Veteran's Day Art Challenge #Semperfi #flandersfield
Verteran's Day 2015:
SemperFi.
Thank you for Serving Then & Now.
Then:
"It was the 60's...!"
You will most certainly want to read this BEFORE the movie comes out! This real life account clears up the confusion of Viet Nam.
Lt. Bill Peters brought all of his men home.
Despite the media coverage and the non existant 'welcome home,' not all was lost in Viet Nam.
Find out some of the encouraging Victories that helped them Live to Fight Another Day...
Click on the photo of his book cover to purchase your copy of this gripping account of ingenuity, bravery and discovery of Our Mission Accomplished!
Now:
Social Justice Trending.
What our favorite Marine Vet is doing now?
When war tends to destroy the community and structures of the land upon which it is
faught, rare is the warrior who makes the transition of Archetecturally Rebuilding a Region and Preserving it for it's Next Generation.
Marine Corps Veteran, Dr. Peter's and John Mutula of Soweto, South Africa, working togther to build ICAN Children's Village.
In 2015 Unnecessary Necessities published the first of many children's books that will help launch the ICAN's LIBRARY for an Orphanage and School in South Africa. http://www.icaninfo.org/
The Creatively Imagined Explanation of Gabriel's Blue Giraffe is meant to inspire creativity and imagination in children so they can grow up with confidence to be this next generation's Inventors, Scientists, Leaders, Visionaries, Problem Solvers, Artrepreneurs and Architechs. This is no small task in South Africa in that they are still battling residual effects of aparteid, while our American economy is still benefiting from the exploitation of South Africa's natural resources, such as gold and diamonds. As a jeweler who works with precious metals and gemstones, Unnecessary Necessities finds it a Necessary Responsiblity to promote fair trade integrity and help rebuild self sustainabilty in a culture that has been taken advantage of.
Our involvement is more than just a donation. We went in 2012 and established a business training school for the sustainablity of the village. John Mutula, who leads our constituents in Soweto, told me himself that their people need ideas. Well if there is anything that Unnecessary Necessities is good at it is strategic dreaming, imagination, ideas, and Alchemy for the Artrepreneur that helps give those idea's legs! Proof that freedom in this way of thinking can create amazing substance that can make a real difference in the lives of those in need, here is a photo of me hugging our actual children's village building. I use the term 'our' because we have to 'own' the plow with which we put our hands to in order to cultivate impact that truly makes a difference.
We have flights booked at the end of this year. The plan is to inspire more Alchemy for Artrepreneurs, help strengthen the infrasturcture of leadership and further develope continued education for the children in Soweto South Africa at the Children's Village.
To close the loop on how this is fitting for Veteran's Day, ICAN is one of the things that our favorite veteran, Dr. Bill Peter's, is doing to make a difference with the life he was given to keep as he came home from war. We consider it an honor and privilege that Unnecessary Necessities can help play a small part helping Hold the Torch High as strongly encouraged in last year's blog post attached here below:
How can you get involved and HOLD the Torch High This Veteran's Day?
Stop the Bullying of war Before it Begins by supporting this JumpStart campaign that will also jumpstart our Children's Library and well as jumpstart YOUR Christmas Shopping for the little learners in your life:
http://www.destinycenter.com/read/ChildrenBooks/JS-ZoomBullyBee
From Flanders Fields to a Paper Clipped Railcar
Bonus:
November 2014 Day After Thanksgiving...
While most of the rest of the Nation was fighting crowds on Black Friday and practicing consumerism rituals, our family went to The Getty and had a chance to let the realities of this Blog set in a little deeper. You can still visit the World War I Exhibit @ The Getty from now until April 2015.
Creative Process:
Something undeniably connected to your DNA, begs the haunting of a determined question, that can lead you to an irresistible explosion of a fireworks display of expression, if you so choose to let it. Steward this power Strategically.
In Our Blood:
Above all other sports, there is something about my DNA that makes me a Hockey Fan. Hockey is a different breed of Athletic Enterprise. All other sports seem to be in slow-mo-mode. Hockey itself is birthed out of the intense combination of harsh weather conditions and the regal innate human determination to play, move and feel life giving blood flowing through your veins. It’s explosive thrill is expressed like the intimidating dominance of bulldozing army tanks, the grace and finesse of figure skaters at a ballet, and the protective valor of defending self decided righteous perspective by not pulling any punches.
