Annie Geselle
Canvas Director
annie@canvasarts.org
907-586-1750

The Canvas was founded in 2006 as the community outreach and day habilitation program for REACH, and independent non-profit organization serving people who experience disabilities since 1970. The Canvas continues to provide dayhab services to those who are interested. Through the generous support and open mindedness of our community, REACH has been able to serve people with disabilities in a more engaging and inclusive way. Daily interactions between artists with disabilities and other community artists provide invaluable experiences in education for both.

The arts are a valuable impetus for healthy living, a place where everyone can equally express themselves through their work. The range of people served by The Canvas varies incredibly in level of ability; however what these artists all share is the desire to communicate, to find their voice, and to simply be understood. This desire is fundamental to us all. Art can become the bridge that conventional language has failed to be. Through shared art experience independence emerges organically as an outcome of nurturing choices and self-expression. Art is our medium to educate people about developmental disabilities and educate people about the inherent value and contributions people who have disabilities have to offer.

Inclusion is a driving force of REACH and as such we are determined to ensure our art center truly becomes a community project and not a program just for people with disabilities. It stimulates an understanding and appreciation of the arts through the engagement of the community in creating, displaying, viewing, and participating in artistic experiences. Join us in creating a truly inclusive art space for our community.

REACH, Inc. is supported by a grant from the Alaska State Council on the Arts and the National Endowment for the Arts.

Collaborations
The Canvas has had the honor to collaborate with many well established non-profits in Juneau: the Juneau Arts & Humanities Council, Juneau-Douglas City Museum, The Alaska State Museum, Juneau Dance Unlimited & the Juneau Fine Arts Camp, Juneau Youth services, the Juneau Alliance for Mental Health, Juneau School District Special Education, Juneau School District Art Teachers (Kindergarten-High School), Perseverance Theatre, SEARHC, Tlingit & Haida, REACH Infant Learning, Support Services and Respite Programs, SAIL/ORCA (Southeast Alaska Independent Living/Outdoor Recreation Community Access), the AWARE Shelter (Aiding Women in Abuse and Rape Emergencies), the National Council on Alcoholism, and Big Brothers, Big Sisters.

Funding
Funding sources include: The Alaska Mental Health Trust Authority, The Rasmuson Foundation, The M.J. Murdock Charitable Trust, The Alaska State Council on the Arts and the National Endowment of the Arts, the Juneau Arts and Humanities Council, the Alaska Association of School Boards, the City and Borough of Juneau, the Douglas-Dornan Foundation, the Skaggs Foundation, and Northwind Architects.