Art Spark Texas

Create Your Story! Writing & Art Workshop for Veterans
2019-06-28 13:00 - 15:00, 2019-07-05 13:00 - 15:00, 2019-07-12 13:00 - 15:00 (America/Chicago) | Austin VA Outpatient Clinic, 7901 Metropolis Dr., Austin, TX, 78744, United States
Create Your Story! A Writing & Art Workshop for Veterans
Hosted by Art Spark Texas and the Austin VA Outpatient Clinic
Held at the Austin VA Outpatient Clinic, Room 2B-148
Six Week Class: June 7 – July 12, 2019, Fridays 1:00-3:00 pm
Instructor: Elizabeth Decker
FREE! Register by calling 512-454-9912 or email April Sullivan. Space is limited. Any experience level welcome.
Express your story with powerful words and bold colors! Reflect, create and connect to your personal story through freestyle, stream of conscious style writing exercises. Each week you will focus on a different theme and have a piece of writing and a piece of art at the end of each session. Participants will have the option to have their work published with other veteran writers in Summer 2019.
Open to all veterans served by the Austin VA Outpatient Clinic.
Supplies will be provided.
Elizabeth Decker is a celebrated artist, author, poet, teacher, documentary filmmaker, certified Mediator, Clarity Coach at Spellbound Publishing and personal creative story guide. Her work is about helping others remove blocks that hold them back and passionately move forward rediscovering and redefining who they are. Her popular workshops are booked in Austin, LA, and NYC. She has been a guest speaker for the Episcopalian Veterans Fellowship and her illustrated book of prose, The MelancholyGirls, has helped inspire others to create and share their honest story of self. Find more about Elizabeth at www.elizabethdeckerproductions.blogspot.com

Speaking Advocates: Summer Daze
2019-06-29 13:00 - 15:00 | AGE Building, 3710 Cedar Street, Room 101, Austin, TX, 78705, United States
Now that we are in the heat of summer, we want to hear your summertime adventure stories. Anything from childhood summer camp to exciting vacations and more!
Our Opening Minds, Opening Doors Speaking Advocates group is free and meets the last Saturday of every month from 1-3 PM in Room 101 of the AGE of Central Texas Building. We welcome adults with disabilities who are interested in presenting stories and meeting other speakers. Email Eric Clow to RSVP or learn more.
You can also RSVP, invite friends, and follow our Facebook event page for updates.

Call for Art: Opulent Mobility 2019
2019-06-30 | Dora Stern Gallery, 544 Freeman St,, City of Orange, NJ, 07050, United States
Submission deadline: June 30, 2019*
Opulent Mobility is accepting artwork that re-imagines disability. Opulent Mobility is accepting 2-D and sculptural artwork, music files, and performances on video/film. The challenge is to imagine a world where mobility, disability, and access are not merely functional, but opulent. This year, OM 2019 will be hosted by Arts Unbound. The physical exhibit will be held at the Dora Stern Gallery in New Jersey.
The deadline for submissions in June 30, 2019 at 5 PM PST. There is a flat $20 entry fee to cover administrative costs. For more information visit Opulent Mobility.
*This is not a Art Spark Texas call for art.

Call for Art: LEAD Conference Agenda Cover
2019-06-30
Submission deadline: June 30, 2019*
The Kennedy Center Office of VSA and Accessibility is seeking artwork by artists and designers with disabilities for the cover of the 2019 LEAD® conference agenda book. Artwork should address themes of accessibility and inclusion in the arts. Artists of any age and professional experience are welcome to apply.
One winning artist will receive a prize of $500. Winning artwork will be used for the front and/or back covers for the print and digital programs for the Kennedy Center 2019 Leadership Exchange in Arts and Disability (LEAD®) Conference.
*This is not a Art Spark Texas call for art.

The Lion and The Pirate Open Mic
2019-07-07 13:00 - 15:00, 2019-08-03 19:00 - 21:00 | Malvern Books, 613 W. 29th Street, Austin, TX, 78705, United States
Share a story, poem, song, or other talent in a fun and supportive neighborhood bookstore. The open mic is wheelchair accessible. Please contact us at least one week in advance to request other accommodations, including ASL interpreting, audio description, etc.
For more information email Eric Clow or call 512-454-9912.
You can also RSVP, invite friends, and follow our Facebook event page for updates.

