the palette

An Information Bulletin for Visual Artists Provided by VSA arts Winter 2004

Letter from the Director 2Expanding the Career Forums to include our readers.

Career Forum in the Arts 3Findings compiled and reported on, and your fellow artists give their own opinions.

When Self-Expression Inspires a Laugh 4A few artists who create fine art that makes you giggle.

Design and Build Your Own Web Site 6An artist gives her first-hand experience.

Resources for Artists 7Grants, jobs, and other resources for artists with disabilities.

Social Security Weighs in on Common Artist Issues 10You asked, the Social Security Administration answered.

Stephanie MooreDirector, Artist Services

letter from the director

above: Allison Merriweather, Cozy, oil on masonite,

9”x 12”, 2001

cover: Allison Merriweather, The Fish Dance, oil on

paper, 16” x 20”, 2004

back cover: 2004 International VSA arts Festival

The Palette is an information bulletin forvisual artists provided by VSA arts.

Stephanie MooreDirector of Artist Services, VSA arts

Jennifer ColaguoriArtist Services Coordinator, VSA arts

Written and Edited by Alexandra Clyburn, Washington, D.C.

Designed by kaze design, Washington, D.C.

VSA arts1300 Connecticut Avenue, NW, Suite 700 Washington, D.C. 20036 Ph: 800.933.8721 TTY: 202.737.0645web: www.vsarts.orge-mail: gallery@vsarts.org

VSA arts offers Palette-Online, an online monthly listserv that features oppor-tunities, calls for art, and VSA arts’ news.To subscribe, send a message to listman-ager@vsarts.orgwith the following text: “subscribe palette-online”

Expanding the Career Forumto Include Our ReadersThis October, I attended the Arkansas Arts Council’s annualconference that presented the work of our career forum. Not knowing what to expect and aware of the major state cuts in arts funding, I braced for a modest effort with mini-mum reach. I was pleasantly surprised. Not only was the agenda strong, there were highbrow speakers and wellover 300 attendees. The program generously incorporated the voice of working artists, and had thoughtfully given a voice to the issues of artists with disabilities.

I left feeling energized that artists with disabilities had a place at the table. The arts council valued the important work of VSA arts, and understood the road ahead. Instead of feelingdefeated with scant resources, I felt a strong sense of teamworkin building a place for artists and your important contributions.

We are in our fourth of year offering these career forums in different states. These forums are meant to identify thebarriers for artists and arts administrators with disabilities,then to implement strategies to overcome these barriers. Our top findings are presented in this issue. We also askedseveral artists to weigh in on their own experiences. Read what the forum, and your fellow artists, think. Do youagree? If not, please complete our online survey, available at www.vsarts.org/prebuilt/artists/career_survey.cfm. We are interested in your perspective, and hope to havemore opportunities in the future for you to lend your voice.

Throughout the issue, we feature the artwork of artists whotook part in our career survey. If you complete the onlinesurvey, we will feature your work in upcoming publications as well (An added enticement to participate, we hope!)

This particular issue incorporates both disciplines, visual andperforming. We have a lot to learn from each other, both wherewe overlap professionally and where we differ. The challengesand successes of our careers do translate across all media and inall dimensions. In the end, we’re finding that the audience forthese publications is the same—working artists. ◆

level, summer institutes, and in community-based classesmay prevent students with disabilities from developing thenecessary skills to qualify for admission into advancedtraining or postsecondary education.

3. Financial Disincentives. Financial disincentives andfear of loss of health care and other needed services may face any person with a disability using benefits andseeking employment. However, there are specific barriersto employment for artists with disabilities related topublic benefits. Barriers for artists include restrictions onbenefits because of irregular or infrequent compensationfor their work. Some artists experienced severe financialconsequences for receiving commissions, fellowships,grants or other monetary awards.

4. Arts Careers Are Discouraged. The arts are not per-ceived as a valid career path by rehabilitation programs.Vocational counselors often steer individuals into careersthey perceive without risks or that meet more narrowlydefined vocational outcomes. People with disabilities are frequently not informed about or encouraged to pursue arts-related occupations.

