VETART Mission
The Veterans Art Project (VETART) is a community based arts organization serving Veterans, Active Duty, Spouses, dependents, their caregivers, and the community through process-driven, Deep Arts Engagement, D.A.E.(c) and Art Therapy. D.A.E.(c) with Art Therapy options provides a process-intensive arts encounter proven to help Veterans and Active Duty (some with post-traumatic stress, TBI, and MST) find their voice and work through the life-changing process of transitioning from military to civilian life.
VETART offers free classes in the process-heavy art disciplines of Ceramics, Glass, Woodworking, and Bronze Casting. We work tirelessly to connect military families and civilians through sharing art-making in a safe, welcoming, relaxed, and fun environment. This engagement is also equitable: we offer open enrollment access to free art classes that take place in state of the art facilities, taught by artists of all cultural/social backgrounds with and without MFAs. We offer artistic support, development, and dignified display of completed artworks. These dignified displays help include the greater civilian community through artist/participant presentation. Through on-site community arts classes, demonstrations, and exhibitions across San Diego county and the country, VETART provides space for Veterans to connect with others and discover an outlet for expressing their experiences through the art-making process. By identifying, encouraging, and promoting all artists, VETART has a proven record of being an inclusive organization dedicated to promoting a spectrum of voices. By amplifying these voices through promotion to instructor level while working with Veterans, leadership is demonstrated and becomes a model for new participants. VETART continues to engage the larger community through the promotion, development, display, and amplification of many voices. Our people and experiences not readily visible in the contemporary Art milieu. This VETART model has always been and is the basis of our ecosystem as a See One, Do One, Teach One Organization. Through participation VETART students have a clearly identified path that is easily followed for increasing arts engagement and discovery. Our force impact is to create leadership opportunities to lead the arts, wellness, and community development at the local, regional, state and national level. At VETART we listen to images, so we may lead by actions. |
Take a tour of our VETART School of Ceramics and Glass!
VETART TeamSteve Dilley, MFA
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Cultural Equity StatementTo support a full creative life for all, The Veterans Art Project aims to create a space that promotes cultural equity, supports all of our members and staff, and provide accessible facility in which Veterans, Active Duty, Family Members and Care-givers from all nationalities can create Dignified Displays of Art.
DEFINITION OF CULTURAL EQUITY Cultural equity embodies the values, policies, and practices that ensure that all people—including but not limited to those who have been historically underrepresented based on race/ethnicity, age, disability, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, socioeconomic status, geography, citizenship status, or religion—are represented in the development of VETART programming; the support of artists; the nurturing of accessible, thriving venues for expression; and the fair distribution of programmatic, financial, and informational resources. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS & AFFIRMATIONS
To provide informed, authentic leadership for cultural equity, we strive to…
Why bronze casting? Bronze casting is a tradition that is inextricably intertwined with warriors; it not only helped shape the ancient world through technological advancement, but bronze art has been used to memorialize and make meaning out of human conflict during the times of ancient Greece, Mesopotamia, and China. By learning this skill, we become part of a tradition that transcends time. By joining we hope you feel welcome and part of a community of people that like to connect through art. We are a down-to-earth, open-minded, actions-speak-louder-than-words kind of people. Our most basic mission is to teach, make, and share art. The rest takes care of itself. We welcome you.
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