Upstream Arts uses the power of the creative arts to activate and amplify the voice and choice of individuals with disabilities.
Joy is a Creative Act
Invest in Artful Advocacy with our Disability Community.
Our new 2020-2021 Annual Report is here!
Featuring stories, financials, quotes, photos and more from a year like no other. Read about our work in this beautiful report available in accessible PDF, screen reader-friendly text, and – coming soon! – narrated audio.
WHAT WE DO:
Browse our library of 30+ short arts-learning videos that you can do at home!
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“Julie and I created Upstream Arts because we recognized that at the core of engagement and communication is a give and take, an action and reaction, a listening and responding. We knew from personal experience that the arts were a perfect medium through which to practice these fundamental human skills.”
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At the source of the river’s current
When we build a foundation and practice around consent, children will know how to recognize when their bodies are being disrespected. If they have experienced positive relationships where their boundaries are respected, they will be able to recognize when a relationship doesn’t feel safe.
In Small Moments: Self Advocacy is (an) Art
Video highlight reel from Upstream Arts' late 2020/early 2021 online classes for and with adults with disabilities. July 1st, 2021 marked the first...
We’re hiring! Apply now for our Administrative Coordinator position
We're hiring! Apply now for our Administrative Coordinator position Administrative CoordinatorAccepting applications through July 23, 2021 Reports...
Let’s Re•Focus One More Time
Let’s Re•Focus, One More Time Before we officially close out our 2020-21 fiscal year, our 15th year and one that has been like no other, I want to...
You are your #1 advocate
Self-Advocacy is (an) art This summer, Upstream Arts is launching our NEW Self-Advocacy programming, revolutionizing Self-Advocacy through the arts....
You’re invited to The Art of We: Re•Focus
Exhibit & Event Premiere: APRIL 29, 20216-7PM CST Available to view until exhibit closes on June 30. OnlineFreeFamily-Friendly Closed...
The Art of Relationships: An Interview with Lindsey Samples and Evie Digirolamo
Read about our theme and goals for our year of (R)evolution.
There is Beauty in Both Spaces: An Interview with Cristina Castro
Read about our theme and goals for our year of (R)evolution.
Learning from Upstream Arts’ Self-Advocacy Classes
The biggest question I ask myself is: Am I taking short cuts with my support of Joe’s right to choose in favor of my own convenience?
In Small Moments: Finding a shared language through play
It’s difficult to define what play is, but for us, every moment of communication is a form of play, and an opportunity to discover meaning in our actions and expressions. Giving and receiving, an ordering of actions taken, a familiar structure from which we derive meaning, this is the base form through which we build play.
15 years and 10,000 hours
June 30, 2021 marks the completion of 15 years of Upstream Arts working with and alongside people with disabilities of all ages to share creative...