Nominations sought for VSA arts awards

VSA arts of New Jersey (VSA/NJ), a statewide nonprofit organization dedicated to ensuring that the arts are available and accessible to individuals with disabilities, is accepting applications for its 2004 Arts Achievement Awards.

The annual competition honors New Jersey students ages 14-21, not to exceed the twelfth-grade level, who are classified and in mainstreamed, inclusive or self-contained classes or activities. Arts Achievement Awards recipients become candidates for the New Jersey Governor’s Awards in Arts Education.

The annual VSA/NJ Arts Achievement Awards include the Student Arts Excellence Awards, which honor students who demonstrate outstanding achievement in and commitment to an art form, and the Education in the Arts Awards, which are presented to educators and administrators for establishing high-quality arts programs for classified students. The Education in the Arts Awards also recognize individuals who have demonstrated outstanding commitment to arts education for classified students.

Funding for the program is made available through the Middlesex County Cultural and Heritage Commission; the New Jersey Department of Community Affairs; the New Jersey State Council on the Arts/Department of State, a partner agency of the National Endowment for the Arts; and the central office of VSA arts, under an award from the U.S. Department of Education. VSA is an affiliate of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, Washington, D.C., and the United Way of Central Jersey.

Application deadline is Jan. 8. For applications and registration information, write to VSA arts of New Jersey, 703 Jersey Avenue, New Brunswick, NJ 08901; telephone (732) 745-3885, (732) 745-3913 (TTY); e-mail, info@vsanj.org.