Alice Marie Perreault
KS Studio - Kindred Spirits    

Alice Marie Perreault founded and directed the KS Studio in 2002 in Salt Lake City, Utah with founding support from the Utah Arts Council. In addition to UAC, KS received funding from Salt Lake City Arts, ZAP (Zoo, Arts & Parks), The George S. & Dolores D. Eccles Foundation; Kennecott Copper Foundation, Amanda P. Harris H. Simmons Foundation and private donations. KS was an accessible, independent working studio with adapted tools and equipment to accommodate a wide range of abilities. Perreault collaborated with local artists to teach quality art education to diverse groups of participants bridging the gap between families living with disabilities and families living without disabilities. Participants had hands-on experience learning about a multitude of art genres and cultures including the Arts of Mexico, Pop-Up Book Making, Japanese Brush Painting, Modified Printmaking, 20th Century Painting, Utilitarian Objects, Puppetry, African Drumming, Doll Making, Aboriginal Art and others. All lessons involved story-telling and historical references that supported the topics. Children and adults were not separated by ages or abilities. There was a-one-to-one ratio between student artists and their apprentices. Each worked at his or her own pace and no two pieces of artwork looked alike. Projects complimented school curriculum and when ever necessary, fulfilled creative school assignments. The work coming out of the KS Studio was shared with the bigger community of Salt Lake City through exhibitions, performances, book-readings, presentations and special events. Adaptive and augmentative devices, as well as, friend-partnerships provided means for every participant to have a visible or auditory voice. The KS Studio was the first of its kind and in 2008 Perreault was honored with the Governor's Leadership Award in the Arts. When Perreault moved to California in 2011 Kindred Spirits was adopted by Art Access/VSA arts of Utah and under that umbrella, KS later became the VSA Children's Workshops.

Kindred Spirits Video

KSL Reporter- Peter Rosen

Exceptional Parent Magazine

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