Very Special Arts Gallery

North Fourth Art Center is a contemporary art center with a social mission. Our independent nonprofit name is VSA arts of New Mexico ( VSA NM ), affiliated with the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, DC. Our center is dedicated to full accessibility in the arts for people of all abilities, ages, cultures and income levels. Since 1981, we have focused on providing arts education and exhibition opportunities for adults with developmental disabilities. Over the years the VSA Day Arts Program has grown from serving three to five individuals each day to serving a total enrollment of nearly 200. Day Arts offers visual and performing arts classes in everything from Ceramics and Painting, to Sewing and Musical Theater.North Fourth Art Center also provides outreach classes in the arts and offers evening and weekend programs on site, such as Arts Adventures, a program for children with Autism Spectrum Disorder, and Expressions, an art class for people with mental health concerns.In 2005-06 we renovated our building to become a fully inclusive art center. ( Construction of N4th Theater & Gallery was made possible through funding by the State of New Mexico Legislature and the City of Albuquerque. ) N4th Theater is a state-of-the-art, fully accessible 4, 000-square-foot black box theater that produces challenging and adventurous contemporary performing arts productions and events, hosts three resident companies and serves as a community arts, culture and education resource.