Community Access to the Arts (CATA), a Great Barrington based non-profit organization that provides arts workshops to people with disabilities throughout Berkshire County, is offering a five day photography workshop series to a limited number of students taught by Gordon Sasaki, an educator from the Museum of Modern Art in New York. The workshop is open to people with and without disabilities, aged 15 years and older. The program takes place from July 6-10 at The Berkshire Arts & Technology Charter Public School in Adams, MA. This visiting artist program is made possible by a grant from the William J. and Margery S. Barrett Fund of the Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation.
The workshop series includes sessions on composition, narrative, content, self-portrait and collage, as well as artist talks by area photographers, Adobe Photoshop help, and an afternoon of theatre and storytelling activities led by Richmond actress, Jamuna Yvette Sirker. Other partners include Greylock Arts of Adams, MA and The Interactive Telecommunications Program at New York University.
A wheelchair user since a 1982 automobile accident, Sasaki brings to his workshops a unique combination of personal insight, academic training, and experience working with special needs populations. He is a dedicated proponent for the inclusion of the arts as a life tool, invaluable to everyone and relevant to all aspects of daily life.
Participants may apply to attend any or all of the sessions which range in price from $15 to $25 per session. Scholarships are available, as are digital cameras and cameras adapted for those with physical disabilities. Lunch is provided for $6 per day. Again, spaces are limited, so please sign-up as soon as possible to ensure your space.
To download a complete schedule of program activities and a copy of the application, go to:
http://www.communityaccesstothearts.org/press/05_28_09.php
Although the program isn’t necessarily looking for "TAs", if a more advanced student has a specific interest to participate by assisting others, it would certainly be welcomed. A residency like this would be a great opportunity for a “budding” photographer to explore their interest and enhance their existing knowledge base with a new experience.