by Caroline Gabsewics
Staff Writer
For the past 13 years, the Cummer Museum of Art & Gardens has opened its doors to thousands of children with disabilities to give them a chance to experience and be a part of art at the museum.
This year’s Very Special Arts (VSA) Festival is being held at the museum through Thursday for children with disabilities in prekindergarten to 8th grade throughout northeast Florida.
“We try and make arts opportunities open and accessible to children with all different kinds of disabilities,” said Hope McMath, director of education for the Cummer Museum. “We are giving these children an opportunity to see the art, make their own art and everything is designed and developed so that every child, no matter what kind of disability they have, can participate.”
The VSA Festival at the Cummer Museum is the only one of 650 VSA Art Festivals internationally that hold the event in the galleries of the museum.
“The children are making art right in the middle of the galleries and gardens,” said McMath.
When the children arrive at the Cummer Museum, they are greeted by a guide who will lead them around the museum and gardens and travel to each art station where they will spend 15 minutes participating in a different activity.
The children will listen to different kinds of live music and have the opportunity to participate themselves. There are abstract collage stations, painting stations, and a station where fabric squares are colored and later turned into a quilt. Children have the opportunity to explore the hands-on exhibits in the museum’s Art Connections and make clay cylinders that will be fired and returned to each student.
“It is more than actually participating, but art looking, making and being a part of live music,” said McMath. “All art forms are merging together.”
This year there are 2,600 Duval and Clay county students who will have the opportunity to visit the VSA Arts Festival. There are also 1,300 volunteers helping the museum staff throughout the week.
“By having this at the museum, it is a good awareness builder,” said McMath.
Chris Estes is volunteering his time this week by playing the guitar at one of the stations for the children. Estes said he found out about the event through a friend who works at the Cummer Museum.
“She asked if I might be interested and it sounded really cool and I love the kids,” he said.