2022 Exhibit: Sept 15 - Oct 02
CREATIVE ARTS TO HELP VETERANS HEAL
The newly developed Voices project enables Veterans to directly share their stories and messages through the creative arts. To complement the HERO[series] that pairs a Veteran with a designer, the Voices project now enables creative Veterans to directly share and showcase their own personal work to the public.
The inaugural Voices project was launched for ArtPrize in Fall of 2021 in response to COVID-19 precautions restricting the use of the Veterans Memorial Park building that typically hosts [HAS HEART] ArtPrize exhibits. The safest solution to activate the park was to bring the artwork itself outside, and in collaboration with artist Pamela Alderman and the Kent County Veterans Services, this created the opportunity to showcase the work of Veteran artists of various ages, branches, and backgrounds.
In this first Voices 2021 exhibit, Veterans Memorial Park hosted the work of 22 Veteran artists who each had their own piece, story, and meaning showcased in front of thousands of ArtPrize visitors during the three-week-long event.
Thanks to the grant support of the Kent County Veterans Services (KCVS) and Michigan Veterans Affairs Agency (MVAA), [HAS HEART] is proud to be working on its second Voices project to be featured at ArtPrize 2022 (September 15 – October 2, 2022).
If you’re a creative Veteran or a supporter of the arts and our nation’s heroes, please CONTACT US for more information about how to get involved.
Yellow Ribbon Project
In addition to the Voices exhibit and the individual veterans’ stories, the Yellow Ribbon, by artist Pamela Alderman, provided the public an opportunity to engage and share their voices. As a demonstration of gratitude and solidarity, exhibit visitors wrote over 10,000 thank-you notes on yellow ribbons and tied them on trees through Veterans Memorial Park.
Following the exhibit, the Blue Star Mothers, a support group for moms of military service members, included these yellow ribbon notes in care packages sent to deployed soldiers and veterans as a reminder of the communities that support them back home.
Even following Voices 2021, Steelcase Inc. requested to offer the Yellow Ribbon Project at nine of its offices and manufacturing plants around the country to enable its employees to share their care for Our Nation’s service members and Veterans. This successful initiative continues to activate new creative spaces to help connect individuals with active service members, Veterans, and their families.
