ART FOR HONOR

A 2019 Veterans Affairs study found that approximately twenty-two veterans commit suicide every day. Our veterans need support and community to help them move forward. As a social practice artist, veteran spouse, and Navy mother, I’ve learned that art has potential to bring healing to anyone. In 2019, for the international ArtPrize event hosted in Grand Rapids, I first met with Kent County Veteran Services to discuss art initiatives aimed at helping veterans heal from the trauma they experienced while serving our country.

YELLOW RIBBON
Inspired by the tradition of tying yellow ribbons to trees as a way to welcome returning service members home, my Yellow Ribbon Project began as a series of workshops for veterans and their families. Participants painted and collaged paper over abstract tree structures. Parts of the veterans’ stories, which I collected while interviewing them, were included on the wooden sculptures. These stories quickly became connection points for veterans who identified with each other’s struggles, internal battles, and isolation. Visitors to the final exhibition could express their gratitude by writing notes on yellow ribbons. Over the next three years, we collected nearly 30,000 yellow ribbons, which were included in care packages to deployed soldiers

VOICES
With the success of the Yellow Ribbon, I pitched the Voices project, a new vision of filling Veterans Memorial Park with art created by veterans. The exhibit showcased the work of twenty-two veterans who served in World War II, Vietnam, Iraq, Afghanistan, and during peacetime. Their exhibit raised awareness for their struggles with PTSD, military sexual trauma, veteran suicide, and alcohol or prescription drugs.

Initially, one artist turned down my invitation to participate, because he wanted to avoid the painful memories of his combat experience decades earlier. After he finally agreed to show his artwork and learned the stories of the other veterans, he realized he wasn’t alone. The experience allowed him and others to begin the recovery process together. It took courage for these veterans to be vulnerable in such a public setting, but the risk helped them find a new sense of belonging.

ART FOR HONOR
These previous exhibits provided a pathway for the next healing project: Art for Honor. For ArtPrize 2024, Art for Honor will continue to feature veteran artwork and stories at Veterans Memorial Park. This new project gives our heroes a chance to be heard and understood, and more importantly, it allows them to experience hope.

One veteran said, “The art project gave me a reason to get out of bed in the morning and put my feet on the floor. This opportunity started my healing journey and gave me a sense of purpose.” When we reach out to understand each other, we can all use our unique gifts and experiences to help others move forward.

Healing in Arts

HONOR AND RESPECT

Mrs. Etsuko Shimada, a Japanese artist from Tokyo, hand-painted the kanji symbols shown in my book, Sushi the Cat, with a soft brush and black ink. These kanji symbols represent the idea of respect. Respect for parents. Respect for friends. Respect for all people. We would like to thank Mrs. Etsuko Shimada for her kindness in sharing her beautiful art. Through her painting, Mrs. Etsuko Shimada reminds us of the importance of showing others honor, respect, and value.

See Sushi the Cat at ArtPrize
September 14 to October 1, 2023
Courage & Soar, 40 Monroe Center St, Ste 104, Grand Rapids

Thank you for purchasing and reading Sushi the Cat. If you found value in reading about honor and respect, please consider sharing the book with friends and leaving a review online. Your feedback and support are appreciated.

Click here for further educational and DIY projects on respect and friendship.

THE INSPIRATION BEHIND THE BOOK

“When Ella dips her finger into the swirl of whipped cream,
I lick my lips.

When Ella looks at the whipped cream,
she licks her lips.

Then Ella leans down and gives ME the big swirl of whipped cream.
On HER birthday.”

Sushi the Cat was inspired while I worked for my church as a conversational English teacher in Japan, where I met my husband. Thirty years later after our daughter and her family moved to Tokyo, I traveled to Japan again. Experiencing the extraordinary kindness and respect of the Japanese people inspired me to share those values through this story about my granddaughter and her cat, “Sushi.”

I wrote and illustrated Sushi the Cat in honor of my parents, John and Marilyn, who cultivated my artistic gift from a very young age.

See Sushi the Cat at ArtPrize
September 14 to October 1, 2023
Courage & Soar, 40 Monroe Center St, Ste 104, Grand Rapids

Thank you for purchasing and reading Sushi the Cat. If you found value in reading about honor and respect, please consider sharing the book with friends and leaving a review online. Your feedback and support are appreciated.

Click here for further educational and DIY projects on respect and friendship.

MY TEST OF HONOR

“Sushi, it’s my birthday! I’m so excited. Mama is taking me to Mrs. Takahara’s Bakery this afternoon to buy my birthday treat. A big, chocolate cupcake. With a huge swirl of whipped cream. And then a strawberry on top. But you can’t come, Sushi. Cats aren’t allowed.”