Possible SolutionsForum organizers and participants discussed ways toimprove conditions for artists with disabilities. Thesuggestions are not surprising—many involve activitiesand programs VSA arts already has in action. For manyof the suggestions to be effective, however, broad-basedmarketing and public education campaigns would needto be put in place. For instance, one suggestion is to“develop marketing strategies to promote the abilities

Chris Montgomery, Uranium Motel, black and white

photography, 8˝x 10,˝ 1991

See Forum, page 12

What do your fellow artiststhink? Find out on page 12!

Career Forum in the Arts Artists Speak Their Minds in VSA arts Survey

At the National Endowment for the Arts and VSA arts-sponsored Career Forums in the Arts, artists with disabilities, organizations that serve them, and representatives from the rehabilitation and arts communities come together to discuss issues, and identify ways to expand opportunities for artists with disabilities.

Starting with the 1998 National Forum on Careers in the Arts for People with Disabilities, these meetingshave been helping to change the arts community incities across America. By bringing together artists withthe people who represent and serve them, and openingup a discussion about what’s out there and what’sneeded, the forums have also served as a superb resourcefor gathering information about the state of the pro-fessional world for artists with disabilities.

The National Center for Art and Disability (NADC) has compiled the information and identified four majorbarriers to achieving professional success in the arts. The four barriers fall into the following broad categories:

1. Lack of Access to the Arts Community. For artists withdisabilities the fundamental barrier is access to the artscommunity. Architectural and programmatic barriers to participate in the arts remain a significant barrier toparticipation in the arts. There is a lack of access toperformance space, exhibit halls and other physicalenvironments where artists would be involved or couldperform their work. Full access requires the arts com-munity to view disabled artists, arts administrators or co-workers as participants, rather than as a populationto be served. By ensuring access, the arts communitywould demonstrate full inclusion.

2. Limited Access to Training and Education /Discrimination. Some of these barriers are attributed to stereotypes and low expectations of people with dis-abilities by education and arts professionals. People withdisabilities are frequently not perceived as creative innovators and/or as capable of fulfilling therequirements of a professional arts curriculum within theeducation and arts communities. To not have access toarts training in a range of settings such as at the K–12

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One of Segal’s sculptures screams “Get your hands off of me!” if you lift the lid without knowing to flip thesecret switch first. Pull the chain coming out of onebust’s ear and his eyes light up. (This sculpture iscalled “Epiphany.”)

Segal said the humor he employs in his work sometimesstems from the initial concept, and sometimes comesfrom the challenge of creation. He started as a painter,but felt that sculpture held much more promise, especiallywith his training as an industrial engineer.

He realizes his approach to sculpture is unorthodox,but can’t resist making his pieces not only touchable,but responsive to touch. “I find that people are moreused to the usual sculpture that sits there,” said Segal“It’s easier to sell the ones that don’t do anything.”

For Allison Merriweather, the whimsical humor in hercolorful paintings is sometimes deliberate, and sometimesjust part of the tone of her work.

“When I was growing up, humor was a big part of myfamily. We didn’t have a lot of money, so we made eachother laugh.” Merriweather’s upbringing was unique—with her mother’s approval she left home at age 14 towait tables. Waitressing led to jobs as a conservationistin California’s forests, at a sheep farm in Scotland, avineyard in France, and a ceramics factory in Florence,Italy. Her adventurous life seems to inform her paintings.

4 winter 2004

Humor in the arts often occupies its own neglected cor-ner. Comedians aren’t considered legitimate perform-ers until they show a more serious side of themselvesthrough acting in dramatic roles, writing heart-wrench-ing memoirs, or otherwise exposing their less laughableinclinations. Visual artists whose works express humor areaccustomed to neglect and apathy from gallery ownersand critics.

Despite this generalized ‘snobbism,’ humor is an incrediblyeffective way to reach people, and an honest form ofself-expression for many performing and visual artists.

“The humor in my work is not something deliberate,it’s just who I am,” said sculptor Arnie Segal, whoseworks are interactive, witty and surprising. “I think it just comes naturally from where you are as a person.”

