"It is my feeling that people are drawn to wars culturally as much as, if not more than, politically; therefore, an understanding of how wars exist in human consciousness can only be reached through discourses that include cultural and creative expressions. Art, in all its forms, is the only way to access the most visceral human reactions to war." - Tyler Boudreau, author "Packing Inferno: The Unmaking of a Marine"

THE VAS ARCHIVE PRESENTS:

Using the exhibition September 2011 at The Canal Gallery, as both a point of access and departure, this collection is meditation on 9/11 and the subsequent wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Over the next weeks I will continue to add to this collection, images, videos and words that seem to reflect on, reference and grow out of the culture of war that has been in our midst for the past 10 years. September 2011 at The Canal Gallery features work by artists Mary Bernstein, Krista DeNio, Harriet Diamond and Matt Mitchell. Read on...

Artists in Context Presents: 

 Observing a Decade
Since the 9/11 Attacks 

 A Public Conversation following
the performance of CONTACT

September 11, 2011 from 4pm to 7pm
Tickets for CONTACT $10-$15 at the Door, reception and conversation is free and open to the public.
The Canal Gallery 280 Dwight St. Holyoke, Ma www.thecanalgallery.com
 

This interdisciplinary discussion moderated by Artists in Context will address the role that art and artists play in the commemoration of war and the new spaces that are being created for citizens, veterans and soldiers to traverse the complicated territory of war and its implications for society.

The panel will include artists Matt Mitchell, Krista DeNio, and Susan Oetgen ; Carole Anne Meehan, founder·of Art at Main and a public art curator; Blake J. Ruehrwein, an Air Force veteran from Bridgewater, MA.; Tyler Boudreau, author and veteran of the war in Iraq; Nicholas Chavez, alumnus of Holyoke Community College and UMASS and sailor in the US Navy; and Dave Raymond, Director of Business Development at a Cambridge MA-based healthcare IT startup.

The conversation will occur after a performance of CONTACT, an interactive performance installation created in collaboration with Matt Mitchell’s 100 Faces of War Experience. Directed by Krista DeNio, Contact includes performances by veteran and civilian performers. Mitchell's work, having already laid the groundwork for an evolving dialogue space between viewers and the portraits of veterans, becomes a powerful space for live action. CONTACT Premiers TONIGHT September 10th at 7pm and will continue tomorrow, September 11th at 4pm, September 16 & 17 at 7pm and September 18th at 4pm. Mitchell's work along with Mary Bernstein's and Harriet Diamond's is on view through October 31st at The Canal Gallery.

In the same vein: Ground Zero: Photographs by Elizabeth Burkhart, on view at the Hosmer Gallery, Forbes Library and Linda Bond: A Count at A.P.E. War Veterans, a project of the Veterans Education Project.

Calling Valley Art Share Writers: I'm interested in developing a writing/publishing component to Valley Art Share and would like to hear how you might like to participate in this endeavor. Please check out this survey and let me know what you think.

Stayed tuned in the coming days for more featured writing and events around the topic of Perspectives on War.
If you are hosting a event or have some work you'd like to share related to this topic please drop me a line: valleyartshare@gmail.com

with gusto,