WASHINGTON, DC.- VSA arts today announced the Start With the Arts Family Festival will be hosted at Union Station on June 10 and 11, for children and families from all over the Washington, DC area. A free preview outdoor concert at McPherson Square Park on Thursday, June 9 will feature performances by VSA arts artists: award-winning country music singer/songwriter, Laura Dodd, and famed recording artist Raul Midon. The concert times: noon to 2:00 p.m.

The Festival will open Friday, June 10, at 9:30 a.m. with art activities for area school children, teachers and parents. Then at 1:00 p.m., there will be a celebrity story hour. Celebrities -- congressional, television, and hometown -- will read stories and poems to children who come down to Union Station.

On Saturday, June 11, there will be a day of music and live stage performances by Joint Forces Dance Company, Peter Cook, Kids on the Block, Dave Biro and Imagination Stage performing "Perfectly Persephone." Throughout the month "Discover What Art Is ... " a children's art exhibit -- the result of a nationwide call for art -- will be on display. "Discover What Art Is..." will be on exhibit from June 6 -- June 26.

This weekend celebration of children's imaginations will highlight the importance of the arts in learning, beginning in early childhood. Named for the VSA arts instructional resource that combines literacy and family involvement with arts based teaching, the Start with the Arts Family Festival will not only give children interactive art experience but also provide parents and teachers with ideas and instructional materials to help their children learn at home and in the classroom. Children will explore their creativity in drawing, painting, writing and performing projects. Families will experience interactive learning with the arts in music, drama, printmaking and collage.

"Start With the Arts has been engaging children, with and without disabilities, for over a decade," said Soula Antoniou, President of VSA arts. "The Start With the Arts Family Festival is a two day celebration of access and the arts. I hope everyone comes down to Union Station and joins in the fun."