-Creating Connections to and through Accessible Arts
(Tampa, FL) May 21, 2021
Arts4All Florida is celebrating 40 years as the leading resource on access and inclusion in the arts throughout the state of Florida. Through April 2022, they will honor their groundbreaking history, and ongoing commitment to deliver outstanding art programming that is accessible to all.
“We’re remarkably different from that young organization founded in the ‘80s.” Wendy Finklea, former Program Director shares, “Still one of Florida’s best kept secrets, our goal as we celebrate our 40th Anniversary, is to share monthly insights via our Website , Facebook , Instagram, and YouTube into the recently rebranded nonprofit we’ve become and what we offer our communities.”
Since 1981, the laser-focused organization has continually raised the bar on inclusion, equity, and access in the arts. “For 40 years Arts4All Florida has been a leader at the state and national level for bringing high quality, innovative and meaningful programs by and for people with disabilities of all ages. When a mother says, ‘I didn’t know my child could paint-dance-sing’, you know you’ve helped make a difference,” writes Marian Winters, former Executive Director.
Headquartered in the College of Education at the University of South Florida, Tampa, Arts4All Florida is a nonprofit organization that believes arts education and cultural experiences provide tools for learning that ultimately deliver a stronger quality of life. “The creative works of these remarkable artists attest to the power of education to open pathways to deepen understanding, communication, and appreciation for talent in all its forms. The College of Education is proud to be the home of Arts4All Florida,” Judith Ponticell, Ph.D., professor and interim dean of the USF College of Education acknowledges.
The organization’s pivotal professional development program has trained thousands of classroom teachers, cultural organization educators, and teaching artists on best practices and transformative strategies in providing arts education to their students with disabilities. From their signature Artist in Residence programs to rich community-based offerings that engage people of every age and ability, Arts4All Florida strives to reach anyone with or without a disability interested in
experiencing or exploring the arts.
“It’s been such an honor to take this incredible organization the directors and staff created before me and grow it into the powerhouse we are today,” comments Jennifer Sabo, current Arts4All Florida Executive Director. “I couldn’t be prouder of how our staff pivoted during the pandemic and how we’ve created so many new programs that will continue even once we are back to in-person programs.”