Business & Tech

Laguna Ink Spot Hosts Veterans Art Project Starting Thursday

The upcoming exhibit, running through April 27, will showcase the work of active duty military and veterans.

Submitted by Laguna Ink Spot and Gallery:

Laguna Ink Spot and Gallery is proud to announce their fundraiser Art Show for the Veterans Art Project, sponsored by Saddleback Community College and opening on Thursday, April 4.

The Veterans Art Project is a grant-funded program that is free to veterans and their spouses implemented through Saddleback College Community Education. The program was inspired by research into alternative treatments for veterans experiencing Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Steve Dilley, a professor of ceramics, started a ceramics program for veterans as a free activity for growth and personal enrichment.

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Dilley is working closely with the college’s VETS Center, specifically with the Applied Psychology 140 class for veterans, to tout the benefits of having an intellectually engaging course like ceramics.  Dilley tells students to come as they are.

“Everyone can do ceramics," says Dilley. "It is fun, relaxing, and enjoyable – a great social activity. When we’re talking about ceramics, we touch on chemistry, geology, anthropology, and a lot of other areas of study. This may be a way for these students to find their calling and career path ..."

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The program is a bridge to academic success, both for those who are not yet ready to take traditional classes and students enrolled in regular academic courses.

“I started taking classes with Steve Dilley a couple years ago and it changed my life,” says Renee Bangerter, owner of Laguna Ink Spot and Gallery and former U.S. Marine. “I left the corporate world and followed my passion of art. I started going to the VAP thinking I could help other veterans and ended up being the one that got the most help when someone very close to me lost his life due to PTSD and depression. This program needs to continue and needs funding so other veterans can develop new skill sets for success after service.”

Including Bangerter, three of Laguna Ink Spot's resident artists are military veterans. Two of the gallery's artists have received scholarships from Laguna College of Art and Design (LCAD).

The upcoming exhibit at the gallery will showcase art created by veterans, active duty, and their adult dependents.  A variety of media will be represented in the show.  All the proceeds of art sales will go directly to the veterans who created the work, and 100% of funds raised from a closing night raffle will go directly to the Veterans Art Project, as will all additional donations.

The exhibit opening will take place on April 4, 2013, from 6-9pm.  The closing reception on April 27th will recognize the veterans that participate in the show. There will be live music, and donated items will be raffled. The event is open to the public, and everyone is invited to attend.

Renee Bangerter opened Laguna Ink Spot and Gallery in June of 2012.  The space is made up of a gallery area and two private tattoo studios.  All resident artists work across a multitude of media, including ceramics, watercolor, oil painting, and sculpture. Learn more at lagunainkspot.com.


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