Sculptures that SurpriseVisual artists employ humor in broad and specific ways.Some artists, like Salvador Dali create paintings of unex-pected subject matter. Some, like Jeff Koons, useunconventional media or unusual techniques. And someartists do just try to shock you or make you laugh.

Arnie Segal, Epiphany, ceramic, 28.5˝ x 24˝ x 4,˝ 2003

Allison Merriweather, Saturday Night Blues, oil on masonite,

16˝ x 20,˝ 2001

When Self-Expression Inspires a LaughArtists Who Use Humor in Their Work Can’t Help It—It’s Who They Are

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He said some thought he was “using” his disability toget onstage, and just milking it for jokes. “But they’remilking their own life for jokes too! I always got a greatresponse from the audience because I was unique andnew, and I wasn’t talking about the same themes ofdrinking, sex, and girlfriends,” he said.

“Besides, in going onstage, you rely on what makes youunique, so my disability gave me a clear advantage,”jokes Shain. ◆

“The humor in my work is not something deliberate,

it’s just who I am.” —Arnie Segal

Her pieces evoke the colorful dreamlike works of MarcChagall but with a wry twist. Cats stare deadpan off thecanvas, and seem to be smarter than the surroundinghumans. In “The Misadventures of the Texas Line DancersAt the Brazoria County Gator Reserve,” crocodilesmake quick work of partiers dancing on the pier.

“Sometimes I think of the title first, like with the linedancers,” said Merriweather, whose studio is based out-side Washington, D.C. “A woman I met said she wor-ried about her dogs because she lived near crocodile-infested waters, and I guess it started there.”

Merriweather considers herself an emerging folk/visionary/artist, and thinks her work just grows fromwho she is as a person. “My personality is sort of offthe wall and irreverent,” she said.

Working for the LaughVisual artists have the benefit of not waiting for thelaugh every time. Once their work is hung or displayed,they can hide from the test of laughter. Stand-upcomedians do not share that luxury. Stand-up comedy is considered one of the most challenging forms ofperformance, and doing it with a disability is no different.

Alan Shain is a Canadian stand-up performer who hasalso written musical works and published articles aboutdisability rights and access and is studying for his mas-ter’s degree in social work.

Shain loved drama in school and relied on humor in hisday-to-day life, but his pursuit of a career as a comiclargely stems from his desire to make a difference. “Mycomedy was inspired by my desire to change attitudesaround disability. My stuff is mostly focused on attitudeand perceptions. I’m just starting to branch out now.”

Even the social work degree is related to his disabilityoutreach. “It came from my disability activism. Wecome up against so many attitudes, the social workdegree gives me more ammunition.”

A performer with a disability can rarely disguise a dis-ability. For a stand-up comic, that means being pre-pared for the response from the audience and your fel-low comedians.

At the comedy clubs that are the bread-and-butter for a stand-up comic, Shain faced a range of responses fromsupportive to patronizing. “Some fellow comedians treatedme as an equal and others wouldn’t even talk to me.”

Alan Shain

6 winter 2004

From Computer Illiterate to Award-Winning Web Designer: A Visual Artist’s Journeyby Elizabeth Hack ©2004

Warning: Creating a Web site is time-consuming and attimes the technology overwhelming. A relentless anddiligent mind-set will serve you well in order to pass thechallenging learning curve.

But There Is Hope—if I can create a Web site, almostanyone can. If you have a good design sense and a crisp, logical mind, you can create an attractive site.

I am a visual artist and always thought my place of workwas in my studio. Life began to change one-and-a-half-years ago when I decided to design an online exhibitionspace to feature the “Wave Series,” an ongoing paintingproject that incorporates mixed media. The events thattranspired during the next twelve months were also asurprise; the Web site won nine awards.

The Saga BeginsA confession: I’m not a computer beginner. The ease of doing mailings with my husband’s computer led meto classes in Microsoft Word, Pagemaker, and even the Adobes: Photoshop, Illustrator, and Web Design.

Only a few years prior, I could barely use an answer-ing machine!

What I Have LearnedThere are two main software programs for creating aWeb site: an HTML editor program and a graphicsprogram. With the HTML program, the good news is that you don’t need to learn HTML! These softwareprograms will convert the design/layout of your webpage into HTML. These types of Web authoringprograms include Adobe GoLive, MacromediaDreamweaver and Microsoft FrontPage.

