Kindness matters. The paintings of the koi fish swimming against the strong currents in Color Me Orange—Color Me Kind depicts our struggles with difficult relationships. No one is immune from hate. The words “Stop bullying” don’t cause change. But words like “Be kind” empower us to bring out the best in others. Deliberate small acts…
As the ArtPrize audience saluting their special heroes and remembered the fallen, the veterans’ response end up taking me by surprise. Here’s peak into how the brave honored their fallen. A sobering moment for the onlookers. How can you honor your hero? Share your story #HometownHero To learn more, visit watercolorbypamela.com… Our healing art involves…
Throughout ArtPrize Seven, guests approached the Hometown Hero painting with visible excitement. Laughter, smiles, hugs, and tears were evident. The bonds of love deepened as families honored important individuals. For some, moments of silence commemorated the life of a hero. Times of remembrance, contemplation, and sadness. Many Vietnam veterans shed tears. Others needed to talk.…
Wars in places like Iraq show us that our world is broken. Because of this, we need heroes like Eric Burri. Heroes we can look up too. Heroes who inspire us. Eric joined the military after 9/11 to protect our country and, sadly, died while serving. But Eric’s heroic service is about more than laying…
Before ArtPrize even began, a father and son took a quiet moment to interact with Hometown Hero installation. Their surprising determination to write a hero’s name on the painting, while we were still installing the work, hinted what was to come during ArtPrize. In that spontaneous moment, the father’s determination to have a teachable moment…
My series called Hometown Hero II has joined Reflections of Generosity—a military traveling exhibit founded by veteran sergeant and artist Ron Kelsey. The work promotes healing with military members and their families. In 2016, Reflections of Generosity along with Hometown Hero II, with the generous support of west Michigan BlueStar Mothers, showcased at the Pentagon…
Over the last decade of creating interactive healing installation at ArtPrize, I have discovered that the audience reaction to the artwork often ends up being different from what I imagined. The visitors somehow end up creating their own unique response to the work. For ArtPrize 2013, we created four thousand origami birds and prepared 20,000…