Veterans Art Center Tampa Bay (VACTB) is being planned as a national, regional, and local center to provide supportive services to Veterans and their families and to support development of artistic talent and creativity and show case Veterans accomplishments to the Nation.
VACTB will promote fine art by local and national artists who are United States Veterans, to provide a National Gallery of Veterans art, to teach art and to provide art as a means of therapy for veterans. The center will also organize national traveling exhibits centered on themes related to national military history and veteran’s art projects. VACTB will also have a commercial gallery, Operation Art, to support sales of veteran’s art which will serve to provide economic support for the artists as well as revenue for the Center. The center will be located in the City of Saint Petersburg Florida, a city with a vibrant art scene.
VACTB will also provide counseling and therapy for U.S. Veterans and their families including family therapy and post military adjustment, trauma informed care, vocational counseling, peer support and mentor services and other modalities. All mental health and substance abuse services will be based on Evidence Based Practices (EBTs) as registered by the U.S. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) with evaluation by several prominent accredited universities. VACTB will also provide supervision of registered student counseling interns who are U.S. Veterans. Mental Health and Substance Abuse services including Art and Activity therapies will be provided by Morning Light Wellness Centers, a national organization with several projects around the country.
The center will be located in the City of Saint Petersburg Florida, a city with a vibrant art scene. Tampa Bay has a large number of veterans as does the State of Florida in particular and will be an optimum central location that will also add to the tapestry of art, culture, services, and support for the growth of the economy that is taking place in Saint Petersburg.
The center is the first of its kind in the State of Florida and will be the destination for all.
The mission of VACTB is to honor, and promote our Veteran Artist who have serve our Nation. The Center will be compromised of OPERATION ART, VETERANS GALLERY in which Veterans can show and sell their fine art work, Exhibits that will rotate in and out on scheduled basis. Programs for Veterans artist to travel in from across the nation. Therapy, classes and courses to provide effective alternative recovery measures and finally a place where Veterans can work and create art out of. The Center will add value to the Arts community and improve community thru the various methods of Art. The center is paramount to supporting those who have served and provide a tool for those what want to thank a Veteran Artist. We are building ”A FORCE FOR ART”.
Scott Mack Macksam
Maj (R) USA
Maj. Macksam,
I am Chief of the Recovery Center (Psychosocial Rehabilitation & Recovery Center) at Tampa VA. I have established a national VA Strong Practice in the VA for Use of Creative Arts in Mental Health Recovery and have partnered with Art2Action, Carpetbag Theater, and Americans for the Arts to create a Veteran-centered creative arts program that is now being piloted at two other VA’s in the country. I would love to speak/meet with you about how we might partner in helping Veterans in the Tampa Bay area. In fact, the Bay Pines VA PRRC is one of the sites that is participating in the pilot program. I love what you are doing with the Veterans Art Center Tampa Bay and I look forward to speaking with you and telling you about the wonderful things our Veterans here in Tampa have accomplished. I’d really like to have you come out and visit us.
Rachel L. Brink, LCSW, BCD, CPRP
Chief, PRRC
(813) 228-2761, x 2703
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