Free Money for VSA--Just Sign Up!

eScrip is a way that you can raise mony for VSA without it costing you ANY money and only five minutes of extra time! By signing up for eScrip, when you use your credit or debit card at participating establishments (which include hundreds of stores and restaurants including One Trick Pony, Mangiamo!, and Forest Hills Foods), a portion of what you spend will go towards supporting VSA.

Please take five minutes to sign-up for eScrip and support VSA nearly effortlessly. To sign up, go to http://www.escrip.com/ and follow these simple directions.

1. Click on “Members/Supporters” on the upper left hand corner
2. Click on “Sign Up Now” under the section titled, “We make it easier to keep you informed!”
3. Under “Group Name” type in VSA arts or type in the Group ID number 500018635 and click on the “Select” button
4. When the next page comes up, click VSA arts of Michigan-Grand Rapids
5. Proceed to fill out requested information and you are done.

Thank you for supporting VSA in this way!

Hope Network Residency

Monday concluded a ten week summer art residency with 15 Hope Network clients.

Artist, Vickie Marnich Reynolds presented these gifted artists with unique projects each week: constructing tack boards, creating shell creatures, and designing beautiful mosaic tiles. By the end of the 10 weeks, it was evident that each participant had found their own creative voice and the created pieces were truly inspired.

Thanks to all our Hope Network participants, helpers, and VSA volunteers. You will all be missed!

Session 2 of Summer Camp: Photo Journal

Another great week of Summer Camp concluded today. Thanks to Ms. Rashewsky's class and Alex (and Wendy, his mom) for journeying downtown this week and being amazingly enthusiastic about each and every project!
Student craft-favorites included photography, toilet paper birds, tack boards, and sun prints.
See our facebook page for even more pictures from the week!

Family Fun Night: Frederik Meijer Gardens

Last night, despite the torrential downpour, we had many families come to Frederik Meijer Gardens for VSA's Annual Family Fun Night. Families bird-watched in the indoor gardens, learned about the Chihuly sculpture, built Calder-like mobiles and much more.

Thank you to all the families and volunteers who braved the weather and came out for a night of family fun!

Session 1 of Summer Camp Concludes

Today we said goodbye to the students and volunteers from session 1 of VSA Summer Camp. After four days of creating sunprints, cutting out giant flowers, taking beautiful photographs, and piecing together tissue paper collages while laughing and enjoying the beautiful weather, it was a sad goodbye.

Thanks to all of you students who made it such a great week and thanks to Hannah and Heather for being such WONDERFUL volunteers!

Check out part of the garden they created with their giant flowers (above)as well as some of the beautiful photographs taken by the students of downtown Grand Rapids (below).

Summer Art Camp Begins

Summer art camp is in full swing this week and next. Our students this week will be partaking in a variety of activities. I have had the privilege of working with six year old Ryan. Ryan is always moving and is an adventurous little boy. He participates in all of the art activities, but like any little boy he is ready to move and run after five minutes of sitting. Normally his interest fades quickly, but not today when the parachute came out. The parachute is a large tarp with bright colors and handles around the sides. For the first time Ryan was not the first person to leave the game. His ear to ear smile and participation in the parachute games was a very pleasant surprise. As he participated you could see his eyes moving around to the different colors and students, could hear his laughter, and could sense his true joy and delight. Today was yet another exciting and eventful day. =] Very much looking forward to the rest of the week and next week.


~ Sarah


Sun Prints Instructions...


Painting Rocks

American Recovery & Reinvestment Act Grant Awarded to VSA

Last Friday, the Michigan Council for Arts and Cultural Affairs met to discuss and pass their funding plan for the nearly $440,000 in federal stimulus money it received from the National Endowment for the Arts and Arts Midwest through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. The council received 122 applications from current grantees requesting nearly $1.5 million to help protect 756 jobs throughout Michigan. Due to the limited amount of funds available the council was only able to fund around a fifth of the applications it received, helping to protect 142 jobs.

VSA was one of thirty organizations to receive an ARRA grant last week. This grant of $6,250 will be used to help fund VSA's Program Director position, which is vital to our sixteen programs and operations. We are truly grateful for the faith and support of the Michigan Council for Arts and Cultural Affairs and to our community for recognizing the value of the work that we do.