A graphics program will manipulate your images and perform various tasks such as sizing and colorcorrection. Adobe Photoshop is awesome and is highlyrecommended if you can afford it. If you have budgetconstraints, Photoshop Elements is effective but it hasfewer features than Photoshop. Once you develop aworking knowledge of the HTML editor and graphicsprogram you can create your own Web site.

To begin, make an outline of your ideas and/or aflow chart. This will help create a site that is unified,well organized, and easy to navigate. Simplicity rulessupreme, since you want your site to focus on yourartwork and not distract visitors with annoying flashinglights or the latest gizmo.

A good design concept is very important. I based myconcept on Sea Ranch, a small community located inthe North Coast of California. I intermingled “WaveSeries” with photographs of the coast. Your conceptmight be based on a place, a person, or even a favoritepet. The key is to connect the theme to your artworkin a meaningful way.

My Web site also contains a semi-hidden diary withphotographs, links to favorite art sites, and commentsabout exhibitions. The diary adds a personal touchand people seem to enjoy it.

More Tips and CommentsA links page lists links of selected art sites and enablesyou to partner-up with other sites. A resource page andlinks page helps draw more visitors and encouragespeople to return to your site.Elizabeth Hack

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resources for artistsFor grant opportunities, please check the organizationWeb site or contact them directly for applicationdetails and deadlines.

The Artists’ Fellowship www.artistsfellowship.comProvides funding to professional fine artists and their families during times of emergency, disability,or bereavement. The Fellowship does not acceptrequests from performance artists, filmmakers, craft artists, hobbyists, or commercial artists orphotographers. Contact the Artists’ Fellowship, Inc.,47 Fifth Ave., New York, NY 10003; 646.230.9833.

ArtJob Online Western States Arts Federation (WEST-AF)www.artjob.orgThis highly acclaimed service is by subscription–$25for three months, $40 for six months, and $75 for ayear. The ArtJob Web site is updated daily, and ArtJobsubscribers also receive monthly email updates.

ArtsLynx: Arts as a Force of Healing, Building &Empowermentwww.artslynx.org/heal/index.htmPost yourself on this Web site, build a network offellow artists, and visit their well-researched links.

Center for Arts and Culturewww.culturalcommons.orgThe Center for Arts and Culture Web site containsnationwide job listings in the arts, humanities, andarts advocacy.

Center for Emerging Visual Artistswww.cfeva.orgFormerly called the Creative Artists Network, theCenter offers a two-year program, in which artistsreceive instruction and exhibition and teachingopportunities. Career consultation and technicalassistance include grant writing, tax and legal research,and employment advice. Contact The Center ForEmerging Visual Artists, 237 S. 18th St, Suite 3A,Philadelphia, PA 19103; 215.546.7775.

CHANGE, Inc.Awards artists emergency grants of $100–$500 formedical, living, or other expenses. Contact Change,Inc., Box 705, Cooper Station, New York, NY10276; 212.473.3742. (Offices in Florida damagedby hurricanes, temporarily closed at presstime.)

Craft Emergency Relief Fund www.craftemergency.org Provides interest-free loans to professional craftspeoplefor emergency relief. Loans range from $200 to$2,000. Applicants must spend 50% or more of theirtime producing and/or marketing their own work.

Creative Hot Listwww.creativehotlist.comSearch by title or location with this tool. It also letsyou create a file of job prospects and contacts.

Elizabeth Greenshields Foundationwww.calarts.edu/~stdafrs/web/greenshields.htmlOffers funds of up to $10,000 Canadian for any art-related purpose to representational or figurativeartists working in the early stages of their careers inpainting, drawing, printmaking, or sculpture. ContactElizabeth Greenshields Foundation, 1814 SherbrookeSt. West, Suite 1, Montreal, Quebec, Canada H3H1E4; 514.937.9225.

resources for artistsresources for artists

resources for artists

resources for artists

resources for artistsresources for artistsresources for artists

resources for artistsresources for artists

FindCreative.comwww.findcreative.comThis colorful site makes it easy to create your ownportfolio, join the online community, and browsecareer advice.

