When dealing with difficult memories and emotions from his tours in Iraq as an Army sniper, local veteran Curt Bean lets the canvas do the talking.
“Working on a piece of art allows me to get out different thoughts and feelings without talking about experiences that are traumatizing to relive,” he said.
Bean is changing perceptions about veterans—and how they heal from the trauma of war—through the Art of War Project, an organization that offers creative outlets for veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
creative outlet to express their thoughts and feelings.
“Our goal is to allow veterans to be engaged in their community and successful in their everyday lives,” Bean said. “We’re just trying get them tools and options to be able to deal with their PTSD in a positive and healthy way.”
It’s an imminent need, as a group of 11 emerging leaders from the Denver Metro Chamber Leadership Foundation’s Impact Denver program found when they decided to join forces with Art of War. There are over 400,000 veterans living in Colorado, according to the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). In a national study, the VA discovered that 22 veterans commit suicide each day.
“I didn’t know about how much trouble veterans are going through and what the suicide rates were,” said Allison Farrar, principal at As You Wish and participant in Impact Denver, a leadership development program that introduces young professionals and emerging leaders to the pressing issues in the region and engages them in community impact projects. “It was really alarming.”
The 11-person Impact Denver project group, spanning different industries and skill sets, fine-tuned Art of War’s business plan, developed a five-year budget template, planned a casino night that raised more than $5,000 for the organization, researched long-term funding options and developed a strategic outreach plan to raise awareness of Art of War’s work in the community.
In addition to this group’s project with Art of War, the 91 leaders of Impact Denver’s 2015 class worked with nine other nonprofit organizations from across the region, tackling a variety of short-term projects.
The Impact Denver group wanted to get involved with Art of War after learning about its breadth of the art therapy classes and the interesting addition the organization makes to Denver’s creative culture, said Impact Denver group member Joshua Ward, a building systems coordinator at GE Johnson Construction Company.
Art of War offers a variety of visual arts classes, including photography, print making, screen printing, painting, drawing and filmmaking, as well as mindfulness training through meditation and yoga. The organization’s programming is offered free of charge to veterans and their families or caregivers.
“(Curt) is marrying two very important aspects: visual arts with healing,” said Deborah Jordy, executive director of the Colorado Business Committee for the Arts and personal mentor to Bean. “He recognizes that he as a veteran can do something that a lot of people can’t do: He can engage with his people through art and storytelling.”
Art of War has experienced rapid growth since Bean founded the organization in 2013, including a recent move into Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) Post One in Denver’s Santa Fe arts district, a move Jordy describes as a “gamechanger.”
As more veterans are looking for alternatives to self-medicating or medicine to heal from PTSD, Bean realized if he was going to continue to expand the organization, he needed help. He reached out to Impact Denver.
“I started Art of War, but with my background in the military I didn’t have a base knowledge for running a nonprofit,” Bean said, quipping, “I really don’t have the knowledge to do anything I’m doing, but I’m doing it.”
The members of the project group are proud of the impact their work had on Art of War and the veterans it serves. They, in turn, were impacted personally by their involvement.
“(This project) was the first experience I’ve had with someone who was very open about his PTSD,” said group member Tiana Nelson, Denver communications specialist for Colorado State University. “It’s really exciting to feel like we did something that will really make an impact.”
Group member and Xcel Energy Environmental and Public Policy Analyst Lauren Quillian, reflected on a painting class she attended.
“I wanted to plan everything and know what I was going to do,” Quillian said. “Curt kept saying, ‘Lauren, just let it go. If you want a mountain there, make a mountain there.’ (I learned about) the power of art and creativity. It’s a universal thing that brings people together whether you’re a veteran or not.”
Melissa Field, process improvement analyst for the City and County of Denver and member of the Impact Denver project group, said, “(This process) taught me a lot about humility. We really believed in Curt’s dream. It’s not always about you and what you’re good at, but what someone else needs you to do and what they’re looking for.”
The Impact Denver project group members—which also included Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck attorney Mark Bolton, Association of periOperative Registered Nurses Legal and Government Affairs Associate Danielle Glover, 8z Real Estate Realtor Kristin Harris, Amaryllis Therapy Network Occupational Therapist Jill Loftus, Denver Art Museum Director of Technology
Bryon Thornburgh and coach and ID alum Sam Bailey, a senior industry development manager for Colorado’s Office of Economic Development and International Trade—plan to continue their involvement with Art of War by volunteering, attending First Fridays and events at the VFW post, advising on grant writing and continuing to plan an annual fundraising event.
When asked about his hope for the future of Art of War, Bean said his long-term goal is to expand the lineup of classes to include more immersive activities like multi-day retreats in the mountains.
“Impact Denver created the base for us to be successful from here on out,” he said. “They’re helping us go to the next level.”
Impact Denver 2015 Class Projects
In addition to the 11 members who worked with Art of War, the Impact Denver (ID) class volunteered with nonprofits that serve the region:
Adam’s Camp: Organizing a “night out” for camp participants and refreshing its marketing materials, a group of ID participants helped Adam’s Camp further its mission to “maximize the strengths and potential of children and young adults with special needs.”
Boys Hope Girls Hope (BHGH): BHGH is a national organization that helps academically capable and motivated high school students in need to maximize their educational potential by providing housing, academic support and scholarship opportunities. The ID group provided a roadmap for the BHGH academy program to become sustainable and position it for future growth.
Burnes Institute on Poverty and Homelessness: This ID group conducted interviews with people experiencing homelessness for the Burnes Institute, an organization that provides assistance in homelessness research, policy analysis and program evaluation and improvement.
GrowHaus: A group of ID participants worked with GrowHaus, a nonprofit indoor farm in Denver’s Elyria-Swansea neighborhood, to help expand its food box program and make it self-sustaining.
HomeAid Colorado: HomeAid Colorado’s mission is to build new lives for homeless individuals and families through housing and community outreach. HomeAid Colorado asked ID to help raise awareness about homelessness in our state, as well as garner $15,000 to benefit HomeAid’s housing
development program, Hike for HomeAid.
Junior Achievement (JA): An ID group created an alumni re-engagement plan with JA, a nonprofit that provides in-school and after-school programs focusing on entrepreneurship, financial literacy and work readiness.
Lab to Combat Human Trafficking (LCHT): This ID group revamped the communications plan for the organization, which is dedicated to training and educating professionals and local communities in the fight against human trafficking.
Operation HOPE: Operation HOPE is a global nonprofit empowering youth, adults and families with the financial literacy skills to take control of their financial future and foster financial dignity. They engaged ID participants to develop a volunteer recruitment campaign, identify local business contacts for volunteer partnership opportunities and volunteer for one of their primary youth empowerment programs.
Third Way Center (TWC): This ID group improved the ongoing strategic marketing plan by developing a community survey for TWC, a nonprofit that offers truth and hope to high risk, mentally ill, disadvantaged and often homeless adolescents and their families.
[Photos courtesy of Art of War Project and Impact Denver]