VSA Uses Art to Bring Employment and Training to Youth With Disabilities

When Damon McLeese, the executive director of VSA Colorado/Access Gallery, started his work more than 18 years ago, he felt he could make an impact on the lives of youth with disabilities by providing a safe, artistic space for them to grow. Economic opportunity for VSA’s participants is Damon’s newest passion, as 70% of people with disabilities are unemployed, and youth with disabilities who turn 21 or finish school are at risk of losing all social support.

To combat this obstacle, VSA provides young artists with a commission for their pieces that are sold. Damon hopes that as their corporate projects scale up, VSA will be able to provide qualifying participants with a sustainable hourly wage.

VSA is ramping up its efforts to promote its Corporate Art Venture, a revenue-generating social enterprise that has the exciting potential to respond to the challenge of economic opportunity. Large, high-quality art pieces, commissioned by local and national businesses, are produced collaboratively by a group of VSA students—encouraging peer-to-peer mentoring and teamwork while producing incredible pieces of customized art. The staff at VSA is excited about the opportunity for growth with the development of the Corporate Art Venture that is currently evolving alongside the young artists who create it. VSA program director Chris Ciani participated in our Social Enterprise BaseCamp in November 2013 and used what she learned to develop the business model and prepare for the launch of the Corporate Art Venture.