JMU students volunteer at art festival organized for local special needs students

Face painting, bag decorating, jewelry making, dance and music workshops were among many of the activities that brought ear- to-ear smiles to the faces of special needs students at the Vision, Strength, Artistic Expression Arts Festival last Thursday and Friday.

The festival is an effort of VSA arts of Virginia and JMU’s chapter of Kappa Pi, the art and art history honor fraternity. The event also had many volunteers from the special education department and other organizations at JMU.

"It’s been really rewarding,"Jennifer Terrill said, the festival’s coordinator and a member of Kappa Pi. She said she enjoyed the festival and realized what a valuable experience it was for everyone involved. She thinks that the festival provided the special needs students with an artistic setting they otherwise may not have experienced. "It is a way for them to express themselves in a different way," she explained. She thinks that due to a lack of funding "art is not often emphasized in schools."

The two-day event took place at the Harrisonburg Recreation Center and was open to any special education teacher and his or her students. Invitations were sent out to the schools of three counties, Rockingham, Augusta and Page. The first day of the festival was limited to secondary education teachers and students, the second day to elementary education.

"VSA arts of Virginia’s mission is to improve the lives of people with disabilities and their surrounding communities through providing rich, accessible artistic opportunities," according to the VSA Web site, www.vsarts.org.

There was an average of 25 volunteers at the festival each day, and between the two days, an estimated 120 students participated, according to members of Kappa Pi.

The students participated in art-themed activities at stations that were set up around the gym of the Harrisonburg Recreation Center. The stations included maraca making, face painting, bag decorating, mural painting, jewelry making, drawing with yarn, printmaking, stained glass making, mask construction, puppet-making and creating tissue paper flowers.

Josh Robertson, a 17-year-old student who attends Wilson Memorial High School in Augusta County, said he was excited to be at this year’s festival. While at the festival, he painted a picture of a monster truck as part of a large mural and had a small Duke Dog painted on his left cheek. He said he was happy to work with the JMU student volunteers, and excitedly said, "I liked Dan and Jenny," the two volunteers that assisted him throughout the day.

There also were workshops in the visual and performing arts, including dance and music that special needs students could participate in. At lunchtime the students enjoyed a concert by junior Ross Copperman, who played his guitar and sang songs to them.

"Playing for kids at the VSA festival made me feel like my music career is really worth it," Copperman said, who added that the kids’ happiness made him feel the show was successful.

Nineteen-year-old Jason Mulcahy, who also attends Wilson Memorial High School, said his favorite part was the music. When asked what creation he was most proud of making at the various stations, he enthusiastically replied, "I made a mask!" Mulcahy also said he fully intends to participate in the VSA Arts Festival again next year.

Ellen Holsinger, an aid in one of the special education classrooms at Wilson Memorial, also enjoyed the festival. She said she thought that the people responsible for developing the two-day art festival had done a great job. "It’s just fantastic," she said. "It gives [the students] a chance to interact with their peers … it allows them to express their own personal interests without [teachers and teacher aids] always telling them what to do."

Sophomore Morgan Neil, a member of Kappa Pi, said that this is the second year that she has been involved with the VSA Arts Festival. "It’s a wonderful thing to see the kids come out and enjoy themselves," she said. She thinks that one of the many benefits of this event is that it "gives [the special needs students] a feeling of accomplishment," because they were able to enjoy their day and bring their creations home to show off to friends and family. She also agreed that much of the students’ excitement is a result of them being able "to express themselves differently than they can in school."

Kathy Schwartz, JMU’s faculty sponsor for the event, has been involved with the festival for four years. Schwartz said that many of the student volunteers become a part of the special education program as a direct result of working with the special needs children. "After working here just one day, they have added the special education endorsement," she said.

Schwartz also thinks that part of the success of this event is because "while [special education students] are here, they are fully engaged, active participants who are solving artistic problems in a truly sophisticated way." She added that this event gave JMU students the opportunity to provide "something that is real for the community."

Junior Lauren Sadler, a member of Kappa Pi, said she received a sense of fulfillment after working at the VSA Arts Festival. Like many of the volunteers, Sadler said she is looking forward to being involved with this event next spring. She said that her favorite part of the day was "seeing the smiles on the kids’ faces and having the satisfaction of adding joy to their day."