The Foundation Centerwww.fdncenter.orgThe Foundation Center’s Web site is a deep resourceof newsletters, resources, and links to funders. From themain page, click on the “for individual grantseekers”on the lefthand column.

The Gunk Foundation Grantswww.gunk.orgThe Gunk Foundation supports projects that moveout of the theatre or gallery and into the spaces of daily life. The grants range between $1,000 and$5,000. Contact The Gunk Foundation, PO Box333, Gardiner, NY 12525; 845.255.8252. e-mail:info@gunk.org.

Money for Artwww.moneyforart.comGet professional help when you prepare your grantmaterials. Money for Art charges for its services, butoffers special rates on a case-by-case basis.

National Arts And Disability Center (NADC)www.nadc.ucla.eduNADC is the national information center for issuesof arts and disability. The site includes directories,lists of available studio space, and more.

New York Foundation for the Artswww.nyfa.orgUpdated every Sunday, this site features a compre-hensive and international list of job opportunities.This is also an extensive source for arts job sources.

Pollock-Krasner Foundationwww.pkf.orgOffers one-year grants of $1,000–$30,000 to pro-fessional painters, sculptors, and artists who work on paper. Applications are reviewed 4-5 times each year. Contact Pollock-Krasner Foundation, 725 Park Ave., New York, NY 10021.

Puffin Foundation Grantswww.puffinfoundation.orgThe Puffin Foundation supports projects that will advance progressive social change. Grants of$500-$2,500 are open to all artists residing in the U.S. Contact the Puffin Foundation, Dept.AC, 20 E Oakdene Avenue, Teaneck, NJ 07666.

StarvingArtistsLaw.comwww.StarvingArtistsLaw.comFree legal services for artists. Twenty-six states are repre-sented, as well as an international resource. Issues often handled include contract negotiations,mediation services, nonprofit incorporation, copyrightinformation and infringement lawsuits, tax information,estate planning, and lease review.

Visual Aidwww.visualaid.orgGrants take the form of vouchers for art supplies to encourage artists with life-threatening diseases to continue their creative work. Contact Visual Aid,785 Market St., Suite 720, San Francisco, CA 94103,e-mail: visaid@dnai.com.

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Avoid long, exotic and funky addresses that containunusual characters (such as “~”). Using your first and lastname as a Web site address adds a professional touch.

Keep your images small because you want the loading time on each page to be fast, ideally within eight seconds.

Leave room for expansion—Web sites are fluid andorganic and will be ever-changing. You want visitors to return, so update your home page with a new imageand/or text every three or four months.

Be sure to attach a copyright notice on your Web sitewith the applicable information. Visit the U.S.Copyright Office www.copyright.gov for details.

After your site is completed and has been uploadedonto your server, submit it to indexes and searchengines (see sidebar for server info). Many Web sub-mission services are available and finding the onethat best meets your needs involves some research. The site www.selfpromotion.com is an excellentresource for an overall understanding of Internet mar-keting.

There are many advantages to creating your own Web site: being your own Web master will save youmoney –– perhaps hundreds or even thousands of dollars.Hiring a Web site designer can be expensive, and afterpaying for an initial design, there are usually additionalfees for updating the text and images.

My site serves as an artist’s portfolio. While the site hasmade few sales, several art consultants and online galleriesdiscovered me on the Internet and now represent mywork. In addition, my site has helped me to networkand this has lead to more exposure and connections.Over time I have developed a cyber community ofpeople from all over the world. My site now receives3,000 visitors per month.

Final WordsCreating a Web site has been transforming andempowering. I proved that I am not technically-chal-lenged, and my own identity has shifted. The experi-ence went beyond designing a Web site and winningsome awards. I view others and myself in a new way, and realize that the potential in each of us is monumental. ◆

Elizabeth Hack has exhibited her paintings innumerous solo and group exhibitions at galleriesthroughout California. She has been the recipient of nine awards for the design of her Web sitewww.elizabethhack.com.

Server YourselfYour Web site starts with a Web address. The best address is your own — your first and last name. You can purchase your name as a URL from networksolutions.com.