All day, Ella talks about the cupcake. The strawberry. AND the swirl of whipped cream.

Sushi the Cat was first inspired when I lived alone in Japan years ago. The Japanese people helped me when I became lost and felt very small. On several occasions, a kind stranger led me through a maze of tunnels to help me find the right train. Overwhelmed by the Japanese code of respect, I wondered, How far would I go to show kindness to a stranger?

LEARNING TO PUT OTHERS FIRST
One test of honor came decades later while watching a Thanksgiving parade with my grandchildren. We eagerly grabbed the candy tossed from the floats. But halfway through, I realized that the children behind us hadn’t gotten any candy. Their culture taught them to stand politely and stay within their boundaries. My lack of awareness of others saddened me. So, my grandchildren and I gathered more candy to share with these children.

In Sushi the Cat, a friendship develops through mishaps and adventures that finally unite Ella and her cat, Sushi. Ella starts out by relating to Sushi according to what she prefers to do. But in the end, Ella learns how to put Sushi’s needs before her own.

Like Ella, we can learn how to help others feel loved, valued, and appreciated, no matter what differences separate us. By sharing the best part of her birthday treat with her cat, Ella shows honor and respect for Sushi. When interacting with others, it’s important to show that we care through our actions—big and small.

See Sushi the Cat at ArtPrize
September 14 to October 1, 2023
Courage & Soar, 40 Monroe Center St, Ste 104, Grand Rapids

Thank you for purchasing and reading Sushi the Cat. If you found value in reading about honor and respect, please consider sharing the book with friends and leaving a review online. Your feedback and support are appreciated.

Click here for further educational and DIY projects on respect and friendship.

The Mosaic Within Project: A Healing in Arts Collaboration with Mel Trotter Ministries

The Mosaic Within project, a community-based work, brought together people from all walks of life to form a display of colorful patterns, unity, and hope. Throughout the summer, we hosted art workshops at multiple locations with local community members and the individuals served by Mel Trotter Ministries. Participants hand-painted small Plexiglas tiles to be added to the mystery artwork.

The final mosaic design of 324 uniquely painted tiles will be revealed at The B.O.B. on Sunday, September 17, 2023 and displayed for the rest of September in the lower-level brewery. In October, the work will be donated to Mel Trotter Ministries, a local mission committed to helping individuals who are experiencing hunger and homelessness.

 

Healing in Arts

Healing in Arts creates art experiences to build hope, care, and connection in under-served communities, including special needs kids, incarcerated teenssex trafficked youth, veterans with PTSD, and the elderly.

 

HELP SPREAD THE HEALING THROUGH ART

SUSHI THE CAT: SHOWING OTHERS RESPECT

“Ella kisses me.
She hugs me.
She pats me from head to tail.

But I don’t like to be kissed. I don’t like to be hugged.
No one ever patted me from head to tail at the Tokyo Rescue-Me-Center.”

Sushi the Cat, by author and artist Pamela Alderman, addresses respect and friendship. In the book, children will enjoy the delightful antics of Ella and her cat, Sushi, as they learn how to get along with each other. By highlighting the importance of understanding, sharing, and companionship, Sushi the Cat teaches young readers and listeners how to treat others. When we show honor and respect to others, we open the way to make new friends.

See Sushi the Cat at ArtPrize
September 14 to October 1, 2023
Courage & Soar, 40 Monroe Center St, Ste 104, Grand Rapids

Thank you for purchasing and reading Sushi the Cat. If you found value in reading about honor and respect, please consider sharing the book with friends and leaving a review online. Your feedback and support are appreciated.

Voices at ArtPrize 2022

As the Voices project took shape last year, many of the participants found a space to express their unspoken history of struggle, pain, and loss. These veterans have found it difficult to return to civilian life after risking their lives to serve our country, and some battle with alcohol or prescription drugs. But the Voices collaboration of art, creativity, and storytelling gave them a new sense of comradery and belonging.

For instance, one artist refused my invitation to participate multiple times, because he wanted to avoid the painful memories of his combat experience decades earlier. When he finally agreed to participate, he came to me in tears a few days into the exhibition, and thanked me for the opportunity to connect with other veterans. In spending time with the other veterans, he realized that he wasn’t alone. These new friendships created an opportunity for many veterans to continue the recovery process together.

This collection of art created by the veteran artists provides a pathway to healing by allowing an underserved population to be seen, heard, and understood. It creates a place for the veterans and the visitors to experience hope.

Three members of our Voices 2022 team

A special thanks to Kent County Veterans Services, Michigan Veterans Affairs Agency, The Home Depot, PlexiCase Inc., Moonlight Graphics Inc., Frames Unlimited, and Healing in Arts for making this collaboration of veteran stories possible.