A Social Innovation Spotlight
We visited Vibrant Palette Arts Center (VPAC), an art-focused day program that empowers artists with disabilities, raises the visibility of their work, and builds a more inclusive arts community in Seattle. Founder and Executive Director Diane Knoll is the recipient of The Cloud Room's Social Innovation Scholarship- a program that highlights emerging leaders in community organizing, social justice, gender equity, and technology dedicated to bettering Seattle's present and future.
When asked why he enjoys art class, artist Nathan said that it “helps illustrate his world and socialize.” It didn’t take long to see that each artist was happy to be there, each with their own unique style and reason for attending.
Diane describes in her own words how Vibrant Palette came to fruition:
“As an occupational therapist, I have worked over the past 17 years with people of all ages and types of disabilities. I have always found art to be a common thread of engagement for meaningful activity in people’s lives. After years of experience working in special education, I found that as my students became closer to graduating, their families would begin to panic due to limited job and programming options once they had transitioned out of services at age 21. At the same time, I learned about Creative Growth, a visual arts day program in Oakland, California and thought that surely Seattle would offer a similar opportunity and wanted to explore volunteer options. To my dismay, our community offered nothing, and so the idea for Vibrant Palette was formed. We opened our doors in January of 2017 to two artists and have grown to fifteen artists at the beginning of 2019.”
The Cloud Room is proud to support this incredible organization, and will be hosting Bright Futures, VPAC’s Spring fundraiser, on March 24th. If you or someone you know is interested in volunteering, donating, or learning more, visit https://vibrantpalette.org/ . Vibrant Palette Arts is also currently seeking individuals to join their Board of Directors.
To learn more about the Social Innovation Scholarship, click here. We are always looking for applicants!