Veterans - Ink Stick Project Writing Class
2019-07-13 13:00 - 17:00, 2019-07-20 13:00 - 17:00, 2019-07-27 13:00 - 17:00, 2019-08-03 13:00 - 17:00 | Apache Arts & Craft Center, 761st Tank Battalion and 62nd Street, Bldg 2337, Fort Hood, TX, United States
A Writing Class for Current and Prior Service Members
Hosted by Art Spark Texas
Held at Apache Arts & Craft Center
761st Tank Battalion and 62nd Street, Bldg 2337, Fort Hood
Class Schedule: Saturdays, July 13-August 3, 2019 from 1:00 – 4:00 pm
Instructor: Clayton Bradshaw
FREE
Register by calling 512-454-9912 or email April Sullivan.
Space is limited. Any experience level welcome.

This four-week course is designed to help current and prior service members tell their stories. The greatest writers have served in war. From Chaucer to Hemingway and Vonnegut to Tim O’Brien, they have found ways to bring life truths to the masses. This class will give you the tools to write about your experiences or to express the truths you have learned in a life built on service. We will focus on fiction, nonfiction, and poetry.
Clayton Bradshaw served in the US Army for eight years as an infantryman. He deployed with 3/2 SCR to Iraq from 2007 to 2008 and to Afghanistan from 2010 to 2011. He graduated from Sam Houston State University with a BA in English and currently participates in the MFA Creative Writing program at Texas State University while teaching writing to university freshmen. His work can be found in The Deadly Writers Patrol, r.kv.r.y., Second Hand Stories, War, Literature and the Arts, and O-Dark-Thirty. He is currently writing a novel, Quietus, based on the post-war struggles of the veteran community.

An initiative of the National Endowment for the Arts, Creative Forces®: NEA Military Healing Arts Network is a partnership with the U.S. Departments of Defense and Veterans Aairs and the state and local arts agencies with administrative support provided by Americans for the Arts.

Call for Art: Governor's Committee Poster Competition
2019-07-15
Submission deadline: July 15, 2019*
Disability Employment Awareness Month is celebrated in Texas every October. The Texas Governor’s Committee on People with Disabilities produces a colorful poster for display in businesses, government offices and schools. The posters are intended to spark a conversation about employment of people with disabilities. Artwork for the poster is selected by a submission and judging process and is open to any Texas artist with a disability.
The posters will feature original work from an outstanding Texas artist, along with their picture and personal statement, and the national NDEAM theme. The winning artist will also be featured at GCPD’s annual Lex Frieden Employment Awards Ceremony, and may be acknowledged in a statewide press release. Help spark a conversation!
Original 2D and 3D art in all media are eligible. Visit GCPD’s webpage for submission guidelines and entry forms or email gcpd@gov.texas.gov for more information.
*This is not a Art Spark Texas call for art.

Stand Up for Mental Health
2019-07-15 18:00 - 20:00, 2019-07-22 18:00 - 20:00, 2019-07-29 18:00 - 20:00, 2019-08-05 18:00 - 20:00, 2019-08-12 18:00 - 20:00 | AGE Building, 3710 Cedar Street, Room 101, Austin, TX, 78705, United States
Learn stand-up comedy with comic and counselor, David Granirer. Specifically for people with addiction or mental health issues.
Limited spots available!
Suggested donation: $35 Pay online here.
Hosted by Art Spark Texas at 3710 Cedar Street, Austin, TX 78705
Six-week class: Mondays, July 15-Aug 19, 6-8 pm
Showcase: August 25 or 26
To register and for details: outreach@artsparktx.org or 512-454-9912
Deadline to apply: July 5

