VetArtSpan
26 episodes - English - Latest episode: 11 months ago -This VetArtSpan podcast provides the opportunity for the veteran and civilian community to have a shared experience of hearing from veterans, the artists who serve as art therapists, artists who represent community arts organizations that work in partnership with veteran medical facilities that serve our veterans and organizations that offer resources and outreach to our veteran community. This programming offers the opportunity to share insight into the Military culture and the nuances of Military life. This will serve to inform our civilian population and foster a foundation for clearer understanding and compassionate communication.
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Episodes
Theo and Brianne Rooding
June 17, 2023 16:09 - 22 minutes - 20.8 MBFred Johnson, the host and guiding light of these podcasts, sits down for a deep conversation with Theo and Brianne Roading. Theo is an Army veteran who was medially discharged after a severe injury. His road back to civilian life led him and his wife to the Tampa Bay Area, and together were introduced to the Veteran Civilian Arts Ensemble at the Straz Theater. Theo worked with Guitars for Vets in Nashville, and his introduction to music therapist Natalie Quintana opened the door to expressi...
Bernadette Dunn
June 15, 2023 21:39 - 21 minutes - 19.4 MBVetArtSpan host Fred Johnson has a wonderful conversation with Air Force veteran and painter Bernadette Dunn. A few years ago "Bernie" began attending the Straz Center's Veteran Civilian Arts Ensemble, and she is now a key member of the group. Her connection began with the James Haley VA Hospital, where she participates in the whole-health "Drive to Thrive program." In this conversation we learn about how the Veteran Civilian Arts Ensemble expanded Bernadette's creativity to include dance, p...
Annie Okerlin
June 15, 2023 19:54 - 27 minutes - 24.9 MBVetArtSpan host Fred Johnson has an enlightening conversation with yoga instructor Annie Okerlin, founder of the Exalted Warrior Foundation, which facilitates adaptive yoga instruction programs for Veterans, active duty and military reserves, as well as spouses and caregivers in VA hospitals and in community studio spaces around the country. Annie explains how yoga applies to the warrior's view of their bodies, and helps veterans "be here now" through the use of breath. Many who serve in the ...
Dr. Mark Staples
August 31, 2022 15:38 - 22 minutes - 20.6 MBGuest host Cathy DeWitt invites Dr. Mark Staples into the Gainesville VetArtSpan studio for a conversation about his work at the Malcom Randall VA Medical Center. Dr. Staples is a cardiac surgeon and intensive care doctor, but he also serves veterans and their families though music. He and Cathy discuss the reactions he gets when patients see their doctor playing music for them in their room. You'll hear some of Mark's beautiful finger-picking, and Cathy joins in singing on a magical song.
Urban Light
July 23, 2021 15:40 - 20 minutes - 18.5 MBIntrepid VetArtSpan host Fred Johnson meets with Army veteran Urban Light to discuss her evocative journey toward becoming a spoken word artist. She is active in the Courage and Grace Foundation, which provides resources and support to women veterans. Through arts mentorship and the sharing of stories, the work helps build confidence for these women veterans (and their families) as they reintegrate into civilian life. Her own journey as an artist began with creative writing and grew as she b...
Samantha Sampson
July 14, 2021 17:19 - 21 minutes - 19.5 MBFred Johnson gets together with Army veteran and poet Samantha Sampson. Her family has deep roots in the military, and she shares some of the inspirations that drive her to create her deeply personal spoken word creations. She is a member of the Vet/Civilian Dance Company at the Straz Center, and her poems were used in a multi-dimensional performance celebrating the 2021 Juneteenth event at the Straz. In this episode we get a chance to hear two of her transformative poems.
Bill Hutchinson
July 09, 2021 18:47 - 29 minutes - 27 MBGuest host Cathy DeWtt has an engaging conversation with Vietnam combat veteran Bill Hutchinson, who is a well-known musician, concert organizer, and raconteur. Bill tells several amazing stories, and perhaps the most compelling one is how sharing a song saved his life in a scary situation in Vietnam. Cathy and Bill even do a short reenactment of the moment! They go on to explore the way music can be a vehicle for change and how it creates a positive impact on the lives of both listeners and...
Chris Stowe
May 29, 2020 17:39 - 16 minutes - 15.3 MBVetArtSpan host Fred Johnson talks with fellow Marine veteran Chris Stowe about Chris's journey from being an Explosives Ordnance Disposal Technician deployed in Iraq and Afghanistan to becoming an accomplished artist working towards his Master of Fine Arts degree. His creative path began with a mask-making art therapy experience and has blossomed into his glass-making work with Operation: Art of Valor at the Morean Art Center's Hot Shop. Chris is a mentor and an advocate for using the arts a...
