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The premise of this artwork is that the camouflage uniform serves a purpose: to protect those who wear it. Only those who wear it can know what it means to put it on and not know if they'll be able to take it off at the days end.

As a tactile, intimate object that goes through every experience with our military service members, it retains the memories within its very fibers. It camouflages those memories and protects them from public view, as soldiers and veterans have learned to do themselves.

By painting onto a camouflage military uniform, the service member and participant reveals a previously encoded aspect of their experience that otherwise would not have been seen by the public. It's as if the paint is dissolving the camouflage and creating a transparent window into this personal revelation of the service member.

If you are a veteran and interested in participating from home or in a workshop please contact us.

The title of the exhibit is: inFORMATION as it is often displayed in a manner resembling a military formation, and is expressing information that each service member wishes to share with the viewer.

When veterans return from service they are asked many questions by curious civilians who have the privilege of never having been in service or in war. Whether the question is posed in casual, fleeting conversation, or during a personal discussion, the answers can often be difficult to come by, and many times, not what the veteran would want to share about their experience.

Very often veterans are put in the position of answering questions. inFORMATION encourages veterans to use creative expression to speak on their terms.

There are far too many indicators that something in our society today is not working for our military and veterans as we are seeing record numbers of military and veteran suicides, homelessness, and a very large civilian-military gap. (Click links for poignant articles about these topics). Art bridges gaps in communication. The art created through this program transcends language and experience, sharing the human experiences of those who have served in the military in a meaningful way. Those who view the exhibit as veterans will know they are not alone in their experience, and those that come as civilians will gain deeper insight into that same experience.

Family members of those who serve, serve too, and have a role in supporting and being a part of the life of our military. Family members and others who have not themselves actually served in uniform (civilians), have the opportunity to take action by sharing their connection to and showing their support for our troops and veterans by painting onto a quilting square. These squares are sewn into garment bags which protect the uniforms as they travel in exhibition and serve as a symbolic gesture and ever growing web of support for our troops and veterans.

If you are interested in participating please contact us.

We have and continue to facilitate painting workshops for current and former service members and civilians. Veteran workshops are always private and must be registered for in advance.

Workshops available:
Veterans
Male Veterans
Female Veterans
Military Sexual Trauma (MST) Survivors - Male
Military Sexual Trauma (MST) Survivors - Female

Workshops specific for your veterans group can be arranged by contacting us.

The exhibit is available for rental. At this time the collection of veteran artworks can be rented inFORMATION by Squad (8 uniforms), Platoon (16 uniforms), and Company (60 - 75 uniforms). Multiple squads or platoons may be deployed (rented) as needed to suit your event or venue's needs. Because No Soldier Stands Alone, squads are the smallest group available for rental.

FORMATION's include:

Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans
Vietnam Veterans
Women Veterans
Military Sexual Trauma (MST) Survivors - Male
Military Sexual Trauma (MST) Survivors - Female

For more information on renting inFORMATION, or to have inFORMATION specially curated for your venue or event please contact us

Rick Lawson, Founder
Operation Iraqi Freedom veteran 2004-2005. Service-Disabled Combat Veteran. Will graduate with Bachelor of Science in Clinical Management and Leadership from The George Washington University in June 2013. He has been active in veterans advocacy, traveling the country to participate in events such as:
Coalition for Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans conference (D.C. 2009)
Post Deployment Force Health Protection Conference (now Armed Forces Public Health Conference) (Albuquerque, NM 2009)
Swords to Plowshares Fundraiser Dinner (San Francisco, CA 2009)
Mobilize.org Beyond the Welcome Home Summit (Los Angeles, CA 2010)

Valery Tolle, Director
With a BA in Human Services and a focus in non-profit management and development, Val is passionate about veterans getting access to services they deserve. Paired with her experience creating art she not only designs and plans our programming and events, but also co-facilitates workshops as well.

We have both been trained in Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training (ASIST) at Ft. Lewis, WA.