Once you have purchased a Web address, youwill need to find someone to host your Website. A good place to start is with your InternetService Provider (ISP). They usually offer Website hosting services where you can rent spacefrom their server. They will allow you tounlimited access to dial in, upload your artwork,and update it regularly. Prices range from $10 to $40/month for this type of Web site, butthere are essentially no limitations on the amountof space you can use.

A cheaper way to go is to create a Web sitethrough AOL, Yahoo, or most e-mail accountproviders. Each has its own standards, but allwill give you less space. If you’re creating yourWeb site via an e-mail service, your Web sitename will be a function of your email address (ie www.emailaccountprovider.com/yourname). If you’re comfortable having 10 or fewer of yourimages on your Web site, this will still be enoughspace (copy and links take up very little space).

Want a shortcut to all of this? Try the freewww.myspace.com — a hot new resource for artists trying to create an audience. Much likethe much ballyhooed Friendster.com, Myspace is an ideal place for musicians to share theirwork (but anyone can join). Musicians canupload samples of their music, artists can uploadimages, and the site includes bulletin boardswhere you can track your audience. Many newpop and rock bands are using Myspace to create a following. Alternative Rock legend R.E.M.recently uploaded its own “myspace” area totake advantage of this cutting-edge audience.

10 winter 2004

VSA arts recently sent some of our readers’ mostcommon questions to Karen Martin and Mark Bacak,two communications public affairs specialists of the SocialSecurity Administration (SSA). Below are their responses.

Q: I recently received a fellowship (or artist-in-residency) that will pay me a lump sum well abovethe limit. Does the fellowship count as ‘substantialgainful activity’ even though it is a one-time honor?How will it affect my benefits?

Since the provisions for fellowships vary, each case has to be evaluated individually. SSA follows the IRSdefinition of fellowships that are granted from thegovernment, nonprofit agencies, or private concerns,which enable individuals to further their educationand training. There are a few general guidelines thatmay help individuals understand the impact that a fel-lowship may have on benefits.

Any portion of the fellowship which is used for tuition,school fees, or other educational expenses is excludable

as income. Allowable expenses also include: carfare,stationary supplies, and impairment-related expenses thatare needed to attend school or perform school work.

Earned income is the amount of the fellowship that isnot considered an allowable expense as listed above.Earned income is used to determine trial work period(TWP) service months, substantial gainful activity (SGA),and in the calculation of supplemental security income(SSI) benefit calculation.

Q: I do not have enough money to pay for suppliessuch as paintbrushes and business cards to get mycareer moving. Do these supplies count underImpairment-Related Work Expenses (IRWE) or the PASS plan? What about assistive technology that will enhance my ability to paint, such asadaptive canvases and an accessible van to get totrade shows and craft fairs (IRWE)? What if I need to take business courses to start my career, willthey cover that?

The Supplemental Security Income (SSI) work incentive,Plan for Achieving Self Support (PASS), allows anindividual to set aside his/her own income and/orresources to purchase items needed to reach a workgoal. For example, an individual whose goal was to be a self-employed artist could set aside the money neededto pay for supplies, business cards, transportation,necessary course work or other items needed to reachhis/her work goal.

The money must be kept in a separate bank account, and cannot be used for anything other than the items specified in the PASS plan. Only individuals whoreceive SSI or who can qualify for SSI can have a PASS.The PASS plan has to be approved by Social Security.

For more detailed information on PASS go to thework incentives segment of SSA’s Resources Toolkiton their Website at www.socialsecurity.gov/work, orread the publication Working While Disabled, A Guideto Plans for Achieving Self Support located atwww.ssa.gov/pubs/11017.html.

In order for these supplies to be excluded as an IRWE,they would have to be work- and disability-relatedexpenses. For example, special tools that have to beadapted for a person with disabilities could be considered

Social Security Weighs In on Common Artist IssuesSpecific Answers, Web Resources Help Artists With Disabilities

Heather J. Kirk, From One Lily Pad to Another, color photography

and digital manipulation, 23.5˝ x 18.5,˝ 2003

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as an IRWE, as opposed to a tool that would be used inthe same way by any artist that would not be consideredan IRWE.

