At the Council on Foundations 2014 Fall Conference for Community Foundations in Cleveland this October, Robert Lynch was joined by Edgar Smith, a BCA Executive Board member and CEO of World Pac Paper; Jennifer Dowley, President of the Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation; and Carla Dirlikov, an opera singer and a member of the Americans for the Art

With everyone celebrating our nation's veterans today, Americans for the Arts' President and CEO, Robert Lynch, writes to the Huffington Post about the connection between the arts and the healing of our nation's veterans. Americans for the Arts has been engaged in this work through our National Initiative for Arts and Health in the Military, in collaboration with the American Legion Auxiliary and more than 16 national partners, working for policy that supports these programs and services and towards serving as the national nexus for knowledge and connection. 

The Annual Healing Arts Exhibit opened October 16 in the America Building pavilion at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center (WRNMMC) in Bethesda, Maryland.  The exhibit, jointly sponsored by the John P. Murtha Cancer Center and ground-breaking Creative Arts Program of WRNMMC, featured poetry, and music, accompanied by the artists explaining the role that art is making in their recovery.  The show is given each year in “memory of those who lost their battle or were lost in battle; and in celebration of those who continue on…”

On behalf of Americans for the Arts' partnership with We Are Veterans, Bob Lynch, President and CEO, will join a discussion panel after the special screening of PBS Craft in America: Service at the McEvoy Auditorium in the Smithsonian American Art Museum on November 6, 2014.

In their first art exhibit specifically focused on the military life cycle, the Arts Council of Moore County, North Carolina, is planning to present “Homefront & Downrange: Witness the Art in Military Life” from June 5-July 10, 2015 in the Campbell House Galleries in Southern Pines.  The soldier’s story is told through the combat photography of Hunter Rudd, a Special Forces veteran of Middle Eastern conflicts; military spouse and narrative textile artist Kristen La Flamme will exhibit works speaking to the families of those who serve; and the story of returning ho

“Private Life” is a series of stories exploring the unique bonds, loyalties, and rifts of military and civilian life, the shared codes of conduct, and what it means to be a survivor. Choreographed and directed by Deborah Slater, the piece was written by Deborah Crooks, and features original music by Bruno Louchouarn.  It was inspired by a dancer who was a soldier throughout his whole career.

Another “Freedom Rock” was unveiled in Wapello County, Iowa, painted by muralist Ray "Bubba" Sorenson II in a partnership between the Ottumwa Area Arts Council and local Vietnam Veterans groups. The 11.5 ton boulder has been transformed into a Vietnam Veterans Memorial for the town of Ottumwa and will lead the way for a planned Freedom Trail, linking the town's veteran tributes to one another.

Arthur Bloom, founder of MusiCorps, and has been chosen as one of the Top 10 CNN Heroes of 2014. He will be honored at “CNN Heroes: An All-Star Tribute” airing December 7 on the global networks of CNN.

The National Veterans Creative Arts Festival (NVCAF) is the celebration and grand finale stage and art show, which are the culmination of talent competitions in art, creative writing, dance, drama and music for Veterans treated in the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) national health care system.

The National Veterans Creative Arts Festival (NVCAF) is the celebration and grand finale stage and art show, which are the culmination of talent competitions in art, creative writing, dance, drama and music for Veterans treated in the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) national health care system.

BASETRACK LIVE is a multidisciplinary work including theater, music, news media, journalism, and technology.  While embedded with the First Battalion, Eighth Marines in Southern Afghanistan, a group of photojournalists led by Teru Kuwayama started the online project that became the authentic dialogue of the performance.  Connecting Battalion members with their families and others around the world, the online project became a platform for documenting the range of perspectives and the emotional tolls of deployment and beyond.

As part of Americans for the Arts' work to help advance the goals of The National Initiative for Arts & Health in the Military, Marete Wester, Senior Director of Arts Policy, has organized a session for the upcoming Grantmakers in the Arts 2014 Conference in Houston, Texas, October 12-15, that focuses on the challenges both military and arts funders face in supporting arts projects by and for service members, veterans, and their families.  "Charti

Canyon Ranch Institute, announced the October 1, 2014 application deadline for the Canyon Ranch Institute (CRI) Healthy World Scholarships. Twenty-five CRI Healthy World Scholarships, each of which includes a five-day, four-night stay at Canyon Ranch Health Resort in Tucson, Arizona, will be awarded to people who work or volunteer in low-income and medically underserved communities, helping to enhance the health and well-being of their local populations.

In a new project by Family Service of Napa Valley called "Napa-Rocks," 9th grade students at the New Technology High School in Napa were given baskets with debris from the August 24 earthquake to create art from the rubble. “The goal is to preserve some historic buildings in Napa through art, and engage students in the healing process after the quake,” said Michele Farhat, Family Service’s Director of Development.

Arlington Sons, a moving musical performance accompanied by select ensemble members of the USAF Band, is currently touring the DC area, with performances at Arlington, VA on September 21 and the Bowie Theater in MD on September 25, 2014.

WHAM is a non-profit art organization in the West Valley - Phoenix, Arizona metropolitan area.  In addition to public art murals, art festivals, art walks, and community art programs, WHAM is offering a free one year art program for veterans.  The program, "Art: A Path to Healing"' features twelve four hour sessions in which participants will learn from professional artists.  Classes range from drawing, painting, and other mediums.  The goal of the program is to assist veterans of all ages to cope, through art and collaboration, with Post Traumatic Stress D