TLDR — LIVE ART is a community-oriented, inclusive, extraordinary, and moving art project that is based in Richmond, Virginia. Sponsored by SPARC (School of the Performing Arts in the Richmond Community), local community members came together through this idea to create a public art project that encourages students of all abilities to explore themselves through artistic expression and provide a safe, inclusive, and social space for students of all backgrounds and developmental abilities to interact.

Use this post to learn more about LIVE ART, donate here, and most importantly learn about the great students and the work they are empowered to do in this obviously amazing community. If you would like to learn more about the private screening and film that inspired the post, please click here. Can’t wait to see how this film performs as it has been submitted to the Sundance Film Festival as of late September 2014.

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Simply put, community is my everything. As a student at Virginia Tech, I learned the true power of, abilities of, and definition of community. It’s a place where people can come together, same or different, and simply “BE.” Together.

Now that you know that. Watch this. Then, read the rest.

Therefore, whenever I’m away from home and experience a community that is just as transformative and moving as the community that I come from, I take notice. It’s been just a few months since I’ve moved away from Blacksburg, but the overlap between moving from that community and into the one I am now, saw a brief stint in another: Richmond, Virginia.

Richmond is the capital of our great state, and I’ve spent a ton of time here. As a student leader, as an advocate for those with disabilities, and as a motivational speaker, over the years there have been various reasons for me to visit good ol’ RVA, explore the city, and get to know quite a few of its habitants. One of most fortuitous opportunities came through the mother of a best friend’s ex-boyfriend. Yeah, say that five times fast. This is the background to how I learned about LIVE ART. Stick with me.

At the time, this amazing woman worked with the Virginia Board for People with Disabilities, an organization that has since become very near and dear to my heart. We met at the Virginia Transition Forum and connected following a presentation I did on using Apple iPads as assistive technology for college students with disabilities.  Later, after discovering HESONWHEELS, she invited me to come speak at an event she had organized for years – known as the Youth Leadership Forum (YLF).

At the 2013 YLF, I was asked to come in and do an opening speech, and that was it. I ended up enjoying my experience SO much that I stayed for most of the entire week! I got to hang out with the students (which we call delegates, because it’s a forum, not a camp :)) and watch them grow over the course of the week, connecting with them over disability, over favorite foods, over different communication styles, I could go on and on. Then, the next year, I was so happy to be invited back as a week-long staff member, and produce a speech at the closing graduation ceremony for the delegates as they finished the forum. The Youth Leadership Forums in these two years are two of the best memories that I’ve had as both a speaker, and as a disability advocate, by far. Not only because of the experience that I had there but becuase of what it has led me to.

Through this experience, I had the chance to meet two students named Triton and Liberty. As twins, they both attended the 2013 YLF as delegates. In 2014, they returned as staff members! So, instead of working with them as delegates, we got to work alongside each other as staff members supporting the delegates who were attending the forum. When working with anyone, I love when this kind of transition happens.

Over the week-long experience in 2014 we got to know each other very well. Most relevant to this post though, Triton and Liberty both told me about a program that they were involved in in their community, called LIVE ART. I didn’t know much about it at the time, but needless to say because this post is already 600 words long and I haven’t even talked about LIVE ART yet…it really, REALLY caught my interest.

Since YLF, Lib, Triton, and I stayed in touch, which was a big goal of ours becuase we really enjoyed getting to know each other during YLF. Specifically, I really admired hearing stories of how they’ve persevered as people because of how they access their environment differently, and quite frankly I really, REALLY enjoy their humor (Liberty’s laugh is quite frankly one of the happiest things I’ve ever heard in my life).

I guess, it’s also somewhat important or relevant to mention that both Lib and Triton were born deaf. Through the YLF program, I became close not only with them but also with several of their interpreters. They taught me so many new signs and really helped me practice it over the course of the week and showed me resources to stay engaged with it moving forward.  Throughout YLF, whenever LIVE ART was mentioned, I always found myself intrigued and wanting to learn more. So, when they both texted me last week about a film that was being shown about the development of the LIVE ART productions themselves, I chomped at the bit.