Body Shift Foundations Class
2019-07-15 19:00 - 20:30 | McBeth Recreation Center, 2401 Columbus Dr., Austin, TX, 78746, United States
Do you want to get your body moving, but don’t know where to begin? Are you intimidated by typical dance classes because you feel like you don’t fit in? Body Shift has a solution to bring out the dancer in us all! We offer you Foundations – an improvisational dance class for ALL people – especially designed to be accessible to those with little to no dance/movement experience.
Each class we will explore ideas like developing body awareness, non-verbal communication, understanding of time/rhythm and choice making to support students in the discovery of their own movement language. Students will have the opportunity to awaken their creativity, notice habitual movement patterns in order to expand movement possibilities, and have a lot of fun in the process. We will learn how to allow our bodies to breath and move in ways that feel good to each person in the room without judgement.
People of all unique mental and physical characteristics are invited to participate. Our goal is to offer a class where there are no wrong choices so everyone in the room feels empowered and successful to come and be as they are. Material in this class will be strongly based on the DanceAbility method, an approach to dance for people with and without disabilities. No movement experience necessary to join. Drop in occasionally or join us every month; open ended attendance.
The Foundations class takes place at McBeth Recreation Center (2401 Columbus Dr, Austin, TX 78746) every 3rd Monday of the month from 7:00-8:30pm. Sliding scale/donation based – $5-$20. Adults age 18 and up.
NEW! You can now pay class fees online here.
For more information email Olivia O’Hare or call 512-454-9912.

Veterans - Journal Making/Writing Class
2019-07-18 13:00 - 17:00, 2019-07-25 13:00 - 17:00 | Help Heal Veterans, 2508 S. 5th St., Temple, TX, 76504, United States
A Journal Making/Writing Class for Current and Prior Service Members
Hosted by Art Spark Texas
Held at Help Heal Veterans
2508 S. 5th St., Temple, TX 76504
Class Schedule: Thursday, July 18th at 1 pm – Make Journals; Thursday, July 25th at 1 pm – Writing in Journals
Instructors: Patricia Alger and Cynthia Linzy
FREE
Register by calling 512-454-9912 or email April Sullivan.
Space is limited. Any experience level welcome.

In this two day class, start by making Journals using handmade paper. Learn the skills to put together your own multi-page journal. Led by Patricia Alger. Then, in the second week, learn how to make the ideas and pictures inside your head come alive on paper by sharpening your use of color and imagery. You will be led through visualization exercises, easy writing prompts, and useful writing examples to create strong writing by careful word choice and many other effective writing techniques. Discover your own writing style in a relaxed, supportive class atmosphere. Led by Cynthia Linzy.

An initiative of the National Endowment for the Arts, Creative Forces®: NEA Military Healing Arts Network is a partnership with the U.S. Departments of Defense and Veterans Aairs and the state and local arts agencies with administrative support provided by Americans for the Arts.

Speaking Advocates: Independence
2019-07-27 13:00 - 15:00 | AGE Building, 3710 Cedar Street, Room 101, Austin, TX, 78705, United States
July is the month we celebrate our nation’s independence. It also marks possibly the most important victory in the history of the Disability Rights Movement: the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). For people with disabilities, independence has different meanings. On one hand, it is the ultimate goal; if achieved, it signifies the successful dismantling of the social and political barriers that truly “disable” us. If, on the other hand, independence proves to be a logistical impossibility, we adjust our definition accordingly, and independence becomes something closer to self-determination in which we set the terms for the assistance we require – or in the words of our movement’s slogan, Nothing About Us Without Us. This month we invite you to share your own definition of independence: what does independence look like for you, what are the obstacles that stand in your way to a self-determined life, how do you become independent?
Our Opening Minds, Opening Doors Speaking Advocates group is free and meets the last Saturday of every month from 1-3 PM in Room 101 of the AGE of Central Texas Building. We welcome adults with disabilities who are interested in presenting stories and meeting other speakers. Email Eric Clow to RSVP or learn more.
You can also RSVP, invite friends, and follow our Facebook event page for updates.

Call for Creative Writing: Pen 2 Paper Creative Writing Competition
2019-08-01 | TX, United States
Submission deadline: August 1, 2019*
The annual disability focused Pen 2 Paper Creative Writing Competition (P2P) is open for 2019! P2P will be celebrating its tenth year of sharing and recognizing fiction, non-fiction, poetry, and comics on the topic of disability. Submit here!
Submissions are accepted from anywhere in the world and from writers of any age, ability or disability, and writing level. One Grand Prize winner will receive $500 USD, and a 1st Place winner in each of the four divisions will receive $100 USD. Please review the contest rules and submission instructions before submitting.
The Pen 2 Paper Creative Writing Contest’s goals are to:

give writers with disabilities a forum where they can share their work.
bring awareness to disability issues through the arts.
challenge all people of all ages to think, rethink, and express their stories, perspectives, fears, and discoveries about disability.

