LETTERS: ARTS FOR ALL NEEDS VOLUNTEERS

To the editor:

On Saturday, May 2, there will be an Arts for All program at the A.C. Brase Arena Building in Cape Girardeau. The program is being put on by the Arts Council of Southeast Missouri, SEMO Alliance for Disability Independence and the Cape Girardeau Parks and Recreation Department. This is a first of its kind in Missouri, because it is an inclusive arts program where children or adults of all ages, both disabled and nondisabled, can participate in all art activities.

Dwayne Szot, the creator and founder of the Minneapolis-based Arts for All program, will be the facilitator-trainer for this event. He travels throughout the Midwest using big tools and even bigger canvases. His high energy and charismatic personality make this program both stimulating and fun. The first half of the day will be training volunteer participants to set up the program for an afternoon of creative expression. The tools used are one-of-a-kind products that offer individuals of all challenges the opportunity for creative expression through arts and mobility. Art tools have been designed so participants with limited movement or lack of fine motor skills can be successful in using what mobility they have to create, paint, draw, print and more. It incorporates the use of one's wheelchair, walker, legs or arms as part of the artistic tool. Individuals will roll out paint or draw with chalk, all the while working on mobility skills and coordination.

We would like to invite area agency personnel, educators, therapists and parents to become volunteer participant trainers for this colorful event. More information may be obtained by calling the Arts Council office at 334-9233 or SADI at 651-6464.

The human need for creative expression is a primary need, necessary for self-fulfillment and building self-esteem. For individuals with disabilities, art is an activity in which they can excel, given the opportunity and alternative art tools. Just as food and shelter are basic needs, so is the need for human expression.

This program would not have been possible without the following sponsors, and we would like to take this opportunity to thank them publicly for their support: Missouri Arts Council, Southeast Missouri Hospital, St. Francis Medical Center and the Cape Girardeau County Medical Society Alliance.

Please make a point to come and experience for yourself the wonderful world of Arts for All.

GREGG JONES, Executive Director

Arts Council of Southeast Missouri

MIKI GUDERMUTH, Executive Director

SEMO Alliance for Disability Independence

Cape Girardeau