Welcome back to Eagle Arts! 

We were very proud to launch our first issue of Eagle Arts during December. Each month we will shoot to have you Eagle Arts by the end of each month, highlighting the upcoming month's arts events and reporting on the past month's events. 

The VMBP stepped into the New Year with sad news, the unexpected passing of RDML USN (Ret) Rod Melendez. The Executive Director of the Museum from 2002 until 2014, Rod's hard work and dedication led us through a period of growth and transition that has made us a key part of San Diego's Art and Culture community.  His jovial attitude, unmatched leadership style, and fun mustache made him a standout in our community. We look back on our time with Rod as a gift that we were thankful to have and express our condolences to the family and friends.  We are all beyond sorrowed at losing this beloved Veterans Museum family member.

We seek to keep our friend's legacy alive through the things he loved, our museum and the arts. Join us in upholding that legacy as we continue to grow our arts and cultural program, here at VMBP. 

Remember that this is YOUR newsletter, so don't hesitate to send us feedback on what you'd like to see more of. You can send your feedback to [email protected]. We're also looking for our community veterans to come forward and share their creativity! We want to see your work in Eagle Arts!  Submit writings and poetry to [email protected].  

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 at the end of February. Have a great month and we'll see you at the museum! 

Captain Sheldon Margolis 
USN (Retired) 
President and CEO

  
The Veterans Museum at Balboa Park Arts 
  • Feb. 10 - Let the Poets Speak 
  • Feb. 27 - Filmmaking Workshop 
This Month
VMBP Poet Laureate and ABPSI San Diego Chapter encourages healing through poetry - Feb. 10

Join VMBP poet laureate, Alyce Smith Cooper, and the Association of Black Psychologists San Diego Chapter for a night of poetry and healing with Let the Poets Speak Feb. 10 at 7 PM at the museum. 

Join Cooper and other local poets, as they present their work and then open the microphone for the public to share their poems as well. Cooper and ABPSI will also present a panel discussion about the healing art of poetry. Enjoy special guest performances by local poets Jacole Kitchen and Gill Sotu! 

If you are a poet or a poetry lover in the San Diego area, who believes that story and poetry can heal the heart and mind, join us at the museum Feb. 10! 

Tickets are $11.42 a piece and include one adult beverage. To purchase tickets or to find out more about the Association of Black Psychologists San Diego Chapter go to:
GET TICKETS

Get ready, get set, get involved in the VMBP Arts Program! 
 
 DID YOU KNOW that The Veterans Museum at Balboa Park has a vibrant, thriving and ever-growing arts program? We are proud to be a continuously evolving hub for the arts, and pride ourselves on working with local San Diego organizations like Cygnet Theatre, La Jolla Playhouse and Bodhi Tree Concerts, to offer quality productions presented in our beautiful museum. We also boast a growing Artist in Residence program, which has allowed us to feature community artists interested in giving back to the veteran community, while showcasing their skill.  I know many of our subscribers have come to a play, a music night, a poetry event or you've met our Arts Director, Anthony LoBue, out and about in the community. 

Would you like to be a part of one of our workshops, open discussion forums or be considered for a VMBP Artist in Residence? Call  619.239.2300 to speak to VMBP staff about becoming a part of this unique Arts Program. You can also send an email to [email protected], care of our Volunteer Arts Director, Anthony LoBue, aka "Tony the Vet". 


We also encourage local veteran writers, artists and poets to come forward and share their work through this newsletter! San Diego is a city full of art and creativity. If you would like to write about art, the healing power of art, or you would like to submit poetry, please send a brief email to [email protected] 

We look forward to bringing you more art and inspiration through each month's Eagle Arts! Keep an eye on our website and Facebook for upcoming events and opportunities! 


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:

 Last Month 
Jazz and Juice enjoys another successful night at the museum!
 
