Mil-Tree’s Art of War exhibit showcases a ‘call-and-response’ between veterans and civilians this Saturday (12/6)

Our local veteran outreach non-profit Mil-Tree is holding the fifth iteration of their Art of War exhibit this Saturday, December 6 at High Desert Artists in Yucca Valley. The opening is from 5:00-7:00 p.m. and will run the whole month until December 28.

The Art of War is a call-and-response exhibit that pairs the work of veteran and active-duty military writers with responses from civilian visual artists, creating a powerful dialogue between written word and visual expression. While in the past they’ve strictly had civilian artists responding to veteran’s writing, this year two veterans are also creating the visual art. I asked Mil-Tree’s Co-Executive Director Danielle Giudici Wallis about the program’s five-year evolution, from her participation in the event two years ago before becoming part of the organization’s staff. 

“I got to participate in it a few years ago as a visual artist. It was a really intense experience, being able to read the veteran’s writing and really think about it, take it in, and create a work in response to it. The writings were also just very intense, you could hear a pin drop in the gallery. People were focused on the writing, really just listening and being there to witness the veterans who were reading it. 

This year’s Art of War writers include Barry Scanlan, Norm Miller, James Spaulding, Patrick Wallis, Lawrence Markworth, Omar Columbus, Nadia Clark, and Delissa Chase. Artists responding to the writing include Mark Micchio, Barry Scanlan, Judy Wold, Anna Stump, Wendell Hunt, Bonnie Kopp, Ron Therrio, and Philip Miller. 

The opening goes from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m., with writers reading their work at 6:00 p.m. this Saturday (December 6) at Hi-Desert Artists, located at 55635 29 Palms Hwy in Yucca Valley.

The event is free and open to the public.