Welcome back to Eagle Arts! 

We've had a quiet month at the museum, without large events, but of course our Main Hall continues to buzz with military ceremonies almost daily. We are gearing up for a busy March and we hope you'll join us! 

We kick off the month with big blast of music as we host two renowned chorale groups from our great Coast Guard and Navy. We're also ramping up to exciting projects in the upcoming months, that we think you'll enjoy! 
 
We also received some valuable feedback last month from our readers! You spoke and we listened! A big thank you to those who wrote in and gave us your input. This is your newsletter and we want to make it the best it can be. All suggestions can be emailed to vetmuseum-pr@pacbell.net or to the usual info@veteranmuseum.org. 

Last but not least, we would be remiss if we did not say thanks to all our community arts partners who enrich our museum, and to the many volunteers who help us grow and change through their dedication. 

We'll have another Eagle Arts out for you soon! Have a great month and we'll see you at the museum! 

Captain Sheldon Margolis 
USN (Retired) 
President and CEO

  
Upcoming Events
March kicks off with music! U.S. Navy Sea Chanters perform at the Spreckels Pavilion - March 6
 
Join us at the Spreckels Organ Pavilion in Balboa Park on March 6 at 7 PM for an evening of sea-chanting. A sure-win with our large Navy crowd here in San Diego, the Sea Chanters will perform classic chorale pieces, patriotic work and best of all, those roaring, sing-along sea chanteys! 

This concert is free to all. Bring your warm clothes and bundle up as this talented group takes you on a journey of sound. A big thanks to the Spreckels Organ Society for their continuing partnership in great events just like this one! 
 
Coast Guard Chorale Group to perform exclusive concert at VMBP - March 10
 
The Coast Guard Academy Chorale will perform at the 
Veterans Museum on
Saturday, March 10th at 6 PM.

The Coast Guard Cadet Chorale is a select group of singers from the Academy's 60 member Glee Club. They perform a variety of music, featuring close harmony renditions of patriotic selections, sea chanteys, and show/swing tunes. 

This concert is an exclusive opportunity for our patrons to enjoy a group that has been featured at events such as the Super Bowl, The Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, and at numerous Presidential Inaugurations. Do not miss out on this once in a lifetime event! 

 
Would you like to become an Artist in Residence at the VMBP? Learn, grow, create!   
 
We have been proud to feature many local artists as our Artist in Residence at the museum. We welcome those who create visual art, written art or create art on the stage or with instruments! Artists in Residence can use the opportunity in any way they would like, and we are open to all kinds of ideas! 

Katie Turner, a former AIR at VMBP used her time to produce a series of one act plays, each centering around veteran issues, which leant to her a deeper understanding of what it is to be a veteran. 

 "I learned about the diversity of people who make up the population 'veteran'," said Turner. "I saw that each veteran has a unique identity and experience. I feel blessed to have gotten to experience first hand the beautiful individuals behind the uniform."

The possibilities for how an artist in residence uses their time are endless! Contact us for more information and join our growing museum arts family! Call (phone) or email info@veteranmuseum.org or artsdirector@veteranmuseum.org. 

Free Arts Tuesday provides opportunity for learning and fun!  

 Have you ever wondered what Free Arts Tuesday is all about? We know you've seen it advertised, but have you ever wondered what it is all about? 

Our volunteer Arts Director, Anthony LoBue, facilitates the "Free Arts Tuesday" program to offer veterans, military, family and community the opportunity to explore and discover the literary, performing and visual arts activities, events and workshops we offer at VMBP.

Also, "Free Arts Tuesday" provides a free artwalk to visit those facilities with free admission on different Tuesdays. This provides an excellent opportunity for us to collaborate with community partners, but also for our patrons to learn alot more about art! 

Museums such as The San Diego Museum of Art, The Museum of Photography and many more participate, so go ahead and click the link below to learn more! 


Swing dance amidst military memorabilia from that era with Swing Dancing San Diego!   

Did you know that the museum offers swing dancing lessons each week? Well, we sure do! Join Joel Plys to learn basics, sharpen your already good skills or get ready for a performance!

