Looking Back at NASSA Assembly 2016

By Kim Johnson, Director of Arts Access –

The 2016 National Assembly of State Arts Agencies (NASAA) conference, held September 14-17 in Grand Rapids, Michigan, provided another opportunity for accessibility coordinators from different states to discuss and learn how to ensure access to the arts for all people. The accessibility pre-conference session started on Wednesday afternoon and continued through Thursday morning before the official opening of the NASAA conference. Led by National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) Office of Accessibility Director Beth Bienvenu and Accessibility Specialist Lauren Tuzzolino, the pre-conference sessions allowed coordinators time to share, learn and discover new trends and practices in the field.

I found this pre-conference time extremely valuable, with highlights including: learning more about website accessibility from Michigan State University Manager of Digital Content & Accessibility Nate Evans; meeting the new executive director of the National Center for Creative Aging (NCCA), Jennie Smith-Peers; and the sharing of best practices around accessibility from different states. We even had a chance on Wednesday afternoon to do a site visit to the DisArt HYBRID Gallery, a multi-sensory experience which is transforming neighborhood houses and buildings into accessible gallery space. This unique exhibit is a celebration and an inspiring experience of how accessibility can create a powerful impact on the front end of any art project.

The NASAA conference itself provided informative workshops and great presentations from performing artists. My favorite workshops were Demographics of the Art Work Force: The Future Starts Here, Bridging Difference and Diversity, and the peer session for grants and fiscal officers. As for performances, I cannot choose one! From the music group Mosiac Youth Theatre of Detroit to Naomi Yamaguchi, a young piano virtuoso who made her Carnegie Hall debut at seven-years-old, to Kai Kight, a violinist who tells personal stories of seizing your own creativity, each performance reminded its participants of the power of the arts in transforming the lives of people.

Looking back on my first NASAA conference, I can honestly say this gathering  provided me not only an opportunity to learn about emerging practices, but also a time to reflect on the work to be done in our state to make the arts available to each person in Tennessee.