RedLine is a proud partner and administrator of the Arts in Society artist grant. This collaborative program provides grants to both individuals and organizations that use art as a vehicle to promote social justice and community welfare.
We love highlighting our Arts in Society (AIS) grant recipients and all the unique and impactful projects made possible by their grant. And we’re excited continue this series with the Mt. Carmel Veterans Service Center’s AIS project: the Art Expression group.
Learn more about the Art Expression project and how it allows veterans and their family members to meaningfully process experiences associated with military and veteran life.
Tell us about Mt. Carmel Veterans Service Center
The following text was written by Charissa Thayer, Behavioral Health Gateway Program Coordinator at Mt. Carmel Veterans Service Center.
Mt. Carmel Veterans Service Center provides transition and employment assistance, behavioral health and wellness, supportive services, connection to community resources, and safe event space for veterans, military members and their families.
Mt. Carmel was a dream of Mr. Jay Cimino and his strong desire to support our veteran community in meaningful ways.
Our Health and Wellness services include individual, group & couples therapy, no-cost therapeutic retreats, and non-traditional therapies including trauma-focused yoga, PTS-focused art and photo therapy, tai-chi and more. Services are confidential and open to veterans of all era and regardless of discharge status.
Our mission is to provide best practices for our military, veterans, and their families through accessible programs, integrated resources, and collaborative partnerships that empower lives and strengthen our community.
Tell us about your first project that will utilize your AiS grant.
Part of Mt. Carmel Veterans Service Center’s project for the Arts in Society grant is our ongoing Art Expression group, lead by the facilitator Kimberlie Griffis (MAAT).
Our Art Expression group allows Veterans and their family members to process through experiences directly associated with military and veteran life.
This is really vital alternative therapy, as often what a veteran has gone through can be difficult to express in words.
Four-walls talk therapy, while also beneficial, is not the only option. Often, veterans and their family members either are not interested in traditional talk-therapy, or they just want the additional therapeutic value that our Art Expression group offers.
Using art as a therapeutic tool can help individuals externalize their emotions, before processing them, help alleviate stress, increase mindfulness, and even allow them to create an art piece that ignites further processing and discussion — all of which promote wellness and resilience. Furthermore, the group setting allows for more community and connection.
“Art therapy can help people develop self-awareness, explore emotions, address unresolved emotional conflicts, improve social skills, and raise self-esteem. Each activity is designed to create a relaxed and safe environment for self-discovery using a variety of art materials and methods.”
What other projects are you dreaming up this year, and how will your AiS grant help to support these projects?
The Arts in Society grant is also supporting Mt. Carmel Veterans Service Center to create a Veterans Art Exhibition. This exhibition will take place in November, starting on Veterans Day, November 11th, 2022, with an opening night reception from 5pm-9pm.
The exhibition will end on November 30th. We will be collecting submissions from Veterans across Colorado state.
The goal of this event is both to bring more awareness to the importance of Veteran mental health and to give these individuals the opportunity to share the art they have created, in a professional setting.
The exhibitors have the chance to earn two types of awards: The People’s Choice Award, and the Director’s Award. These awards are to highlight works of art that make an impact with skill and intrigue.
Our exhibit will be at The Warehouse Restaurant and Gallery. This location was chosen for its creative space, accessibility, and foot traffic. While the exhibit will be in Colorado Springs, art may come from veterans across the state.
Exhibitors have the options to donate art, split auction proceeds, or exhibit only. Artists will be able to bring in their submissions to The Warehouse on November 8th and 9th, 2022.
We believe that through the exhibition, and with the exhibitor’s experiences creating their pieces, we will make a positive impact on our community.
In Colorado Springs, we have a very large military/military affiliated population. For those associated with the military, and those not, seeing an exhibition of deeply meaningful and personal art related to military mental health can make a huge emotional impact and lead to action.
Our hope is that everyone impacted learns more about the stigma around military mental health, and for our vets, they learn that they are not alone in their experiences.
AIS is supporting Mt. Carmel’s vision through funding and community support. Through meetings held by the leaders of the AIS grant, Mt. Carmel has been able to take inspiration from other projects being funded.
Mt. Carmel is very proud to be a part of this group of incredible artists, making such incredible impact.
What was your experience like when applying for the Arts in Society grant? What tips would you share with other artists and organizations looking to apply for an AiS grant?
Alisha Hall, Mt. Carmel Veteran Service Center’s grant writer, expressed that applying for the AIS grant was a simple process. There are sections for limited narrative responses, which helped with writers to be succinct.
While valuing the importance of procedure, the AIS Grant folks also see the humanity behind working in philanthropy.
A great tip for future applicants is to truly show your human impact. Your application should show the scope of your project, how it impacts your community, and how it aims for social justice, inclusivity, and humanity.
Meet another 2022 AiS Grantee Project: “Stories of Solidarity.”
Another one of our amazing 2022 AIS Grantees is the Japanese Art Network. Their AIS project “Stories of Solidarity” highlights the stories of Japanese Americans who resettled in Denver following WWII — and the solidarity that existed amongst the mixed cultural communities in Five Points.
