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Tag: At Ease

October 24 @ 1:00 pm – 3:00 pm

Initiatives

At Ease: Art and Nature for Veterans
Free

The Carnegie Library

1 N. Sheridan Rd
Waukegan, Illinois 60085 + Google Map
View Venue Website

Closing Reception- At Ease in Nature: Nature Holds Our Stories

Each year, we host an exhibition of artwork made by Veterans and military community members. At Ease in Nature highlights the work created during At Ease programs, as well as other work inspired by experiences in nature. 

At Ease in Nature: Nature Holds Our Stories invites Veterans and their families to experience how nature can witness, reflect, and support the healing journey. Through narratives, artwork, photography, and reflection,this exhibition honors the connection between service, storytelling, and the restorative power of the land.

At Ease: Art and Nature for Veterans and the Military Community, is one of Brushwood Center’s four key initiatives, offering programs for Veterans, Service Members and their families designed to empower their wellbeing through nature-based art, music, and photography workshops. The only program in the region offering a nature-based approach, At Ease helps build skills in creative expression and provides Veterans with access to mental health support. 

Please join us for a closing reception to celebrate the artists and the exhibition. 

RSVP HERE

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September 3 @ 6:00 pm – 8:00 pm

Initiatives

At Ease: Art and Nature for Veterans
Free

Art Awakenings

4001 N Ravenswood Ave #204 C
Chicago, 60613 + Google Map

Sound Off! A Women Veterans Art & Wellness Program

“Sound Off!” is a 9-week art and wellness program designed by and for women veterans who have experienced Military Sexual Trauma (MST), intimate partner violence, and gender-based discrimination.  The cohort will meet weekly for trauma-informed creative workshops to process their military experience, share their stories, and build community.  The weekly wellness activities include writing sessions and guided expressive art-making such  as paper making from uniforms, automatic painting, creating personal tapestries, and more. The program culminates in a story-sharing performance which will celebrate the courage and resistance of these women veterans.

The dates of the program are: 

  • September 3
  • September 10
  • September 17
  • September 24
  • October 1
  • October 8
  • October 15
  • October 22
  • October 29
Register Here

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Please note that this event is designed for women Veterans and current service members.
Contact Jessica Klinge at jklinge@brushwoodcenter.org if you have mobility concerns.

Snacks provided, but please bring your meal if you have dietary or need to eat a full meal by 8pm.

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September 12 @ 2:30 pm – 7:00 pm

Initiatives

At Ease: Art and Nature for Veterans
Free

Veteran Art Tribe

View Organizer Website

River Road Seedbed Trail – Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie

IL-53
Wilminton, IL 60481 + Google Map
View Venue Website

Paint and Photograph the Prairie

Join Brushwood Center’s At Ease initiative in a special program at the Midewin Tallgrass Prairie to enjoy hours of painting and photographing the prairie with U.S. Veteran artists and photographers. Increase your skills while enjoying the camaraderie of fellow Veterans!

Cameras will be provided, but feel free to bring your own! All art materials will be provided at the event.

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Please note, that this event is designed for Veterans, current service members, and their families.

Snacks will be provided. Please bring water.

Activity Expectation: Walking, possible uneven trails

Sensory Expectations: Prairie and forest landscape. Wear comfortable shoes.

Available Accommodations: No language interpretation available. We have walking sticks available.

Contact Jessica Klinge at jklinge@brushwoodcenter.org if you have mobility concerns.

REGIster

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Pencil

August 17 @ 7:00 pm – 8:30 pm

Initiatives

At Ease: Art and Nature for Veterans
Free

Virtual

Combat Poetry: Poetry Workshop for Military Service Members & Veterans

This poetry workshop is an informal environment combined with a bit of formal instruction. We will write. We will learn. Most of all, we will have fun.

We will be led by poet Douglas Self, a United State Marine Corps, Army Reserve, and Iraq War veteran armed with a BA in English and Creative Writing. He’s also the author of Blast Radius, a collection of poetry that examines his experiences with combat and PTSD. This workshop is open for Veterans and military service members of all levels. Don’t worry if you are new to poetry. Come find your poetic voice! This is event is open to combat and non-combat veterans and service members.

Register for the Zoom

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Pencil

July 20 @ 7:00 pm – 8:30 pm

Initiatives

At Ease: Art and Nature for Veterans
Free

Virtual

Combat Poetry: Poetry Workshop for Military Service Members & Veterans

This poetry workshop is an informal environment combined with a bit of formal instruction. We will write. We will learn. Most of all, we will have fun.

We will be led by poet Douglas Self, a United State Marine Corps, Army Reserve, and Iraq War veteran armed with a BA in English and Creative Writing. He’s also the author of Blast Radius, a collection of poetry that examines his experiences with combat and PTSD. This workshop is open for Veterans and military service members of all levels. Don’t worry if you are new to poetry. Come find your poetic voice! This is event is open to combat and non-combat veterans and service members.

