An end of year review:
Review of 2021 2021 as was the year before a crazy year and people would ask why start something during covid and I would say why not? The arts are more important than ever. When you believe in something you go for it! In January we produced the Arts and Culture Canvas conversation, Human Rights and the Arts. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC9ibd9PNZPMFSkeyL6YNIgw Projects Created: [Active] Creative Voices: Women Empowered; Will celebrate, highlight, elevate, and amplify the diversity of women’s creative voices. It is vital that women’s creativity be expressed, heard, and valued. Women who choose: to use the arts and creativity to heal, to tell their stories, to unite, to communicate, to create and inspire change; to make an impact in and through the arts; to use their creativity as entrepreneurs. * Operation Arts/Fest, Women Who Serve: an initiative that will celebrate and highlight the essential role that creativity and the arts in all its forms plays in the process of healing, self-expression, telling of their stories, and resilience of these female veterans. We want to show new ways of seeing, understanding, and connecting in partnership with arts and veteran’s organizations. In conjunction with UNITING US we did a ‘Spectrum of the Arts’ panel discussion in Maryland. The JIGGY Puzzles/ARTSHOUSE Collection: A collaboration between JIGGY Puzzles and Operation Arts/Women Who Serve and UNITING US. We put out a call for art on the theme of Hope, Inspiration, Transformation, Possibilities from women veteran artists and chose three for our premier collection. They went on sale on November 11th, Veterans Day and will remain on sale at www.jiggypuzzles.com * Our Bodies, Our Rights, Our Voices: announced in December and put a call out for art on the theme to kick off the initiative. A yearlong initiative to kick off on January 22, 2022, leading up to January 22, 2023, the 50th anniversary of Roe v Wade. We will use our creative voices expressing our ideas, thoughts, stories, and feelings on the theme; ‘Our Bodies, Our Rights, Our Voices’, and our right for a just, equal, healthy and safe world. We will create conversations, highlight, elevate and amplify the diversity of women’s creative voices, igniting positive change through the arts for women’s rights. *Teneral Cellars will collaborate with us on this theme by using our themed art on their wine label bottles and opening a discussion.
Looking ahead to 2022: ARTS ON THE FRONT LINES Recognizes the power of the arts to be transformative, to challenge, to offer possibilities and hope, to heal and unite, to effect change. Recognition of arts projects, artists and arts organizations working to make an impact on individuals, communities, society; art used as a prevention tool; in health, wellness and healing, social justice and human rights, civic engagement, community revitalization. It is art as an ‘essential service’. Arts on the Front Lines will celebrate, highlight, and raise awareness of these projects, artists, and organizations, giving them greater visibility, providing a platform for growth, development, and collaboration. * Breaking Down The Walls: the arts with under-served youth [prevention through intervention with at risk youth] January 27th, 5:00 PM - 7:00 PM zoom An Arts and Culture Canvas conversation The ADTPG [the arts do the public good] Publications: Looking to create art books as a form of exhibits/projects *Through Our Eyes, In Our Voices, Silent No More; Operation ARTS/Women Who Serve Looking forward to many more collaborations with UNITING US [www.unitingus.org] and also an association with CAVARTS [www.cavarts.org] and developing more partnerships for a Women’s Veterans Arts Festival. Looking to create more business collaborations. Merchandising and brand marketing