Causes: Military & Veterans Organizations, Veterans

Mission: Veteran artist program (vap takes artist, who are also veterans, and partners them with existing professional artist to highlight veter-related issues and propel talented veterans into the mainstream creative arts community

Programs: Vap is a multi-disclipinary arts organization and we encourage collaborations between art disciplines and organizations who share our mission of fostering, encouraging, and promoting veteran artists. Vap is filming documentaries, curating gallery events, and producing original theatrical productions. This happens because we know collaboration and access are the keys to success. Projects include: 1. Vap vis (veteran artist program visual arts) is a program designed to help veteran visual artists connect with the civilian arts community. Many veterans gave up their love of creating art in order to serve their country. Vap vis wishes to give these artists a platform to advocate their artistic abilities through gallery shows, workshops, community arts, and collaboration with other artists. Vap vis welcomes visual artists of all disciplines. Vap vis held its first gallery show, remembering in july 2011. 2. Vap is one of the lead organizers for "operation: oliver" in our parthership with the 6th branch. Operation: oliver is a long term community service initiative in east baltimore's oliver neighborhood, an area known for vacant homes, poverty, and crime. Through strategic partnerships, vap is helping create the model of a "veteran sponsored community," using the veteran skillset to revitialize communities here at home. Nearly 1,000 volunteers have particpated in operation: oliver from partnerning organizations and universities, and the initiative has been featured on the bbc, amplify baltimore, wypr, the london times and more. Vap is leading the way adding the creative component to community service. Two large murals, the colorful renovation of a park, and the implementation of garden design and green spaces have been completed, and more is on the way. More information about operation: oliver and specific event dates is available at www. The6thbranch. Org 3. In april of 2011, baltimore was the 7th us city to play host to the telling project, an innovative production in which local military veterans and their family members, after extensive interviews, performance training and rehearsal, stage the telling of their stories of life and the military. In the face of a growing disconnection between civilian and veteran populations, telling: baltimore, md, will afford our veterans and their families the chance to speak, and the baltimore/dc area the chance to listen. Local veterans organizations the veteran artist program, the 6th branch and the towson university (tu) vets center hosted the telling project with three performances at the walters art museum and stephens hall at tu. Over the summer, telling: baltimore, md has shifted into high gear with 3 remounts scheduled throughout the fall and winter. Our cast of veterans and family members have stepped forward and will be performing at stockton university near atlantic city, at the frederick arts council, and in annapolis at the maryland hall for the creative arts. 4. Vap hosts arts, military + healing in washington dc may 13-18, 2012 unites the resources of veterans' organizations, art schools, and national cultural institutions. By bringing artist and art therapists to military communities, we support and value the totality of their contributions to american life. 5. In 2013 vap produced its 4th telling project, this time at the fashion institute of technology in chelsea manhattan. As part of the arts and service celebration, vap produced telling: new york city and received acclaim in the new york times. Telling project nyc was created by jonathan wei, directed by max rayneard and featured roman baca, adrienne brammer, matthew thomas burda, sandra lee, br mcdonald & neath williams. Creative patch workshop was led by award winning director/producer whitney dow and ryan harrington, director of documentary programming for the tribeca film institute who took 18 veteran artists through the steps of what it takes to create and deliver a successful pitch. The session was open to all arts and service celebration participants and veterans in any of the three focused disciplines (film, theater and writing). Vap celebrated army week by inviting domino saints to perform at the lexington armory in new york city. Vap announced the 2013 arts and service celebration by inviting veteran artists from vap, exit 12 dance company, warrior writers nyc, veterans center for the performing arts, society for artistic veterans, the good school, vets on sets, poetic theater, and many other artists and organizations to celebrate with us. Graduate students from brandman university in san diego partnered with vap to host veterans+art on wednesday, april 17, 2013 from 11:00am 3:00 pm at horton square located at 225 broadway in downtown san diego. The fundraising showcased local veteran artists and their artwork while sharing their compelling stories and educating visitors on vap and the importance of art therapy. In february 2013 vap was invited once again to participate in the annual conference of the council of colleges and military educators (ccme). Vap presented an veteran art exhibit, created a coffee house for conference participants and provided entertainment during the week. As part of celebrating the arts of service, vap and community integration through creativity, vap was hosted by the psychosocial rehabilitation and recovery center (prrc) of the san francisco veterans affairs medical center (sfvamc). Vap conducted arts workshops for veterans in the san francisco va and produced the telling: san francisco, vap 3rd production of the telling project. From november 1-4 2013, veterans and civilians volunteered to paint a military mural honoring the veterans at the jericho project kingsbridge terrace with muralist sam welty. This mural is now the backdrop for a half basketball court. Hosted in partnership with warrior gateway. 6. 2014 vap was asked by long time partner the 6th branch to film their new 2014 psa. After the success of the vap psa, many vso partners have reached out to vap to help them reach a larger audience through innovative and creative advertising. Vap brought together new york and baltimore-based veteran filmmakers to capture the amazing work of this veteran-led organization. In partnership with the manatee county agricultural museum and palmetto historical park of florida, the legacy of valor hosted an art show featuring veteran artist program (vap) participants march 7-april 24, 2014 as part of the 2014 legacy of valor campaign, a project rallying the community to honor veterans, inspire patriotism and pass freedom on to others. Vap founder br mcdonald spoke at the mobile museum of art about art, war, and story-telling on june 5, 2014, for artillery, a program on post-service creative process, healing, and advocacy. The telling project (tp), veteran artist program (vap), campus compact of the mountain west (ccmw), and the bob woodruff foundation presented an original production of telling: denver july 30th august 3st, 2014 at saint cajetans on the auraria campus, in conjunction with the colorado veterans in higher education summit. Nine participants, consisting of veterans and military family members, will tell their own stories on stage in front of a denver audience under the direction of the romero theater troupe. The auraria campus is hosting telling: denver through the support of metropolitan state university of denvers veteran and military support services office, in partnership with the second mission: service| education|careers initiative for student veteran success through ccmw. Klrn, veteran artist program, the telling project and tobin center for the performing arts presented telling: san antonio, october 1-5 at the tobin center carlos alvarez studio theater. Veteran artist program launched the 4th arts and service celebration in austin, tx providing veterans and family members the opportunity to connect with careers in the arts. Austin asc was presented in partnership with the telling project, austin community college, texas performing arts, writers league of texas, texas humanities and the humanities institute at the university of texas at austin. The san diego public library, with generous funding from cal humanities, partnered with the veteran artist program to organize an exhibition of local veterans art. The show, in conjunction with california reads: war comes home was shown in three branches (point loma/hervey, mission valley, and rancho bernardo), between october 15 and december 31, 2014. Vap veterans week showcase 2014 presented in partnership with voices from war and the telling project, and made possible by the generous sponsorship of empire state college, operation college promise, stockton college, thomas edison state college and the joseph j. Theinert memorial fund. Veteran artist program (vap) presents telling: baltimore 2014 in partnership with johns hopkins university december 5-7 location: the head theater at center stage 700 north calvert street, baltimore md 21202

section 179 of 3d printer acquired in 2014