Berkshire community. State Representative from the 4th Berkshire District, Smitty Pignatelli, nominated CATA for the award and wrote, “Since 1993 CATA has touched the lives of hundreds of people by lessening the stigma of difference and disability by providing shared experiences in the visual and performing arts.” Clearly, CATA is breaking barriers between people and the arts. By making the arts accessible to all, CATA has built a vibrant cultural community.

The Massachusetts Alliance for Arts Education (MAAE) is a statewide membership organization dedicated to promoting high quality arts education for all K to 12 students. They celebrate outstanding arts educators through annual awards and disseminate information about arts education issues and resources throughout the Commonwealth. MAAE educates about, advocates for, and supports the importance of lifelong learning in and through the arts by building an alliance and creating a network among individuals, organizations, and institutions. MAAE is a member of the Kennedy Center alliance for Arts Education Network, a national coalition of 45 nonprofit state alliance organizations that support policies, practices, and partnerships to ensure the arts are woven into the very fiber of American Education.

Other 2006 Champions of Arts Education Award recipients were: Representative Patricia A. Haddad and State Representative Steven M. Walsh for Legislative Leadership, Elaine Herg Sisler from Arts in Motion for Arts Educator of Dance, Rosemarie Richard from Harwich High School for Arts Educator of Music, Byam Stevens of The Miniature Theatre of Chester for Arts Educator of Theater, Cara Bertman of Carver High School for Arts Educator of Visual Arts, Dorothy Gould of Hopkinton High School for School of Excellence, Anne McKenzie of West Springfield High School for Excellence in School Administration, and Mary Koch of Hanover Middle School for Outstanding Parent Advocate. Margaret McKenna, president of Lesley University, gave the Keynote Address.

CATA Presents Annual Gala & Performance – Cirque Oh So CATA

April 12, 2006

The participants, faculty artists, board, and staff of Community Access to the Arts (CATA) invite you to celebrate the 2005-2006 programming year at their 11th annual gala performance weekend at Shakespeare and Company’s Founders’ Theater in Lenox, MA. The 75-minute show will be performed on Friday, May 12 at 7:30pm and on Saturday, May 13 at 1pm. This year’s theme is the circus and Ringmaster Roger Reed will lead CATA performers through Shakespearean Feats, Flying Tap Shoes, and a Sizzling Samba accompanied by the CATA Kazoo Band. Also performing will be the Valleyhead Chorus and the Walker Street Ensemble directed by Vikki True. “We were drawn to the circus by its rich history,” says Program Director Dawn Lane. “It’s always been a venue that included everyone with a wide range of unique and special talents.” Cirque Oh So CATA, the culmination of over 1,200 workshops held across Berkshire County since September, celebrates the talent, color, joy, and humor of the spectacular 2005-2006 program year at CATA.

CATA’s Moving Company will perform “Batucata,” a colorful and energetic variation of Samba directed by Dawn Lane and with guest dancers Lorimer Burns, Jane Goodrich, and Olivia Wilbur. The performance will also feature the debut performance of “The Murmurs,” a tap dance ensemble under the direction of Stefanie Weber. The Shakespeare’s Players will perform “The Beasts of Shakespeare” and “House of Mirrors,” staged by Diane Prusha and Barby Cardillo.

CATA is a non-profit arts organization that was founded by Sandra Newman in 1993. CATA seeks to lessen the stigma of difference and disability through shared experiences in the visual and performing arts and to enhance public awareness about the valuable contribution all individuals play in their community. CATA programs include visual and performing arts workshops, three performing arts companies, and an art cart program that brings art, storytelling, and music to nursing home residents.

Tickets for the Friday Gala are available at $150 per person and include dinner, the performance and post-performance dessert party; tickets at $95 per person include the performance and dessert party only. Advance reservations are required for the dinner, and are encouraged for the performance and dessert party. The Saturday event is at 1pm and is suitable for all ages. Tickets will be available at the door. A $30 donation per ticket is suggested for the Saturday performance and children 12 and under are free. Both performances will be ASL interpreted by Trudy Gilbert. Before and after the show guests will have the opportunity to view and purchase items from the new CATAdirect collection – a creative employment program operated by CATA which produces handbags, jewelry, and home furnishings. Sets for the show were designed and constructed by CATA participants at IS 183 under the direction of CATA Faculty Artists Susie Hardcastle and Caitlin Nash, and a limited collection of additional pieces from the workshops will be on display in the lobby.

CATA Exhibition at IS183 Art School

March 17, 2006

IS183 is proud to announce an exhibition of work from CATA participants created during their fall 2005 studio class, on view from March 30 through April 28. Please join us for an opening reception on Thursday, March 30 from 5 to 7pm, to celebrate this inspiring work and the longtime collaboration between these organizations. Located half-way between Great Barrington and Pittsfield in the Interlaken village of Stockbridge, IS183 Art School offers year-round programs in ceramics, painting, drawing, fiber arts, sculpture, mixed media and more for children, teens and adults. CATA is a non-profit arts organization that uses the arts as a common ground to connect traditionally marginalized populations with the community-at-large. Over twelve years, the program has grown from an original weaving workshop for 12 individuals with disabilities to the current level of 1,200 workshops annually actively involving hundreds of individuals from across the county.