Q: I do not have collateral or a credit history toobtain the necessary funds to start my own business in the arts. Does Social Security know of a way toestablish a loan for this purpose? Could they backme for such a loan or serve as my representative?(Such as Handicap Assistance Loans through SBA?)

See the answer to the preceding question re: Plan forAchieving Self Support (PASS). Social Security does not have loans, does not recommend loans, or have any institutional capability to refer people to pay forloans. Your local vocational rehabilitation office mayhave information on loans.

Some folks have used a PASS to pay off a loan. For example, taking out a tuition loan (on your own), but using income or resources set aside in a PASS to payoff the loan.

Q: A career in the fine arts is characterized byirregular payments. How will such payments, thatmight be in large or small sums, be perceived in the Trial Work Period?

The Trial Work Period (TWP) is based on “services,”which means the activity in employment or self-employment that is performed for pay or gain. For self-employment, the work activity constitutes “services” if the net earnings exceed the dollar amount in a calendarmonth or if the individual spends more than the amountof designated hours in that month in the work activity.

For artists, it would appear as though the hours spent in the self-employment work activity would be the firstmeasure used for determining TWP service months.However it may be necessary to compute the TWPmoney amounts from the monetary compensation. If it is not possible to determine the net earnings for aparticular month of self-employment due to irregularpayments, the net earnings for the entire period of self-employment activity can be divided by the months ofself-employment to find net earnings per month.

The TWP service month dollar amount changes eachyear (began changing in 2001). The 2004 amount is

Janet Ahrens, Storm, mixed media, 24” x 12”, 2004

See Social Security, page 13

$580 per month; it will be $590 in 2005. The SelfEmployment Income (SEI) hours in self-employment for service months increased from 40 hours to 80hours effective 2001. The 80 hours has stayed at 80 ever since then. Please note that exceeding$580/month or working in excess of 80 hours does not stop your checks in the TWP. It just means that you are using up a trial work month. After the TWP is over, if you exceed $810 ($830 next year) you run the risk of losing benefits.

Q: I understand that a PASS plan is the best way to get my career in art moving. Who do I contact to get this support? Are there other groups that can help me achieve a business in the arts?

For general PASS information you may contact your local Social Security office or call our toll-freetelephone number at 1.800.772.1213. For moredetailed information you may contact the SocialSecurity PASS cadre in your area. To find the cadreclosest to you go to www.socialsecurity.gov/work/ResourcesToolkit/cadre.html. Your local Benefits,Planning, Assistance and Outreach (BPAO) agency or your local vocational rehabilitation agency may beable to help you with your PASS. Find yours atwww.ssa.gov/work/ServiceProviders/bpaofactsheet.html

12 winter 2004

Forum, continued from page 3

of people with disabilities.” While public education is definitely necessary, it’s not clear who wouldfinance the development of a marketing strategy or its implementation.

Other suggestions posed by the forum participantsinclude providing public and private agencies withincentives to offer people with disabilities employmentopportunities, and to provide artists with disabilitiestechnical assistance, such as training on grant proposals.

Mentoring was suggested as a possible solution. Inaddition to identifying qualified mentors for interestedartists with disabilities, the forum participants suggestedproviding training to the potential mentors.

Some other suggestions made include:

Create festivals or folk art fairs and invite artists with disabilities to sell their art.

Create an association of artists with disabilities tosupport each other, develop fundraising activities,advocate for their rights, and join forces to getincluded among the artistic segment of our society.

Provide classes and workshops on self-employment,the Department of Vocational Rehabilitation, SocialSecurity, and the Small Business Administration toeducate artists with disabilities.

What do YOU think?We asked a selection of our readers to find out whatthey think about the arts community and their careers.

The 12 artists surveyed were photographers, musi-cians, dancers, actors, painters, and poets. They represented a broad demographic and varying lev-els of professional success.