While P2P is based in Texas, people from other states or countries are welcome to enter.
Each year, entries are evaluated by a panel of volunteer judges, and prizes are awarded to the top entries in each category. Winners and finalists will be posted on P2P’s website and given opportunities to share their work in public settings.
*This is not a Art Spark Texas call for art.

Spouses - Journal Making/Writing Class
2019-08-01 13:00 - 17:00 | Help Heal Veterans, 2508 S. 5th St., Temple, TX, 76504, United States
A Journal Making/Writing Class for Spouses of Current and Prior Service Members
Hosted by Art Spark Texas
Held at Help Heal Veterans
2508 S. 5th St., Temple, TX 76504
Class Schedule: Thursday, August 1st at 1 pm – Make Journals; Thursday, August 8th at 1 pm – Writing in Journals
Instructors: Patricia Alger and Cynthia Linzy
FREE
Register by calling 512-454-9912 or email April Sullivan.
Space is limited. Any experience level welcome.

In this two day class, start by making Journals using handmade paper. Learn the skills to put together your own multi-page journal. Led by Patricia Alger. Then, in the second week, learn how to make the ideas and pictures inside your head come alive on paper by sharpening your use of color and imagery. You will be led through visualization exercises, easy writing prompts, and useful writing examples to create strong writing by careful word choice and many other effective writing techniques. Discover your own writing style in a relaxed, supportive class atmosphere. Led by Cynthia Linzy.

An initiative of the National Endowment for the Arts, Creative Forces®: NEA Military Healing Arts Network is a partnership with the U.S. Departments of Defense and Veterans Aairs and the state and local arts agencies with administrative support provided by Americans for the Arts.

Call for Short Films: Cinema Touching Disability Film Festival
2019-08-02 | Alamo Drafthouse Village, 2700 West Anderson Lane, Austin, TX, 78757, United States
Submission deadline: August 2, 2019*
The Cinema Touching Disability Film Festival dispels common misperceptions about disability by showing films that portray people with disabilities in an accurate and interesting way. The selected films show that individuals with disabilities live the same sort of full and independent lives as all other people. Submit your film here!
The short film competition is an essential part of this festival. This competition invites filmmakers to share their personal views of disability through a short film. The films with the most imaginative and interesting portrayals of people with disabilities will be featured at Cinema Touching Disability. The three best films will also win a cash prize and an award certificate.
Submissions are welcome from all filmmakers, ranging from the professional to the independent, student, or amateur. The filmmaker may also be of any age, ranging from elementary school student to adult. Entries are welcome from filmmakers who have a disability. This does not mean that you are required to have a disability to submit.
Films may be entered in either the documentary or non-documentary division. Documentary films provide factual accounts of a disability or a person with a disability, while non-documentary entries are fictional. Non-documentary films can be of any genre. Past winners have included comedy, music video, animation, science fiction, horror, and even silent films
The following prizes are awarded in each division:
• First Place: $500 USD
• Second Place: $250 USD
• Third Place: $100 USD
• Selected finalists will also be screened
The top three winning films in each division will be featured at the Alamo Drafthouse in Austin, Texas during the Cinema Touching Disability Film Festival. The films also have a chance to win the Audience Favorite Award.
Cinema Touching Disability also screens many of the other finalists. The Festival selects as many of them as possible to be shown on both evenings.
Films must be received before 12:00 a.m. on Friday, August 2, 2019. The following requirements are mandatory for all submissions:
1. Each film must be between three (3) and twenty (20) minutes long. The length of the film does not include the credits; it only refers to the content of the film.
2. The film may NOT have been previously submitted to the Cinema Touching Disability Short Film Competition.
3. The film must either be about, star, or be made by a person with a disability. A disability is an impairment that limits a major life activity. Disabilities include, but are not limited to, blindness, deafness, paraplegia, quadriplegia, autism, cerebral palsy and dwarfism.
5. Films must not be demeaning or discriminatory about disability or people with disabilities.
*This is not a Art Spark Texas call for art.

