PROGRAM DESCRIPTION
Visionaries & Voices is a non-profit, 501c(3) studio/gallery located in
Cincinnati, Ohio, created specifically for artists with disabilities to grow
both personally and professionally.
VISION STATEMENT
Our vision is that artists with disabilities are valued members of the
cultural community, and that they have opportunities for artistic success and
creative growth in an atmosphere of mutual respect, inspiration, and joy.
MISSION STATEMENT
The mission of Visionaries and Voices is to provide a nurturing home-base for
artists with disabilities to grow and succeed at what they do best. We value a
world in which artists with disabilities not only create and share their works
of art, but also are given the chance to show the community at large what it
means to be creative and alive without limits.
HISTORY
Visionaries & Voices (V&V) began in 1999, when two social
workers in the Greater Cincinnati area started to come across artists
with developmental disabilities making incredible works of art in
isolation. Partnering with these artists (the first to be discovered
were Raymond Thunder-Sky, Antonio Adams, Richard Brown and Paul
Rowland), they found venues to showcase these works of art in local
galleries, coffee-shops, and other locations. The first major
exhibit occurred in 2001, at Base Gallery, downtown Cincinnati. Titled
"Art Thing," this exhibit was attended by hundreds of people, and was
featured in local and regional media. After this success, the idea
of a studio began to gain momentum -- a studio where artists like
Raymond, Antonio, Richard and Paul would be in charge and have the
resources and encouragement to create more works and to teach the
community how vital their visions and talents are to our collective
culture. This studio, eventually called "Visionaries & Voices,"
was envisioned as a place where artists of all abilities could work
together, a "home-base" where creativity, community and collaboration
would flourish.
After a lot of fundraising, more exhibits, and more artists and
supporters joined, V&V was incorporated as a non-profit in
2003. The studio opened its doors in August 2003, in Essex Studios.
At the time of the opening, V&V was supporting 12 artists. Now we
have been able to support over 300 local and regional artists with
disabilities to make, market and celebrate their works. We have
partnered with local arts organizations and institutions like the
Cincinnati Art Museum, Artworks, the Contemporary Arts Center, and the
Carnegie Performing and Visual Arts Center in Covington. V&V
artists have been featured in exhibits in Los Angeles, New York City,
Chicago, Ann Arbor, Michigan, Louisville, Kentucky, Indianapolis,
Indiana, and other cities. V&V also sponsors a yearly "outsider
art fair" in downtown Cincinnati, called "Visionnati," inviting artists
from across America to come, set up shop, sell their works, and
celebrate the idea that art is one of the best ways to join forces for
social and cultural change.
Studio hours:
Monday, 8:30 AM – 8:00 PM
Tuesday, 8:30 AM – 8:00 PM
Wednesday, 8:30 AM
– 8:00 PM
Thursday, 8:30 AM – 8:00 PM
Friday, 8:30 AM – 4:30 PM
Studio phone number: (513) 861-4333.
Studio
address: 2515 Essex Place, Studio # 172, Cincinnati, Ohio 45206.
