Selections from the VSA Kentucky Collection will be on display September 7 – October 21 at the ArtsACCESS Gallery and Studio in downtown Bowling Green. Gallery hours are 8:30am-4:30pm Monday through Friday. Please join us for a reception October 21st from 5-8pm during the Bowling Green Gallery Hop.

The VSA Kentucky Collection is comprised of artwork created by artists, students and program participants from across the Commonwealth. Since the its inception in 1995, the VSA Kentucky Collection has grown to nearly 50 works of art. Some of the artwork was created by emerging and professional adult artists with disabilities on the VSA Kentucky Artist Registry, an online resource directory.  Others were created in the Artist Within program offering classes and exhibition opportunites for adults with developmental disabilities.  Collaborative artworks were produced in the Side by Side program by young students with disabilities who were paired with a mentoring professional artist. Side by Side is funded by WHAS Crusade for Children. Also included are selections created by Kentucky students with disabilities, K-12, participating in the Student Traveling Exhibition called “A Matter of Perspective” funded by the Kentucky Department of Education.

 The VSA Kentucky Collection is an eclectic collection of artistic expressions by diverse individuals who all have something to communicate.  Art serves as a medium to establish a personal and positive cultural identity for these artists.  VSA Kentucky provides a venue for artists with disabilities to participate and compete with artists in the mainstream through their programs, like the ArtsACCESS Gallery.  The artists’ participation serves as an agent of social change by breaking down social barriers and promoting inclusion in the life of the community.