Please note:  Proof of vaccination for those eligible is required.  Masks are optional but encouraged.

Join us for a talk led by Margaret Keller, Executive Director of Community Access to the Arts (CATA), a nonprofit that nurtures and celebrates the creativity of people with disabilities. Throughout the year, CATA provides vibrant arts programs to more than 800 people across our community - children, teens, and adults with developmental and intellectual disabilities, elders with Alzheimer's and dementia, and people with acquired or traumatic brain injuries. Through a rich array of art workshops - in painting, dance, theater, singing, drumming, juggling, yoga, creative writing, and more - CATA artists explore new talents and share their unique points of view. Public events, including CATA's annual performance, art exhibits, and poetry readings, bring our whole community into the act and shine a light on the ability within disability. In this discussion, we'll explore how the arts can foster inclusion and give us access to stories and perspectives we might not otherwise see.

Executive Director since 2014, Margaret previously served as Foundations Relationship Manager at Bard College at Simon’s Rock, as a grants writer, and as the associate producer of the Chicago Humanities Festival.  She received her MA and Ph.D. (ABD) in English from the University of Chicago, a certificate in non-profit management from Harvard Business School, and a BA from the University of Virginia.

This free program is part of the Federation’s Connecting With Community Series and will be followed by a kosher hot lunch. Lunch is a $3 suggested donation for adults over 60 years of age or $7 for all others. Advance reservations are required for lunch and can be made by calling (413) 442-2200 before 9 a.m. on the day of the program.