Come celebrate the opening of Voices 2022 on Saturday, September 17, from 10:30 to 11:30 a.m. Veterans Memorial Park will host the public in an opening weekend event to honor the twenty-two veteran artists shown at ArtPrize, an international art event held in Grand Rapids, Michigan. While at the park, take a moment to sign…
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…
As an artist without borders, my work demonstrates how art can engage participants by activating new creative spaces. In November, I traveled to Austin, Texas, to present my interactive art at the Christians in the Visual Arts (CIVA) conference. My presentation and workshop showed fellow artists how to connect with an audience through a collaborative…
Yellow Ribbon The Yellow Ribbon Project goes beyond the symbolic gesture of tying yellow ribbons around trees to welcome service members home. It activates interactive spaces to honor veterans and their families. By inviting viewers to write on the ribbons to acknowledge the sacrifices made by military personnel, the project adds a personal touch. This…
Healing Imprint: This multi-media collage series embodies the history, suffering, and grief of our neighbors, while exploring cultural conflict in a new way. The scattered placement of random forms on the raw canvas portrays the disconnect. In life and in art, our personal narratives define us. But strangers’ stories also matter, because they are part…
Throughout 2020, we faced a pandemic with prolonged isolation. But the Yellow Ribbon project proved to be an important opportunity to help galvanize the West Michigan veteran community. Everyone appreciated the chance to be part of something bigger than themselves. While we learned new lessons about resilience, one of our Gulf War vets lost his…