Haunting Determined Question:
Innocently watching my San Jose Sharks, I couldn’t avoid the curiosity of the switch from Octobers’ purple ties (NHL’s stance for fighting cancer) to touting poppies. Why the Blood Red Orange Flowers on the lapels of everyone in the hockey world wearing garments with lapels rather than hockey sweaters with names that only a Randy Hahn can articulate?
"In Flanders Fields" is a war poem written during the First World War by Canadian physician Lieutenant Colonel John McCrae
In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.
We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.
Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.
There is something artful and sentimentle in seeing the Soldier Surgeon's own handwriting.
"In Flanders fields and other poems, handwritten" by John McCrae - Scan of McCrea's In Flanders fields and other poems, obtained from archive.org, converted to PNG and B&W, slight rotation. Licensed under Public domain via Wikimedia Commons - http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:In_Flanders_fields_and_other_poems,_handwritten.png#mediaviewer/File:In_Flanders_fields_and_other_poems,_handwritten.png
Researched this beauty out 'eh?:
Gripped by the beauty of the waterfall river of red poppies spilling over into the dried up moat at the Tower Bridges...
Realizing that the the poppies were representing the blood spilt in Flanders Field in WW1 was daunting. Shaken by the graphic understanding that the imagery of fragrant flowers intentionally masked the smell of dead bodies even if only in our imagined memories. The rhythm of the flow of blood and tears echoing their musical drama beckoned a response.
Treasure Hunt and Breadcrumb Trail:
In Honor of Veterans and with the intention of Remembrance Day & Armistice Day,
Holding High the Torch Linking Faith to Future Generations that will proudly echo throughout eternity, Unnecessary Necessities instigated an Art Challenge. #unbykimiyapoppy
Participating Artrepreneurs Response:
Julia Smith
Betsy Runkle-Edens "Tweaked a Tulip to make it jump." "God made flowers for our enjoyment and blessing! His too."
Christian M Christian
Kimiya Deruiter, "Poppies to Paper Clips"
For an Explanation on the link between McCrae's Poppies and
my Paper Clip Poppies, please visit:
Kimiya Deruiter
Planned Jewelry Design...if Paloma Picasso can scratch out her jewelry designs for Tiffany & Co. on restaurant napkins, it must be a good idea so I thought I'd try it!? I am enamored with Tiffany's featured videos on Paloma.
Sobering Discovery #artrepreneur Living Life Artfully:
UNbykimiya has been in the market for a slab roller for our Studio... and might rethink safety by at least thinking twice...considering what happened to ceramic instigator behind the Tower Bridges display...
...”However, the making of the incredible tribute hasn't been without hitch and Derbyshire-based artist Mr Cummins today revealed he lost a finger while making one of the ceramic poppies.
The 37-year-old lost one finger and the use of another while making the poppies which now tumble from the tower and form the scarlet sea in its moat.
Mr Cummins revealed that he sustained his life-changing injuries after his right hand was flattened in an industrial roller as he made one of the flowers.
'I did nearly kill myself halfway through,' he said.
The ceramic artist lost the middle finger of his right hand and the remains have been fused with his ring finger. He has also lost the use of his index finger.
He also revealed that - as the climax of his extraordinary memorial approaches - he can no longer make any poppies because of his injury. He hopes to return to work in six months.”
Keep throwing
The torch; Hold it high.
Recently in a meeting of international leaders, Naomi Dowdy used the analogy of handing the Baton off to the next generation of innovative leaders and so as to not drop it, the next generation has to begin to run along side with us to receive the hand off.
Art, whether just for fun or hoisted to a cause needs to be kept alive as a legacy through the Next Generation. Social Enterprise being such the fashion currently, proves that people want to be involved with a cause bigger than themselves that makes a difference in the bigger part of world around them and their community.
Thank you to all who dared to participate in this #artchallenge #artinstigation
Don’t break faith with those who purchased your freedom with their blood
Through poppies grow
To further explore the social and cultural impact of Art during War, don't miss the World War I Exhibit at the Getty in California. Even just perusing the website online is an artist's field trip worth giving yourself.
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