Noah White and Anna Pasquale
May 25, 2020 20:27 - 28 minutes - 26.3 MBVetArtSpan host Fred Johnson visits with Noah White and Anna Pasquale, the driving forces behind the Creative Forces Open Studio within the Jacksonville-Onslow Council for the Arts in Jacksonville, North Carolina. Noah and Anna share their experiences as both administrators and artists serving the veteran community with a program that encourages and nurtures creative expression. This conversation (recorded in a video conference) reveals their deep commitment to providing a judgement-free envi...
Reed Franklin
May 07, 2020 00:59 - 28 minutes - 26.5 MBThis episode of VetArtSpan features guest host Cathy DeWitt in an interview with Vietnam veteran and musician Reed Franklin. Shortly after being diagnosed with cancer, Reed decided to return to Vietnam after being away from the battlefield for 40 years. This decision resulted in amazing experiences and connections: going to Hanoi for the first time, playing music for hospital patients and singing for children in schools and orphanages. The initial inspiration for the trip was a song he hear...
Maxine Reyes
May 03, 2020 19:35 - 19 minutes - 18 MBIn this VetArtSpan podcast, host Fred Johnson has a conversation with Maxine Reyes, who talks about her life in the military with a husband who was also deployed, all the while while raising a child. Her transition to civilian life includes a re-blossoming of her artistic career as an in-demand musician. She is an active supporter of the veteran community and is a two-time recipient of the Humanitarian Service Medal and Military Outstanding Volunteer Medal. Her story is inspiring!
Expressive Arts for Veterans: Therapists and Artists
January 04, 2020 15:52 - 16 minutes - 15.2 MBThe VetArtSpan team visits two VA hospitals to talk with art and music therapists, musicians in residence, volunteers, veterans, and administrators about the impact of music and art on the veteran community. We start with Merrilee Jorn and Natalie Quintana at the James Haley Veterans' Hospital in Tampa, continue with Diane Garrison, Jeff Hesch, and Cathy DeWitt at the Malcom Randall VA Medical Center in Gainesville, and hear from Geoff Hopkins, Chief of Recreation Therapy & Creative Arts Ther...
Women Veterans: The Creative Journey Home, Part 2
December 15, 2019 17:40 - 13 minutes - 12.5 MBIn Part Two of our story we continue to explore the journey home for our veterans who transition back into civilian life. VetArtSpan host Fred Johnson interviews a group of women veterans who have embraced creative expression as a way to smooth their unique reintegration process. Many of these women are involved in the Diavolo Dance project, in conjunction with Straz Salutes. This two-part story was recorded at the Straz Center for the Performing Arts in Tampa, FL, as part of the VetArtSpan i...
Women Veterans: The Creative Journey Home, Part 1
December 03, 2019 01:04 - 14 minutes - 13.7 MBThe journey home can take a long time for our veterans who transition back into civilian life. VetArtSpan host Fred Johnson interviews a group of women veterans who have embraced creative expression as a way to smooth their unique reintegration process. Many of these women are involved in the Diavolo Dance project, in conjunction with Straz Salutes. This two-part story was recorded at the Straz Center for the Performing Arts in Tampa, FL, as part of the VetArtSpan initiative.
John Parks
December 01, 2019 21:29 - 24 minutes - 22.1 MBOur VetArtSpan host Fred Johnson talks with esteemed teacher, choreographer, producer, and director John Parks. Fresh from his collaboration with Diavolo dance and a group of inspired veterans, John talks about how movement is a universal means of expression, and how "muscle memory" can give us a way to become fluent in the language of movement. Usually used to "feeding" his students, he and the veterans that he mentored as part of this Diavolo project were all "fed" by the total group effor...
Operation: Art of Valor at the Morean Arts Center Hot Shop
November 16, 2019 16:22 - 11 minutes - 10.4 MBFred Johnson and the VetArtSpan team spent a dynamic morning with a group of veterans who were creating a team-based glass sculpture – from concept to finished product. Moving together as one and handling the 2000 degree glass helps them stay in the “now” moment. They tell the story of art as a healing force in their own words. The program's mission is to serve the military and veteran population through structured, hands-on learning that focuses on improving cognition, social interaction, p...
