Month: April 2013

BriGette McCoy Address MST With Senate, Huffpost Live

It’s always a pleasure to highlight the accomplishments of MEA contributors, especially when they emerge as leaders in the veteran community. BriGette McCoy is one such example, testifying in front of the Senate Armed Services Committee this social media peer-supporter and founder of “Women Veteran Social Justice” gained national attention:

BriGette speaking before the Senate Armed Services Committee:

This is my story but it is not mine alone. More than 19,000 men and women every year share similar stories … Let’s deal with this from the roots. Please make it stop.

BriGette speaking on Huffpost Live:

They will go as far as murder to make sure you don’t talk.

BriGette had the following to say about her participation in 2012’s Military Experience and the Arts Symposium:

Washington, D.C., MD- 3/13/13-BriGette (cq) McCoy, Former Specialist, United States Army, testifies before the Subcommittee on Personnel of the United States Senate Committee on Armed Services about the sexual assault committed against him while in the service. Algerina Perna/Baltimore Sun,
Washington, D.C., MD- 3/13/13-BriGette (cq) McCoy, Former Specialist, United States Army, testifies before the Subcommittee on Personnel of the United States Senate Committee on Armed Services about the sexual assault committed against him while in the service. Algerina Perna/Baltimore Sun,

Last year I attended the MEA at Eastern Kentucky University.

I was completely blown away by the scope and magnitude–the productions, planning, training, and caliber of people created a welcoming and inviting experience, especially to women veterans.

The workshops were inclusive of women veterans of all eras and backgrounds, even those with physical and emotional disabilities. This was the first workshop I engaged in that addressed those issues in such a structured way. I was given plenty of room to grow artistically and find my niche. Creative individual expression was welcomed and nurtured. The expansive atmosphere welcomed me to become part of the larger veteran arts community.

I cant say enough how awesome the experience was. It has inspired me to participate in more programs directly connected to the mission of Military Experience and the Arts.  

MEA and the JME gave me, a veteran writer, the opportunity to have my works critiqued by peers and reviewed for academic publishing. Currently, some of my poetry and writing is in review for Blue Steak: A Journal of Military Poetry, something I could have only dreamed about before attending the MEA symposium. Without the welcoming atmosphere there and the collaborative approach of the MEA editorial staff, I would not have had the courage to submit my works.

I believe I have grown as an artist by attending the MEA Symposium and I have also grown as a person.  My community of support has enlarged, positively impacting my overall quality of life. Programs like this aren’t band aids. They are healing salves. I’m glad I was able to participate and look forward to the next MEA symposium in 2014.

Veteran Artist Tif Holmes Featured in New Juried Exhibition

Tif Holmes, a contributor to the second Journal of Military Experience and the cover artist of the upcoming Blue Falcon: A Journal of Military Fiction, is making headlines again. She had this to say about the inclusion of her work in a new exhibition:

Illuminance is a competitive juried exhibition that is open to artists nationwide using photographic processes as their media. This year’s theme is Experiencing Place: 

 There are certain places for all of us that go beyond the mundane. Many are very personal – the home where we grew up or the backyard fort that was home base for many an imaginary adventure. Other places are collectively special – the monuments of our nation’s capital, or exotic places we travel to, seeking refuge or discovery. What does it feel like to be in this place? Can you create an image that is emotional, atmospheric, that conveys your feelings about this special place? What makes it magical? Extraordinary?

The image I submitted is entitled “Transcendence.” It was taken during a theatrical show celebrating Anglo-Celtic and African American dance in The New World. The cast and musicians are all students who are active in the Vernacular Music Center at Texas Tech University, and I know most of them personally. It was exciting for me to photograph the rehearsals and the shows and to watch these individuals step into the roles they played and transport everyone around them to another place and time–one filled with story-telling, dancing, singing, and community. I remember going through the images at the end of one particular show and this one really stood out. It was clear to me that Emily, the dancer in the photograph, was not thinking about anything else in the world at that moment when the photograph was taken. She was dancing, she was free, she was happy. She had transcended the limitations of the physical world, and the dance was her vehicle. This, to me, is the perfect illustration of experiencing a magical, extraordinary place and sharing it with others.

 “Transcendence,” by Tif Holmes

Transcendence

The exhibit runs from June 25 – August 10, 2013 at the Buddy Holly Center in Lubbock, Texas. 

Tif Holmes is a photographer, writer, musician, educator, and former Soldier, among other things. Her work can be found online at tifholmes.com or on Facebook at facebook.com/tifholmes3.