Transformations

Warrior Art is about many things. One of the most powerful themes is transformation. Transforming a personal narrative, a story of pain, of hope, of support. Transforming awareness and public knowledge about war and service. Using the various media of art to take personal experience and give it a new, more powerful sense of place, of identity. Here are a few more projects and organizations for our growing list....

Transforming the Uniform:
If you don't know about the Combat Paper Project yet, you're missing out!
http://www.combatpaper.org/
But also check out the documentary work of Sara Nesson, Iraq Paper Scissors
http://web.mac.com/snesson/iWeb/iraqpaperscissors/Home.html

The devastating impacts of Military Sexual Trauma are, thankfully, more in the public consciousness now. And thanks to amazing people like Regina Vasquez and the Fatigues Clothesline organization, uniform transformation is offering a pathway to visibility and healing.
http://www.fatiguesclothesline.com/

 Transforming Story:
Whether from mind to page, or page to stage; the warrior's story of service and homecoming are the heart of this movement.
-  Veteran's PTSD Project
http://veteransptsdproject.com/index.php

A couple of additions from the performance world:
- Vet Art Project Seattle 
http://web.mac.com/c.e.b/iWeb/Site%202/Vet%20Art%20Project%20Seattle.html
(and make sure to see the Vet Art Project USA site for a list of all the projects in other cities too  http://www.vetartproject.com/usa.html)

- Veterans' Memorial Theatre Company
http://veteransmemorialtheatercompany.art.officelive.com/default.aspx

 Transforming Community Space
Using mural art to transform community spaces is not a new idea. In fact it may be one of the OLDEST ideas! In my opinion, no one is doing this on a more incredible and expansive scale than the Mural Arts Program in Philadelphia. Check out one of their latest projects in partnership with Warrior Writers called  
Our City, Our Vets.
http://muralarts.org/ourcityourvets

And speaking of Warrior Writers, make sure to get your copy of their latest published anthology After Action Review. 
http://www.warriorwriters.org/home.html

 A REMINDER:
1) Check out the first blog post. It's a good intro to what this blog is all about.
2) Post comments with your thoughts, reactions, ideas, and other projects that people should know about.

Thanks!

David

War, Medicine, Art

Wounded in Action: An Art Exhibition of Orthopaedic Advancements
http://www.woundedinactionart.org/

 "All of the artists in Wounded in Action: An Art Exhibition of Orthopaedic Advancements have explored, both literally and figuratively, their feelings toward the loss of limbs and other musculoskeletal wounds - the majority of which are the result of war. The artists include military personnel who live with orthopaedic injuries and family members who helped them through their recovery process. Orthopaedic surgeons who treat wounded military and civilians and whose lives have been affected by war and their own experience with such injuries are also artists in this exhibition."
 

The List

Hello All,

So here we go....I will add more info about each of these and reorganize it soon, but for the purpose of getting started, here's the list in no particular order. Also, if you are a member/organizer of one of these groups or projects, please feel free to write a comment with some key details:

Vet Art Project        

http://www.vetartproject.com/

Warrior Writers

http://www.warriorwriters.org/home.html

National Veterans Art Museum

http://nvvam.org/index.php

Warrior Art Studio

http://warriorartsstudio.com/

 

To The Fallen Records

www.tothefallenrecords.com

(recording company by and for veteran musicians)

Combat Paper Project

http://www.combatpaper.org/

Wounded Artist Project

http://thewoundedartistproject.org/

Art of the American Soldier

http://www.constitutioncenter.org/artoftheamericansoldier/

Veteran Open Mic Project

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/collectivearts/the-veterans-open-mic-project

Theater of War

http://www.outsidethewirellc.com/projects/theater-of-war/overview

Operation First Casualty (guerrilla street theater project carried out in many cities by members of IVAW, Iraq Veterans Against the War)

http://www.ivaw.org/

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_m8Ys2F1Tiw  (example from Hartford, CT)

Also be sure to check out the new film "This is Where We Take Our Stand"
http://thisiswherewetakeourstand.com/

Graffiti of War

http://www.graffitiofwar.com/index.html

War Fighter's, INK

http://www.graffitiofwar.com/warfighters-ink.html

Veterans Art Foundation

http://www.veteransartfoundation.org/index.html

Exit 12 Dance Company

http://www.exit12danceco.com/Site/Exit%2012%20Dance%20Co.html

DON'T WAIT!
GET CONNECTED!
GET INVOLVED!
ADD TO THIS LIST!
START WITNESSING WHAT THIS MOVEMENT IS DOING!

More soon.....

David

A Place to Connect and Share

Hello and Welcome!!!

I am starting this blog with one basic and focused purpose:
To create a full and living list of all the current (and recent) art projects/initiatives/organizations/collectives that are focused on using the arts to give voice to the warrior's experience and connect that voice to our communities. 

There is a movement that has existed since the first time a warrior carved or painted their story on a rock or in the dirt. This movement has always been about sharing the pure voice of the person who has lived through sacrifice, service, and pain. Sharing these voices and experiences THROUGH ART with the broader community is a critial part of our collective understanding of war and service, and most importantly a critical part of a warriors homecoming (whatever that homecoming entails). Some of the narratives remain the same through time. We need look no farther than the work of Sophocles and other ancient warrior-artists to discover this fact.

Narratives become performance, visual art, graffiti, tattoo, dance, sculpture, poetry, prose, song, and more.
Now we have the internet. We have social media. We have the means of sharing and connecting art and community in amazing and creative ways. Now in this landscape, after 11 years of prolonged American wartime, there is a newly invigorated movement arising. I created this blog and common space to honor that movement and help connect anyone, anywhere, that is a part of it. My hope is that this may be one of many spaces on the Web that helps connect people to all things WarriorArt related. My hope is that we learn more and more about what the organizations and projects in this movement are doing, and connect to one another in solidarity.

DISCLAIMER:  I have no political or organizational agenda here. My motivations are simply to collect and share information, and help promote the wide array of groups and organizations that already exist that are working to grow this movement. There are many parts of this movement. Some projects are all about memorial, some about finding a new life, some about social change, about personal healing, about activism, about growing community.... My hope is that this space (and whatever it grows into!) is welcome to all of these.

Thank you for what you do. Thank you for reading these words. Thank you for helping add to this effort.

I will start off with a list of links to the organizations I have been a part of, learned about, or found. IF YOU ARE A PART OF, OR KNOW ABOUT, A GROUP OR PROJECT THAT IS NOT YET POSTED, PLEASE ADD THE LINK, THE ART ITSELF, OR ANY KEY INFO.

In service and art,

David