Jennifer Samuel-Chance
November 11, 2019 17:17 - 19 minutes - 18.2 MBOur host Fred Johnson engages in a conversation with vocalist and inspirational speaker Jennifer Samuel-Chance. Her life journey moved through a career in business and morphed into the life of an artist. Blessed with a powerful voice, she sings opera and coaches people on becoming authentic storytellers. Her artistic journey lead her to showing veterans that all stories matter. By helping them accept their own truth, she demonstrates how to dive into the creative process. "If you are truthfu...
Dwayne Scheuneman
October 23, 2019 04:25 - 17 minutes - 16.1 MBVetArtSpan host Fred Johnson guides us on a conversation with dancer and choreographer Dwayne Scheuneman. Dwayne's life as a dancer is manifested from his heart, and from his wheel-chair. He evolved from the world of athletics to perhaps the unlikely world of dance, where he found the artistic expression of movement helped to tell his story, and helps many veterans live their stories through the experience of his dance. A member of AXIS Dance as well as his own REVolutions Dance company, Dwa...
Victor Carlos Alcantara, at the Star Center
September 02, 2019 14:29 - 19 minutes - 17.5 MBVetArtSpan host Fred Johnson interviews Victor Carlos Alcantara, a veteran of 20 years with the Air Force as an aeromedical technician. His love of painting started early in life, and after serving in Viet Nam and the Gulf War, he returned to his art to become a highly accomplished painter as well as building a successful career in public health management. Fred and Carlos talk about how being alert to opportunities can help in the reintegration process for newly retired veterans.
Belicia Adams & Alexis STIX Brown, at The Straz Center
August 18, 2019 21:16 - 19 minutes - 17.8 MBVetArtSpan podcast host Fred Johnson talks with Belicia Adams and Alexis STIX Brown, who are the heart and soul of Paint22.com, an organization that provides welcoming art-making experiences to veterans and their families. Alexis and Belicia talk about their artistic process and how they help create those uplifting and creative experiences for the veteran families they work with.
Erica Guevara
July 30, 2019 12:52 - 23 minutes - 21.1 MBVetArtSpan host Fred Johnson has an enlightening conversation with Erica Guevara, wife of veteran Manny. She shares her thoughts on the Vet Civilian Dialog and how the experience brought connection and peace for her and Manny. She finds a new role for art as she and her family help to transition Manny back into the civilian life, and she rediscovers herself as a prolific painter.
The Bodge Family at The James Haley Veterans' Hospital
June 29, 2019 17:07 - 32 minutes - 29.9 MBVetArtSpan host Fred Johnson has an intimate conversation with veteran Ryan Bodge, along with his wife Tiffany, son Garrett, and service dog Bradley. The family speaks of their shared experience during and after Ryan's deployments, and of how they all pulled together to support each other. Ryan tells us how tapping into the experience of making art and training service dogs helped him on the journey toward positive reintegration.
Vet Civilian Dialog at the Inkwell Centre
June 17, 2019 12:09 - 29 minutes - 26.9 MBVetArtSpan host Fred Johnson leads a group discussion with veterans, their families, and civilians. This conversation is all about understanding the issues facing veterans, and the idea is to create a safe space for all to express their feelings about a variety of issues facing veterans as they reintegrate from active duty. The goal is to encourage everyone to participate in this sort of dialog, whenever and however they can. Program Note: This spontaneous recording contains some technical...
Dale and Valerie Kelley, with Guest Host Cathy DeWitt
June 02, 2019 19:38 - 18 minutes - 16.5 MBGuest host Cathy DeWitt interviews combat veteran Dale Kelley about how tapping into his creative side helped him in his reintegration process after a long stint serving in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. His wife Valerie, an accomplished artist herself, shares this transformative experience from her perspective.
Matt Piepenbrok from the Morean Arts Center Hot Shop
April 24, 2019 01:40 - 19 minutes - 17.7 MBVetArtSpan host Fred Johnson interviews glass studio instructor Matt Piepenbrok about his work with the veterans who come to learn the challenging and sometimes dangerous craft of shaping and blowing molten glass. Their conversation sheds light on how creativity impacts the veteran experience.
Merrilee Jorn and Natalie Quintana from the James A. Haley Veterans’ Hospital
April 22, 2019 21:36 - 34 minutes - 31.2 MBVetArtSpan host Fred Johnson interviews music therapist Natalie Quintana and art therapist Merrilee Jorn about the intricacies of their work with veterans in the hospital and the community setting.