Community Access to the Arts: redefining disability

For Release
January 6, 2012
Contact: Liana Toscanini/Development & Marketing Director
(413) 528-5485

Gt. Barrington – Community Access to the Arts (CATA), the Great Barrington-based nonprofit that serves over 500 people with disabilities in Berkshire County, announced a number of grant awards from local and national foundations.

Berkshire Gas will be a major sponsor of CATA’s Annual Performance in May at Founders’ Theatre in Lenox. This event is attended by over 600 people and represents the culmination of hundreds of performing arts workshops held throughout the year in CATA’s studio on Railroad Street and in settings throughout the county.

Greylock Federal Credit Union and the Dr. Robert C. & Tina Sohn Foundation sponsored the creation of “Yogabilities,” an instructional Yoga DVD made by Paula Boyajian for people with disabilities. The Sohn Foundation is generously underwriting CATA’s annual art show & poetry reading as well.

CVS Caremark awarded a community grant for CATA’s school programs while the John A. Sellon Charitable Residual Trust and The Green Foundation made gifts for general operating support, a valuable source of income that gives non-profit organizations the flexibility to innovate and direct spending where needed.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 17, 2011
Contact: Liana Toscanini
(413) 528-5485
Digital images available

Gt. Barrington – This holiday season you can shop local and support a non-profit organization that provides arts workshops to over 500 people with disabilities in Berkshire County. Community Access to the Arts (CATA) is having its annual holiday sale on Wednesday, December 7 from 10:30 A.M. to 4:00 P.M. The sale takes place at Berkshire South Community Center in Great Barrington.

Products created in the organization’s crafts cooperative, called CATAdirect, include handmade ornament cards, boxed holiday cards, paper mache ornaments, jewelry, and ceramic tile magnets featuring artwork created in CATA’s many visual arts workshops. Participants with disabilities work with community volunteers to produce these unique handcrafted items, receiving a commission on products sold.

CATA also produces customized holiday cards and calendar cards for businesses and professionals. Card samples and all products are available for viewing and purchasing Monday through Friday 9am-5pm in the CATA Boutique at 40 Railroad Street, 2nd Floor. For more information or to purchase products online, visit www.communityaccesstothearts.org.

FOR RELEASE
September 12,2011
Contact: Liana Toscanini
(413) 528-5485
Digital images available

PAINTERS WITH DISABILITIES TO EXHIBIT AT LICHTENSTEIN
Creative vision is realized through innovative technique
Community Access to the Arts (CATA) will exhibit a collection of paintings by people with disabilities at The Lichtenstein Center for the Arts in Pittsfield from October 12 through October 15. An artist reception will take place Friday, October 14 from 4pm-6pm.

A.R.T. (Artistic Realization Technologies) is an adaptive painting technique developed by artist, Tim Lefens. This innovative process allows individuals with severe physical disabilities to precisely execute their creative vision with the help of a tracker acting as the hands of the artist. CATA faculty trained as trackers through a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts.

CATA nurtures and celebrates the creativity of people with disabilities through shared experiences in the visual and performing arts. For more information, visit www.communityaccesstothearts.org

FOR RELEASE
July 13, 2011
Contact: Liana Toscanini
(413) 528-5485
Digital images available

GREAT BARRINGTON – In cooperation with Jacob’s Pillow Community Dance Programs and Community Access to the Arts, choreographer Dawn Lane presents “one potato, two potato,” a movement event that will premier at the Doris Duke Theatre at Jacob’s Pillow on September 2nd at 8PM and September 3rd at 2pm and 8pm.

In 2010, Lane was awarded a Massachusetts Cultural Council Fellowship in Choreography and a Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival Creative Development Residency. Lane, who is also CATA’s Program and Artistic Director, notes “It was a milestone year for me…the residency provide time and space for movement research with a great cast of local dancers, and the fellowship made it possible for my dancers to be paid for their time.”

“one potato, two potato” draws on aspects of Irish culture & history (i.e. knitting, the famine and Irish dance) as a metaphor for examining perceptions of excess, wastefulness, having enough, or nothing. The cast includes Lorimer Burns, Jane Goodrich, Dawn Lane, Bettina Montano, Leslie Nelson, and Diane Prusha, as well as dancers of mixed abilities from CATA’s Moving Company.

The work also includes still photography of Ireland by Great Barrington photographer, Elaine Radiss, and special effects video of The Famine Road in County Clare, Ireland shot by Lane and digitally composited by John Whalan of Black Ice Entertainment.

CATA advocates for inclusion of people with disabilities in the arts and hopes to reach new audiences in cooperation with Jacob’s Pillow Community Dance Programs. Together, these two highly regarded organizations promote increased participation in the arts to a wider community.

