Honoring Veteran Experiences: A Veterans Day Content Round-Up
First Veteran Artist-in-Residence Mark Oldland and Frontline Arts Paper Program Manager Ron Erickson pulling oversized 30”x40” sheets of Mark’s USCG Dress Blue uniform "Trop" Shirts rag pulp in the parking lot at Frontline Arts in Branchburg, NJ. These sheets will be used for a freeform pulp spray triptych piece called “Bering Sea Puddle Jump.” Mark was an E-5 2nd Class Petty Officer in the US Coast Guard. Ron was a L/Cpl. E-3 in the Marines. Photo by James Teichman
The National Endowment for the Arts recognizes, honors, and celebrates veterans year-round through our grantmaking and initiatives, in particular The Creative Forces®: NEA Military Healing Arts Network. A partnership between the NEA, Departments of Defense, and Veterans Affairs, Creative Forces seeks to improve the health, well-being, and quality of life for military and veteran populations exposed to trauma, as well as their families and caregivers.
Below, we are highlighting some of the work of the Creative Forces initiative as well as other projects and voices that address both the strengths of and unique challenges facing our veterans. This Veterans Day, we hope you will join us in reflecting on the ways in which we can continue to serve veteran populations and express our gratitude for their service to the country.
Blog: Community Engagement Grants Aim to Make a Difference
This blog is a great introduction to the Creative Forces Community Engagement Grants program and the inaugural 2022-2023 cohort of 26 grantee organizations. The grantees include Frontline Arts, which will use its $50,000 grant to present a community-oriented Veterans’ papermaking program. The photo at the top of this blog is from the program! If your organization is interested in applying for a Creative Forces Community Engagement Grant, applications are now open for the next round of funding and due by Thursday, January 19, 2023.
Podcast: Ann Meier Baker, NEA Director of Music and Opera
Our very own Ann Meier Baker, Director of Music and Opera at the NEA, sat down with our podcast host Jo Reed to discuss her time in the United States Air Force. Baker was a Singing Sergeant, one of the many ensembles of the Air Force band. In the podcast, she reflects on her experience, including attending boot camp, traveling for internationally for performances, and the impact being a Singing Sergeant had on her personally and professionally.
Blog: Moving Veterans Toward a Place of Healing
Supported by an NEA grant, Los Angeles-based DIAVOLO | Architecture in Motion offers veterans the opportunity to participate in monthly movement workshops, where they move alongside civilian dancers including DIAVOLO company members. According to founder and artistic director Jacques Heim, the ultimate goal of the program, known as Veterans Project, is “restoration” – restoration of confidence, restoration of strength, and restoration of who veterans might have been physically, mentally, and emotionally before experiencing the trauma of war.
Podcast: Lynn Hill, Air Force veteran, author, and performer
Lynn Hill joined the podcast to discuss her participation in Holding it Down, a theatrical project that was based on actual conversations with veterans of color who have served in Iraq and Afghanistan. On the podcast, Hill speaks about the conflicts her military duty caused within her, and how she has moved through those conflicts, and expressing those experiences creatively.
Virtual Exhibit: Creative Forces: Healing the Invisible Wounds of War
This interactive virtual exhibit features artwork by veterans and active duty service members who are current or former patients of art therapy, music therapy, and/or dance/movement therapy as part of the Creative Forces initiative. The artworks on display offer insights into wartime experience as well as demonstrate the enormous artistic talent of these individuals. There is also information on the physical, emotional, and social impact of creative arts therapies, developed through the research component of Creative Forces.
