Things are creatively happening with Drawing on Earth interacting with Veterans. It’s exciting, something big is brewing, a wave of creative energy. There is a need to be filled, the community and artist helping the Veterans journey home, back into this world, in health, soulful, creative ways.
Events:
1) Founder of Drawing on Earth Mark Wagner will be chalk drawing Weds. July 31 for the art opening “Celebrating the Art Of Service” at the San Francisco’s Mission Cultural Center. 5-7pm, free, open to the public, veterans and everyone invited to collaborate on this one. Piece will be cut up and pieces auctioned off.
2) Sarasota Florida, Nov. 13 – 18. The largest chalk drawing festival in the world. This year’s theme is Legacy of Valor: Honoring Veterans. chalkfestival.org. Drawing on Earth and Mark Wagner will be one of the featured artists, they will be collaboratively creating a ceremonial chalk drawing with Veterans and anyone else was is war effected (everyone).
3) Mark Wagner will be speaking on “Street Painting, World Records, Satellite Photographs” at the LASER Art & Science series at UC Berkeley Aug. 7. Leonardo Art/Science Evening Rendezvous
The Journey Home
Ceremonial Chalk Drawing for Veterans and the Global Village
In the old days the village created a sacred time and space to welcome the warriors back from an unknowable experience of war to being an integrated part of the society. These days everyone is affected by war, the returning Veterans and the community both need ceremonies and rituals that help integrate the soul”s wound on both sides, and to welcome and thank the warriors back from their long journey home.
Mark Lewis Wagner and Drawing on Earth (.org) along with Veteran Artists and community members will be creating a featured chalk drawing that will culminate in an evening ritual where everyone is invited to participate, to welcome the soldiers home, to acknowledge the communities support to help integrate the whole experience. We do this to support and inspire the Veterans helping them to create long-term health and lead soulful lives.
Where: Sarasota Chalk Festival (largest in the world)
When: Nov. 13 — 18
Web: chalkfestival.org
Facebook: www.facebook.com/groups/646442775384868
Theme: Legacy of Valor
Concept: Create a sacred space over 2 days on the pavement using chalk and tempera paint that can be used as a staging area to use. On Friday evening in a short and beautiful ceremony the community will welcome home both Veterans (from all wars), and anyone affected by war. We will thank them for their service, and they can thank the community for their support.
Like Navajo and Tibetian sand paintings that are used in healing ceremonies, this piece would somehow be activated for the ceremony and then deactivated (washing or sweeping or dancing part of it away – I just had a vision of everyone putting socks on and dancing the piece away).
Artwork: Approx. 30 x 30 ft., co-created with Veteran artists and anyone who wants/needs to help using images, symbols, and graphic designs. The design will have an open area that anyone could work on; add to, grieve with, write or illustrate a story, create a relationship with.
Need: Looking for Veteran artists to collaborate with concept, design, and implementation. Film crews, photographers, networkers, local VA connection both in the Bay Area and in Florida, Native American Indians, ceremonialists, artist. And we are always seeking financial donations.
BIO:
Drawing on Earth is a small 501(c)3 nonprofit created in 2010. Out first project set a Guinness World Record for the largest chalk drawing. We had 6,000 people (most of them elementary school kids from Alameda CA) chalk drawing for 2 weeks, covering 90,000 sq. ft. (almost 2 football fields). The work was photographed by satellite. Recent chalk drawings at UC Berkeley Space & Science Lab, San Francisco Exploratorium, CBS Interactive, and Genenetech.
Mark Lewis Wagner is a visionary digital and traditional artist, author, musician, film maker, and educator. Wagner works in the film industry as a concept artist, he worked on the John Carter, Terminator 3, and the ABC mini-series DreamKeeper. He works as a graphic and web designer, illustrator, and fine artists. Clients: Smithsonian — Museum of Natural History, Disney/Pixar, SpaceX, and UC Berkeley. Wagner has created 5 pieces of art that have been photographed by satellite. He teaches art and creativity in college, graduate and elementary schools, and state prison, and has been involved in Native American Indian ceremony for over 30 years. His dad was an engineer on a troop carrier during the Korean War.
Inspiration: War and the Soul, by Ed Tick