Tickets for “one potato, two potato” are $25 and are available online at www.communityaccesstothearts.org or by calling CATA at (413) 528-5485.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 13, 2011
Contact: Liana Toscanini
(413) 528-5485
Digital images available

Community Access to the Arts (CATA) presents “Going Places,” the organization’s annual performance and gala fundraiser on Saturday, May 14 at 6 p.m. A matinee performance is scheduled for 1pm on Sunday, May 15. Both performances take place at Shakespeare & Company’s Founders’ Theatre in Lenox, MA. Tickets for the Saturday evening gala are $125. Matinee tickets are $20 for adults, $5 for children 12 and under.

Now in its 18th year, CATA provides hundreds of performing arts workshops to people with disabilities throughout Berkshire County culminating in a showcase of original works in theatre, drumming, dance, juggling, and singing. “The theme, “Going Places,” isn’t as much about the destination as about the journey,” said Dawn Lane, Program and Artistic Director. Led by CATA faculty artists Barby Cardillo, Dawn Lane, Diane Prusha, Roger Reed, JoAnne Spies, Vikki True, Stefanie Weber, and Michael Wolski, adults with disabilities share their talents with an audience of 700 annually. Additionally, CATA will premier a 90-second public service announcement underwritten by George Minkoff. The set was designed by Susie Hardcastle with CATA participants and volunteers, and features recycled roadmaps donated by the community.

CATA’s gala weekend is the organization’s largest fundraising effort, and a celebration of the creativity of people with disabilities. “We look forward to our community traveling with us on this joyous weekend, “ said Founder and Executive Director, Sandy Newman. Underwriting support of the “Going Places” performance weekend comes from Emily Rechnitz & John Paladino, and Liz & Mark Williams. Additional sponsors include Berkshire Mountain Distillers, Domaney’s Liquors & Fine Wine, Janet & Bart Elsbach, Lola Jaffe, Nancy Kalodner, Rhee Kasky & Bill Cohn, Kwik Print, Inc., Beth Maher, Betsy & David McKearnan, Kate & Joel Millonzi, Elaine & Bernard Roberts, Ben & Elaine Silberstein, Marjorie Yudkin & Randy Tiffany, Joyce Linde, and Anne & Ernest Schnessel.

For more information, visit www.communityaccesstothearts.org. To purchase tickets, call (413) 528-5485.

BACKGROUND INFORMATION

Founded by Sandra Newman in 1993, Community Access to the Arts is a non-profit organization based in Great Barrington that nurtures and celebrates the creativity of over 600 adults with disabilities in Berkshire County. CATA employs over 20 faculty artists who lead 1,000 individual arts workshops annually in 30 therapeutic settings and in our own studio on Railroad Street.

Each year, CATA’s Program and Artistic Director, Dawn Lane, establishes a theme that provides a common thread from which varied interpretations arise. “Going Places” is about allowing the unexpected, taking the scenic route vs. the most direct….focusing more on the going than the arrival, taking a detour just for the sake of it.

The essence of CATA’s work is simple: Meet people where they’re at and go someplace with them…what better vehicle than the arts?

“GOING PLACES”

Participants and faculty, crooners and choreographers, drummers and dancers, actors and artists have traveled all sorts of twists and turns in the road to the May 14 & 15 performances, and the resulting evening will delight and inspire. Set designer Susie Hardcastle has led our participants in building a set from recycled road maps donated by friends of CATA. Vikki True is traveling inwards with dozens of participants, using percussion to evoke our personal rhythms. Drawing upon CATA’s Shakespeare repertory, Barby Cardillo and Diane Prusha will lead the Players through the seven stages of man, in an excerpt from As you Like It. Tap instructor Stefanie Weber is teaching the Shim Sham, a universal series of steps that, through technology, will connect CATA participants with shim-shammers around the globe. Singer/songwriter JoAnne Spies, who travels with the Art Cart to elder care facilities, will sing the unusual stories of the seniors she visits every week. Dawn Lane and The Moving Company are creating “Melting Pot,” a dance piece that explores fleeing, relocation and belonging. Michael Wolski and friends are exploring the places we go when we are daydreaming.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 13, 2011
Contact: Liana Toscanini
(413) 528-5485
Digital images available

Community Access to the Arts (CATA) offers a collection of Valentines cards handcrafted by people with disabilities. Proceeds from the sale of the cards help fund CATAdirect, the organization’s Crafts Cooperative. In this unique program, participating artists with disabilities earn commission and design fees for images used.

CATA uses mostly recycled materials donated by members of the community. One-of-a-kind collage cards are $3 while printed cards are available in packs of ten for $15. Because they are blank inside, heart cards can be given all year round.