Register for the Zoom

Related Events

Pencil

June 17 @ 7:00 pm – 8:30 pm

Initiatives

At Ease: Art and Nature for Veterans
Free

Virtual

Combat Poetry: Poetry Workshop for Military Service Members & Veterans

This poetry workshop is an informal environment combined with a bit of formal instruction. We will write. We will learn. Most of all, we will have fun.

We will be led by poet Douglas Self, a United State Marine Corps, Army Reserve, and Iraq War veteran armed with a BA in English and Creative Writing. He’s also the author of Blast Radius, a collection of poetry that examines his experiences with combat and PTSD. This workshop is open for Veterans and military service members of all levels. Don’t worry if you are new to poetry. Come find your poetic voice! This is event is open to combat and non-combat veterans and service members.

Register for the Zoom

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June 30 @ 6:30 pm – 8:00 pm

Initiatives

At Ease: Art and Nature for Veterans
Free

American Legion Cicero Post 96

5820 W 35th St
Cicero, Illinois 60804 + Google Map

Creative Journal Expressive Arts Institute for Veterans

What special powers do you possess? What are your best qualities? Do you know you are 
special? Why? You Are You Own Superhero! 

Come out and explore your superhero powers by enjoying a FREE workshop with Creative Journal Expressive Arts Instructor learning “The Creative Journal method”

This workshop can help you to: 
*Express feelings and thoughts 
*Make more conscious choices and decisions 
*Enrich your relationship with yourself and others 
*Find deeper meaning in your life 
*NO JOURNALING EXPERIENCE REQUIRED 

—

Street Parking Available

register

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A child outside, next to a spinning wheel of prizes

June 13 @ 11:00 am – 2:00 pm

Initiatives

At Ease: Art and Nature for Veterans
Free

Kids Rank

View Organizer Website

Veteran Art Tribe

View Organizer Website

Blue Star Families

View Organizer Website

Independence Grove, North Bay Pavillion

16400 Buckley Rd
Libertyville, IL 60076 + Google Map

Military Kids Fest

Celebrate Summer with Brushwood Center’s At Ease initiative and enjoy art, music, activities, games, and nature with other members of the Military Community! In collaboration with Kids Rank, Veteran Art Tribe and other Veteran organizations. Brushwood’s third annual Military Kids Fest offers nature, art, exploration, and fun.

Join us for:

Activities

  • Nature Acrylic Painting with Veteran Art Tribe
  • Face Painting by Kirsten Saunders
  • Children’s Yoga with Christine Lopez
  • Outdoor games
  • Snacks
  • Art activities
  • More!

Resources and Information

Information and Tables by:

  • American Legion Gurnee Auxiliary
  • Brushwood Center
  • Kids Rank
  • National Museum of the American Sailor

Please note, that this event is designed for Veterans, current service members, and their families.

Contact Jessica Klinge at jklinge@brushwoodcenter.org if you have questions or concerns.

Register here

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Pencil

May 18 @ 7:00 pm – 8:30 pm

Initiatives

At Ease: Art and Nature for Veterans
Free

Virtual

Combat Poetry: Poetry Workshop for Military Service Members & Veterans

This poetry workshop is an informal environment combined with a bit of formal instruction. We will write. We will learn. Most of all, we will have fun.

We will be led by poet Douglas Self, a United State Marine Corps, Army Reserve, and Iraq War veteran armed with a BA in English and Creative Writing. He’s also the author of Blast Radius, a collection of poetry that examines his experiences with combat and PTSD. This workshop is open for Veterans and military service members of all levels. Don’t worry if you are new to poetry. Come find your poetic voice! This is event is open to combat and non-combat veterans and service members.

Register for the Zoom

Related Events

July 14 @ 6:00 pm – 7:30 pm

Initiatives

At Ease: Art and Nature for Veterans
Free

Virtual

At Ease Book Club: Blast Radius, by Doug Self

As Veterans and military community members, we will explore Iraq War veteran Doug Self’s poetry and how his experience impacts the author, ourselves, and our community. 

Blast Radius explores the lasting impact of war, both on the battlefield and at home, through the eyes of combatants and their families.

This event is virtual; a Zoom link will be sent to those who register. If you have any technical needs, please email Jes Klinge at jklinge@brushwoodcenter.org.

Review of Blast Radius

“A poetry collection that is both visceral and vulnerable, Blast Radius tackles the complexity of serving in the military and questions whether anyone can return “… home / safe and sound.” Douglas E. Self employs psychological twists and raw physicality to shed light on the battleelds we carry within. A surprise at every turn, these musical lines will knock the wind out of you, in the way only a skilled poet can.” -Tina Parker, author of Lock Her Up

About the Author

Douglas Self is a father, poet, and a veteran of the USMC, U.S. Army Reserve, and the Iraq War who considers both Chicago, IL and Lexington, KY home. He earned a bachelor’s degree in English and Creative Writing from Southern New Hampshire University and a trade school certificate in audio and video engineering from the Lexington School for the Recording Arts. Through his art, he hopes to show other military and combat veterans that healing is possible.

Questions? Please contact Veterans Program Specialist, Jessica Klinge at jklinge@brushwoodcenter.org.

Register here

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