BWW Previews: Free Veteran Event Collaboration Between Art2 Action, Paint22, and Straz at Straz Center

A collaboration between Art2Action, Paint22, and the Straz Center, on June 12, the trio of nonprofits will present the VetChat Live and Veteran Community Open Mic at the Straz Riverwalk.

The free evening open-mic event founded by Art2Action in 2013 encourages veterans and civilians to sign up and tell their stories in five-minute increments using any genre or creative form of expression. While the event is family-friendly, the topics on the mic may be mature and appropriate for teens and older. Pre-registration is encouraged but not required at art2action.org.

Andrea Assaf, Artistic Director of Art2Action, said, "We have a wonderful DJ known as DJ Cotton who plays kind of old-school hip hop and soul and funk and keeps us grooving all night long. We will have two co-hosts, including myself and a local poet named Blackjak, a veteran herself. We have a long list of people who've signed up. Some people sign up in advance on our website, and some people just show up at the event and get inspired and get on the list to share something when they come."

Over 30 people have preregistered.

"It's a great place, even for people who don't want to share anything on the microphone. They can just come to enjoy the music and the performances and build community. The goal of the veteran community open mic has always been to bridge the gap between veterans and civilians. Veterans often come back from service and feel that civilians don't understand their experiences or they don't know how to reconnect to the community after their service, so the veteran community open mic is really about that - welcoming everyone, creating a space where people can share their stories and express their experiences and find a connection."

Featured guest artists include dance choreographers/performers Celeste Miller, Dora Arreola (Associate Professor of Theatre at USF), and Miroslava Wilson from Mexico. Storytellers

Straz's artist-in-residence, Fred Johnson, will perform with his brother, whom he hasn't seen for several years.

Paint22 will display acrylic paint art by Airforce veteran Iona Parris SeaShell Queen and Marine wife, Joan "Mommy" Bragg. Paint22 is a veteran-led organization that raises awareness about veteran suicide and prevention through the visual arts. Paint22 was named for 22 military personnel who take their lives daily. Paint22 provides free activities for the military to create art as an outlet.

The Open Mic will also feature a local vendor fair and resources for veterans.

"It's such an amazing experience with everyone just supporting one another. It's such wonderful energy, and then Paint22 does a beautiful art exhibit that showcases local veterans," said Alice Santana, vice president of Education and community engagement, Straz Center.

Before the Open Mic, the Straz will host VetChat Live, a half-day of workshops and discussion on-site, ending with a live Riverwalk stage performance. VetChat Live is an in-person event built around the Straz Center's monthly virtual gathering of veteran and active-duty military and their families, featuring lectures, workshops, and creative interactive activities.

Pre-pandemic, Straz hosted Veteran/Civilian dialogues throughout the community and on campus. The pandemic forced this stop; however, the need was still there.

"VA hospitals shared with us that the veterans had a strong desire still being able to connect because they were being isolated. We created a chat, a virtual zoom gathering that would take place each month. We would meet with veterans all across the nation, and we would have some artistic art prompt also associated with that Zoom call. They became so popular that we decided post-pandemic to bring these back in person," said Alice. "We're calling it our Veterans Weekend at the Straz. For VetChat Live, we encourage people to go to the Straz website and register to pick out their workshops ahead of time. There will be different art-based workshops, including yoga and visual arts, which Paint22 is leading for us."

Guests can learn about wellness and mental health resources available to vets and military families. VetChat Live takes place Saturday, June 11, from 1-5 pm under the Riverwalk Tent and inside the Patel Conservatory, followed by the Veterans Community Open Mic.

Andrea said, "We want people to stay in touch, stay connected, and know that the Open Mic is a quarterly event and that we have different guests every time, and it's always a unique experience. We love for people to become part of this community and keep coming and enjoying it with us."

For more information about the event on Saturday, June 11, 1-5 pm, or Sunday, June 12, 6:30-9 pm at Straz's Riverwalk tent, visit www.strazcenter.org. Masks and social distancing are encouraged on the premises. Non-alcoholic beverages are provided.

To post a comment, you must register and login.