User:JKizzieHumanities/Arts Equity

Arts Equity, formerly VSA Arts Rhode Island is a non-profit organization that connects people with disabilities with the arts through education, advocacy and programs. It was described by U.S. Representative David Cicciline as "one of the leading advocates for individuals with disabilities."

Arts Equity was established as VSA Arts in Rhode Island was established in 1986 as part of the national program Very Special Arts and became a non-profit organization in 1988. In 2020, the organization was renamed Arts Equity.

The organization runs multiple programs, including Access The Arts, a program that funds arts-in-education in Rhode Island schools, Chance to Dance, a collaboration with the Rhode Island Dance Alliance that holds dance classes for children at the Providence Performing Arts Center; and the Artist's Register, a directory of artists and arts organizations serving people with disabilities in Rhode Island. Arts Equity holds the annual Paul V. Sherlock Memorial Art Show, featuring the artwork of physically and mentally disabled people.

Jeannine L. Chartier, Executive and Artistic Director of Arts Equity, received the Pell Award for Outstanding Leadership in the Arts for her work at VSA Arts Rhode Island in 2018.