— This is where the true LIVE ART story begins. I guess. At least through my eyes. —

Given all of this, I’ve spent 70% of the past day trying to come up with words that would relay what LIVE ART is into a HESONWHEELS blog post…and I’ve felt grossly under qualified. So, instead, I just wanted to share a bit about what LIVE ART means to me. First, you should know that it has everything to do with the relationships that I built with these people that I mentioned before. Learning so much about deaf culture from Triton, Liberty, and their interpreters (specifically, Catherine and Mia cause they are also involved with the LIVE ART program) was really monumental for me.

The reason I decided to lead this blog post with those stories is becuase if you take one look at LIVE ART, you can see their passion is grounded in the relationships they have with these students and their families. LIVE ART is a program for students of ALL abilities, not just students with any kind of physical, emotional, or intellectual disability. Therefore, students of all abilities learn in all ways. It’s absolutely amazing to see this in action. From a dream that came to one of the staff members while she was sleeping, all the way through to the long hours of rehearsals and the evident tears when the live show went off without a hitch.

I’ve never even been to an actual LIVE ART production, and I was still moved by the film that I got to see. I was telling Lib, a tear either did or nearly did fall from my right eye no less than five times!  Seeing LIVE ART in action, and the way that they blend disabilities into art, and the way that the SPARC staff members are so dedicated to giving these students an outlet for social and artistic expression – was also very monumental for me to see. I hope you’ll want to see it and get involved, too.

One of the best aspects of LIVE ART, I think, is the focus on community and particularly on partnerships within it. LIVE ART doesn’t just manifest itself in the concert, though, but in the classes that the students take part in. I’m sure that part of the reason it is so meaningful to Triton & Lib is becuase they spend many-a Saturday mornings going to LIVE ART classes when, as teenagers, they could be doing just about anything else. At the same time, though, the film reminds us that for some of the students who have special needs, these opportunities for creative and social interaction aren’t nearly as frequent as they ought to be, from a developmental perspective.

The team that comes together (more than 30 staff members) have a range of specialties from special education to art education: clearly a partner-based team approach. The objectives and learning outcomes for SPARC, which you can find on their site, are thorough. Most importantly, so many of them include words like instill, model, pair, generate, develop, opportunity…just the kind of things you need to be practicing  when working with teenage and young adult students. The unique and inclusive structure of LIVE ART is impressive because of how they partner, specifically with many of the surrounding public school systems and specialty schools in the area.

While I can’t share the movie itself here (it’s not online), I did want to share a few other pieces about the LIVE ART movement that you can also find on their website to learn more about the program, support it, or perhaps even get involved.

Through the Artist’s Eyes

Another LIVE ART Short Film

This second film uses some of the footage from the documentary that I reference throughout this post.

I really mean it though. If are at all interested in an opportunity to get involved with LIVE ART, I’m not sure where your fit would be, but please just let me know, and I’ll link you up with the great people who do this important work. Education is very important to me, and when people take the time and energy to support it, I am so, SO moved. Earlier tonight I was already talking with the director, Erin, about ways that I could do my part to volunteer with these children, and help, and be a part of this fascinating, fascinating idea that was turned into something that is absolutely, completely beautiful.

Geeze…I’m not even an artistic person! 

And, If I had to give LIVE ART a tag line, it would be…

“When students of all abilities…LIVE ART.”

Because, looking at what these people accomplished it’s not even just about the production. Yeah, that’s the monumental big bang finish that everyone looks forward to but it’s about so much more than that. It’s about their lives, the way they interact with others, what they do with their new found skills and ideas once they step off that stage, and take off their colorful t-shirt. It’s moving. It is so moving.

Late addition: If you like this post, you’ll probably enjoy this article as well, which reflects on a 2013 viral photo that spurred many conversations about inclusion in education. While I typically reserve my thoughts on the inclusive model of education, you can’t deny that Live Art is doing something right, can you?