The 27th annual “Very Special Arts Festival” (VSAF) celebrates the artistic achievements of students with disabilities. VSAF promotes arts, education, and creative expression involving people with disabilities thereby improving the quality of life for all people of Tennessee. Activities are designed to create and support avenues of creative expression for people with disabilities; to promote disability awareness of creative endeavors; to help eliminate barriers for people with disabilities through the arts; and to support the efforts of professional artists with disabilities.

VSAF also demonstrates the impact of the arts in developing artistic responsiveness and increasing general learning achievement among students with disabilities. VSAF gives over 400 exceptional students in Knox County Schools the opportunity celebrate their accomplishments in music, dance, and the visual arts. This exhibition highlights the accomplishments of students that have participated in the visual arts workshops of VSAF over the past 27 years.

The Very Special Arts Festival at West High School on April 23 is filled with a variety of experiences in music, dance, drama, and the visual arts, and workshops, demonstrations, exhibits, and performances by disabled and non-disabled children and youth. Arts teachers, special education teachers, and artists are all elements of the festival.