Cards are available in CATA’s boutique on the 2nd floor of 40 Railroad Street and online. For more information, call (413) 528-5485.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 22, 2010
Contact: Liana Toscanini
(413) 528-5485
Digital images available

This holiday season you can shop local and support a non-profit organization that provides arts workshops to 600 people with disabilities in Berkshire County. Community Access to the Arts (CATA) is having its annual holiday sale on Saturday, December 4th from Noon to 4 P.M. The sale takes place in CATA’s studio gallery at the top of Railroad Street.

Products created in the organization’s crafts cooperative, CATAdirect, include handmade cards, boxed holiday cards, jewelry, tote bags, and felted accessories. Participants with disabilities work with community volunteers to produce handcrafted items, receiving a commission on products sold.

CATA also produces customized holiday cards and calendar cards for businesses and professionals. Card samples and all products are available for viewing and purchasing Monday through Friday 9am-5pm in the CATA Boutique at 40 Railroad Street, 2nd Floor.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 25, 2010
Contact: Liana Toscanini
(413) 528-5485
Digital images available

The Board of Directors of Community Access to the Arts (CATA) has elected John J. Whalan of West Stockbridge to serve as its new president. CATA provides visual and performing arts opportunities for 600 area residents with disabilities.

Whalan is the founder and president of Black Ice Entertainment, a Great Barrington-based media development and production company. He has served on CATA’s board for 10 years.

Whalan said, “CATA is one of the finest organizations in Berkshire County. Under the leadership of Sandy Newman, a team of generous professional staff and artists nurture and celebrate the idea that everyone should be recognized for their unique talents. I hope to build on the successes of my predecessors, Janet Elsbach and Ben Silberstein, to further strengthen the support that has allowed CATA, its participants and clients to continue to flourish.”

CATA also announces the appointment of Adrienne Brown to a newly created position of program coordinator for Berkshire County. An educator with a background in art and experience working with people with disabilities, Adrienne will oversee day-to-day operation of CATA’s arts workshops. In addition, Katie Clarke has been promoted to administrative director. Maria Mazzocco, formerly a North County staff member, now holds the countywide post of assistant program coordinator.

Founder and executive director, Sandra Newman, said, “I am very grateful that John Whalan will continue the strong leadership that CATA has been fortunate to have throughout our 18 years of programs in the Berkshires. His deep understanding of our work has helped us to enhance our wonderful staff to meet our current growth.”

CATA is headquartered on Railroad Street in Great Barrington and has an operating budget of $600,000. The organization collaborates with 29 different health and human service organizations to offer 1,000 individual workshops annually in the visual and performing arts. For more information, images, videos, and shopping opportunities, visit www.communityaccesstotheARTS.org.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 16, 2010
Contact: Liana Toscanini
(413) 528-5485
Digital images available

Community Access to the Arts (CATA) will be exhibiting at the New Marlborough Meeting House Gallery on Saturday, November 13 with a reception from 4pm-6pm.

Paintings and drawings from CATA’s “Sticks & Stones” themed year will be on display featuring artists with disabilities who participate in CATA’s visual arts workshops throughout the year. Pieces from CATA’s set design workshop led by New Marlborough resident and CATA faculty artist, Susie Hardcastle, will be exhibited as well. All paintings are for sale with participant artists earning 50% commission. Products from CATA’s crafts cooperative will also be available for sale.

The historic New Marlborough Meeting House is located on Route 57 in the center of New Marlborough next to The Old Inn on the Green. The gallery is wheelchair accessible. This event is free and open to the public and is sponsored by Rhee Kasky, Bill Cohn, and a grant from the New Marlborough Cultural Council, a local agency supported by the Massachusetts Cultural Council, a state agency. For more information call (413) 528-5485.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 13, 2010
Contact: Liana Toscanini
(413) 528-5485
Digital images available

Community Access to the Arts (CATA) will be exhibiting at the Sandisfield Arts Center from October 16 through mid December. An opening reception will be held Saturday, October 16 from 3pm-5pm.

Paintings and drawings from CATA’s “Sticks & Stones” themed year will be on display featuring artists with disabilities who participate in CATA’s visual arts workshops throughout the year. CATA faculty artist, Pat Hogan, curated and the show and will be present at the reception for those who want to learn more about CATA’s visual arts programs. All paintings are for sale with participant artists earning 50% commission. Products from CATA’s crafts collection will also be available for sale.

The Sandisfield Arts Center is housed in a National Register historic building on Hammertown Road off Route 57 in Sandisfield. For directions, visit www.sandisfieldartscenter.org.