  Swing Dancing San Diego offers the best classes with their "dance more, talk less" approach. They specialize in all the dances from the Swing Era (1920s-1950s) including Charleston, Lindy Hop, Balboa, Blues, Jazz, Collegiate Shag, and Jitterbug. Get fit, have fun, and make friends by joining in!
 
Regular classes are on Mondays (all levels at 7:30 & 9:30) & Tuesdays (7:00 all level Jazz, 8:00 Intermediate partner dancing) as well as a lesson/dance on the 2nd Fridays each month. 

If you're intrested in this month's schedule and would like to start your journey to being a real-life mover and shaker, you can view that here:

Would you like to learn more? Take a look at all Swing Dancing San Diego offers here:

Recent Events
VMBP and the Association of Black Psychologists San Diego Chapter host  Let the Poets Speak
 
The museum was proud to recently partner with The Association of Black Psychologists San Diego Chapter to present a night of poetry and education in the name of healing. Museum Poet Laureate, Alyce Smith was MC for the event. Local poets Jacole Kitchen and Gill Sotu presented their work, along with many other poets who took advantage of the event's open mic.

Also featured was an educational panel of local black psychologists who spoke to healing in our modern society. ABPsi was created during the Civil Rights Movement in an attempt to help facilitate the better mental and emotional health of the black community.
  
As Black History Month comes to a close, we'd like to say thank you to all who have worked so hard to bring the concepts of equality and fairness to the forefront of our national conversation. Without organizations like ABPsi, the black community would not be where they are today. Through education and dedication they have helped the black community to continually evolve in a positive direction. Thanks to all who made this event possible, to all poets who shared their voice and to all who attended.

Poet's Corner

Welcome to Eagle Arts, Poet's Corner! This section is where we'd like to spotlight some of our local veteran poets! Would you like to see your work in our new Eagle Arts? We encourage poetry written by veterans or about veterans and military life. 

This month we are honored to feature the work of one of our recent Artists in Residence, Katie Turner, along with more poetry by our own Poet Laureate, Alyce Smith Cooper. These two women have brought much creativity to our dear museum and continue to contribute in different ways across the board. Poetry allows many the opportunity to say things that may be hard to say any other way. A big thank you to all those who have contributed thus far, sharing with us your vulnerabilty and strength through prose.  

Muted
By Katie Turner

I stayed home
While you dodged flying bullets
I studied Shakespeare
While you puzzled out signs in Arabic
I wrote poems to read in bars
When I should have written you letters

You won't say
But I can see
Your time there haunts you still
We walk the streets
Your eyes scan the rooftops
Searching for snipers in our sleepy mountain town

You try to return to yourself
Try to go back to school
Go back to work
Try to pick the sand out of your bones
With toothpicks made in China
The sticky grains don't budge

And I try to understand how
Your skin came back without you in it
And I wonder what it's like now
To leave a land but always be dreaming in it

I say all these words in my head
While we sit next to each other
Not speaking
You were a poet once, and could sing
Now we are both mute
Not a single line between us


Elegance meets eternity 
By Alyce Smith Cooper

When elegance meets eternity explosions of creativity erupt
Showers of bright glory cascade into the cosmos 
The circle wheel of all that is does not ever ever ever ever
Did I say never end
When tall trees bend in the wake of strong winds
 limbs rattle shake and are sometimes pruned

The tap roots extend to seek the warmth of the heart of Mother Earth
The CRADLE Of creativity the magma
Of the MOST HIGH
When elegance meets eternity there is 
no sign of ending

WHEN ELEGANCE MEETS ETERNITY 
THERE IS A CONFLUENCE OF TRANSFORMATION 

Written and spoken in honor of the life of
Admiral Rodrigo C. Melendez 

@Alyce Smith Cooper
1/27/18
San Diego, CA



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Where are you reading your poetry, where are you seeing poetry performed?  We'd like to put out to our readers what is out there for established or budding poets. Have an event you'd like to share with our readers? Send an email to vetmuseum-pr@pacbell.net.

Know someone who would like to see this email?
To donate to the museum:
The Veterans Museum at Balboa Park, 2115 Park Blvd., San Diego, CA 92101
| (619)239-2300 | info@veteranmuseum.org | www.veteranmuseum.org