Artist Market at Houston Abilities Expo
2019-08-02 11:00 - 17:00, 2019-08-03 11:00 - 17:00, 2019-08-04 11:00 - 17:00 | NRG Center, 8400 Kirby Drive, Houston, TX, 77054, United States
EXPERIENCE CREATIVITY AT THE ARTIST MARKET
The area’s most celebrated artists with disabilities will feature an eclectic mix of original, unforgettable artistry. From paintings, 3-D printed art, jewelry, word search books, gift items, dog items, prints, photography and more. These amazing works will be available for appreciation and purchase. Come to booth 222 to find art by these Houston-based artists:
Brian Dodd – Doddman Gallery
Paintings, Prints and Gift Items featuring his Artwork. Brian Dodd is an autistic adult who has always loved drawing creatures of his imagination.

Dee Franklin – Fabled Collages
2D as wells as 3D printed mixed media pieces, buttons, dolls, jewelry and more.

Steven Franklin – He Trained Me
Dog beds, dog toys, dog art, buttons, greeting cards and mugs all sold to support continued training for Steven’s service dog Zepho.

Jan Huff
Oil paint on canvas in the style of contemporary realism.

Kelley McClughan with Sarah Coleman and Shirley Konneath
Three friends from the Houston Art League’s Healing Arts Program will be displaying their paintings, like Kelley’s whimsical paintings of pigs.

Valerie Tate
Photography

Claire Theriot Mestepey
Words search coloring books created and published by Claire. Over 40 varieties!

Art Spark Texas at Library Live!
2019-08-10 14:00 - 16:00 | Art Spark Texas offices, 1152 San Bernard Street, Austin, TX, 78702, United States
Join us at Carver Branch Library for an afternoon of live music presented by Austin Public Library (APL) and Art Spark Texas!
Show at 2:00 PM / Doors at 1:45 PM
With performances by:
Dude Choir
Cook and Rose
Free and open to the public!
About the musicians:
Eric Clow (aka Dude Choir when other friends are involved) is an artist torn between a classic rock past and dissonant future. He uses a mixture of humor, sincerity, and slightly off-key vocals to deliver thoughtful personal tunes. Stream his debut album here.
Christopher Cook and Emmy Rose are a duo from Central Texas, playing original music rooted in folk and blues. Their songs of sadness, loss, and defiance reflect their Western roots and longing for redemption. Christopher Cook plays finger-style guitar, writes, and sings. With over thirty years as a songwriter and performer, he has been called “a torch singer with the heart of a poet.” Emmy Rose also sings and plays the harmonium, a type of pump organ originally used in Indian music. Together, the blend of Emmy’s direct, clear voice with Christopher’s ragged tenor produces an unusual sound described as “diamonds and gravel.”
You can RSVP, invite friends, and follow our Facebook event page for updates.
For more information email Eric Clow or call 512-454-9912.

Body Shift Elements: Summer Dance Jam 1
2019-08-10 14:30 - 16:30 | Town Lake YMCA, 1100 W. Cesar Chavez Street, Austin, TX, 78703, United States
The Elements class takes place every 2nd and 4th Saturday of the month from 2:30-4:30pm at the Town Lake YMCA in the large group exercise room on the first floor.
Elements on August 10th will be a jam hosted by Juan Munoz.
Not sure what a dance jam is? Read all about it on our blog: http://vsatx.blogspot.com/2017/03/body-shift-what-is-dance-jam.html
Elements is an on-going class in which we study dance and movement improvisation as well as somatics. DanceAbility is our foundational method with which we work to ensure inclusion. It is an equal collaboration and learning environment for every ‘body’ regardless of unique physical or mental characteristics. No gym membership is required to attend. Open to adults age 18 and up; all abilities and experience levels. No registration necessary. Fee for class is on a sliding scale from $5-$20, cash or check accepted. You can pay the class fee online here. See you at the Y!
For more information email Olivia O’Hare or call 512-454-9912.