Among these artists, the most frequently cited barriersto getting a job in the arts were lack of funding forthe arts and artists with disabilities, fear of losinggovernment assistance such as SSDI, and the arts notbeing seen as a viable career path. Artists surveyedwere asked to select the top three barriers from a listof nine possibilities, which also included (in order ofselection by surveyed) lack of collaboration betweenarts organizations and artists with disabilities, insuf-ficient training/education, lack of skills/work experi-ence, need for accommodation, lack of transporta-tion, and physical accessibility of venues.

The vast majority of artists surveyed saw positivechange happening, and only one artist had lostmoney as a result of his artistic endeavors.

When asked if they felt properly trained relative totheir non-disabled peers the overwhelming majoritygave an emphatic “yes.” Two artists even said they were overtrained.

Jessica Keller, Tahitian Wash Day, watercolor, 18˝ x 22,˝ 1998

Lisamarie Brady, Peekaboo, black and white photography,

6˝ x 4˝, 2002

work. Contact your local county assistance office to find out if you live in an area with other assistance.

Q: Most of the representatives that I have approacheddo not understand that a career in the arts is alegitimate way of making a living. Is there informationthat I may provide to my SSA representative or Voc Rehab counselor that will reinforce this truth?

Obviously there are careers in the arts. The ultimategoal of Social Security’s work incentives is independence.A person who is planning a career in the arts should beprepared to demonstrate that this career will lead toindependence prior to speaking to a Social Securityemployee. A well-prepared case with facts, examplesand documentation is almost always compelling. SocialSecurity claims representatives have to be wise stewards of the public funds. They do strive to be fair. Nearly allSSA employees will respond favorably to a well-docu-mented and realistic vocational goal. ◆

Your local community college, or your local office ofthe Small Business Administration (SBA) (www.sba.gov)or SCORE chapter (www.score.org) may also be able tohelp you with your plan to establish a business in the arts.

Note: SSI recipients who are thinking about a career inthe arts should take a look at SSA’s Spotlight on Incomefrom the Arts to see how work can affect their SSI check.The spotlight is located at www.ssa.gov/notices/supplemental-security-income/spotlights/spot-arts-income.htm.

Q: My biggest fear in starting a career in the arts isthe thought that I may lose my health benefits underMedicare. Are there alternative benefits that I mightexplore that will not be affected if I become self-sus-taining and lose Social Security?

Under the provisions of PL 106-170 (The Ticket toWork and Self-Sufficiency Act), Medicare benefits wereextended for Title II disability insurance beneficiaries.Even though cash benefits may cease, Medicare coverage(note, the beneficiary has to pay the monthly premiumfor Part B) is extended for 93 months after the TrialWork Period, if the individual continues to be disabled.

Following the end of the extended period of Medicarecoverage, an individual can purchase both the Part Aand Part B coverage. However, there is a substantialpremium for this coverage.

Some states, under PL 106-170, have developed otherhealth care assistance for individuals with disabilities who

“If you are a talented performer

I find the community comes to you.”

– Benita Gold-Slater, saxophonist

When asked if their artistic work enhanced or hin-dered their financial situation, only two artists sur-veyed said their work hindered their financial situa-tion. This runs counter to the commonly held fear(even among these artists) that they would lose bene-fits if they earned money through their art.

Only one artist surveyed took part in a forum.

Answers were evenly split when asked if they wereinvolved in an artistic community or network of any kind. It was the same when asked if they were currently mentored or mentoring. Half werementoring or being mentored, half were not. ◆

Social Security, continued from page 11

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career survey

career survey

career survey

career survey

career surveycareer surveyTake Part In the Survey

What’s it really like for you?

Go to www.vsarts.org/prebuilt/

artists/career_survey.cfm

and complete the survey discussed

in this story. Help us to know what

your personal experiences are as an

artist with a disability.

1300 Connecticut Avenue, NW, Suite 700Washington, D.C. 20036

An Information Bulletin for Visual Artists Provided by VSA arts Winter 2004

“It is my belief that the naturalhuman condition is one of disability—physical, emotional, spiritual. We all

have areas in our lives that separate usone from another. While we all may bein different parts of the boat, I believe

that by and large we all are in that same boat.”

Jon-Michael Hernandez,Actor, Director, Producer and

Admissions Counselor for the American Academy of Dramatic Arts the palette ph

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