Event MC, John Phillips, 88.3 Jazz Radio's "Cool Struttin" radio personality. 
The museum was proud to host its second  Jazz and Juice, on Dec. 3o. Our poet laureate, Alyce Cooper Smith, once again shared the stage with Musa Kaleem and the Vibrational Tones to bring attendees an inspiring evening of improvisational jazz and inspiring poetry. 

Attendees could also grab a plate of food and an adult beverage for a few extra dollars. This night of hot jazz also included a cool treat, organic fruit juice. No matter what you enjoy for food or drink, we guarantee you will enjoy the show! 
 
Alyce Smith Cooper (left) and Musa Kaleem and the Vibrational Tones bring music and poetry together during Jazz and Juice. 
If you are a fan of this event, the VMBP will be hosting Jazz and Juice on a regular basis. Stay up to date by checking our website or going to our Facebook page. 




We hope to see all our jazz and prose lovers out at our upcoming Jazz and Juice events! 
Music Night at the Museum with Louis Lacayo finishes round two!



The museum also hosted it's second Music Night at the Museum on Jan. 19. Local musician, Louis Lacayo, sought a way to give back to the veteran community through music. Lacayo enlisted the help of some of San Diego's talented local musicians to present an evening of original work and some of your favorite songs from across the ages. 

The show offers elements for every kind of music fan. The musicians assembled during Music Night  to include a fiddler, an upright bass, various vocalists and a fun skit done by our own poet laureate, Alyce Cooper Smith and Lacayo. 

This will not be the last Music Night we present. Keep your eyes peeled for the next date and time! As always, you can see what we have in the works on our webiste and Facebook.  A big thanks to all the amazing musicians who have come out so far to lend their talents to sharing music with the veteran community. 
 
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 pleased to present the work of not only our poet laureate, but of our community's veteran poets.  Thank you to our veteran poets, Billiekai Boughton, Anthony LoBue for submitting this month! Are you are a veteran poet, a poet who is an advocate for veterans or just a poet who loves to write about things military or veteran-oriented? Then send us your work! You can send poetry to [email protected]. 

Fullness of Moons
By Alyce Smith Cooper 

Two blue moons produce a red full moon
A golden crescent smiling new moon
For the crows to fly over
Ushering death back into the cave of creation
Moon wisdom rising tides of oceans
Moon magnetism eclipsed in men's minds
Raging in women's veins  
Creation 's wonder nesting in nurturing wombs
Fed by spirit and flesh in Quantum Majesty 
flaring glowing mightily (for a small planet on the outskirts of the universe)
With mandates for free will light bearing consciousness declaring the golden peace the glad tidings of spiraling consciousness bringing with it more compassionate actors who emote on cosmic stages sing in angelic chorus play galaxies in symphonic proportions 

Roll on red blue full crescent eclipsed moon 
Progress into next quadrant exposure 
Exciting imagination exposing creativity and elevating our love quotient as we praise our GOD
HALLELUJAH TO THE GOD OF CREATION!

@Alyce Smith Cooper
1/31/18
San Diego, CA


If You're Torn 
by Billiekai Boughton
 
 If you're torn
fold yourself over the ripped edges
create butterfly origami
like you are one piece 
and can fly away
to find tape 
made out of blue sky
 
If you're frayed 
pull the shreds of thin skin in
toward you core, your beginning
the direction of your hometown
drag your segments to face your 
mecca of healing and forgiveness
loop the thread of your being through
a sliver of wood or shrapnel
you were left with and
stitch in circles to sew yourself whole
 
If you're shattered 
pick up the porcelain pieces
the housebreaker left you with 
and search
for black electric tape or super glue
or grout or nail polish or   any   kind    of adhesive
 
but don't try to put the shards back how you started
this   is   not   a puzzle
there are no missing pieces 
you have all you will ever need
 
so arrange your sections artistically
bright blues around the edges
brilliant shades of mango, apple, lemon on the inside
become a beautiful mosaic
 
you are unbreakable
unwavering
 
you     
are     not      broken
you
never were

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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 [email protected].

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 | [email protected] | www.veteranmuseum.org