Phoenix VA Health Care System

PHOENIX — Artistic Veterans it’s time to highlight your talent in the VA Creative Arts Festival “Put Your Heart Into Art.”

Many Veterans benefit from VA recreational therapy with activities such as painting, pottery making, leather craft, creative writing and dance.  For Phoenix VA patients the entry deadline for the local arts competition is Friday, Jan. 20. The deadline for all art demo submissions is Jan. 27. All artwork submissions must be delivered to the Public Affairs Office in Building 27 at the Carl T. Hayden VA Medical Center in Phoenix by Tuesday, Feb. 7.

Entry forms for each category can be found by clicking on the respective highlighted text in each division.

Categories in the competition Include:

1) Art Division

a) Fine Art Entries
b) Applied Art Entries
c) Kit Entries
d) Group Art 

2) Creative Writing Division   
a) Poetry – Humorous, Inspirational, Patriotic and other
b) Essay - Humorous, Inspirational, Patriotic and other
c) Personal Experience - Humorous, Inspirational, Patriotic and other
d) Short, Short Story - Humorous, Inspirational, Patriotic and other
e) Monologue/Duologue
f) Group Creative Writing 

3) Dance Division (Solo and Group)
a) Wheelchair Dance Categories
b) Dance Special Recognition Category
c) Ambulatory Dance Categories
d) Senior Dance Categories

4) Drama Division – Solo and Group

a) Prose Solo – Dramatic, Patriotic, Religious and Comedy
b) Prose Group - Dramatic, Patriotic, Religious and Comedy
c) Poetry Solo - Dramatic, Patriotic, Religious and Comedy
d) Group Poetry
e) Interpretive Performance Solo – Dramatic and Comedy
f) Interpretive Performance Group – Dramatic and Comedy
g) Mime
h) Juggling
i) Magic
j) Puppetry/Ventriloquism

5) Music Division (Solo and Group)
a) Vocal Entries
b) Instrumental Entries

Applications need to include the entry form for the respective division, a VA consent form for picture and or/voice and if the entry is in the dance, drama or music division a tape must be included.  PVAHCS’ medical media department can assist Veterans with their tapes, provided the request is submitted through the VA Recreation Therapists.  Patients in the Mental Health Program can contact Mental Health Recreation Therapist Lynn Hambel at (602) 277-5551 ext. 7650.  Patients in the Community Living Center can contact Recreation Therapist Brenda Walker-Mehlert at (602) 277-5551 ext. 7645.

Entries will be judged for creativity, originality, skill and total presentation at the local competition slated for Feb. 8 at Memorial Hall at Steele Indian School Park, 300 E. Indian School Road (corner of Third Street and Indian School Road).  There will be a reception from 6 to 8 p.m. on Feb. 8 at Memorial Hall at Steele Indian School Park. All submitted entries will be on display at the “Put Your Heart Into Art” show set from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Feb. 9 at Memorial Hall at Steele Indian School Park. Winners will be announced at 12:30 p.m. 

The winners from this competition will go on to regional competitions.  If the patients win at both the local and regional competitions, their entry will be a part of VA’s National Veterans Creative Arts Festival in Boston, Mass. in October.

Both the local and national events are sponsored in large part by the American Legion Auxiliary (ALA).  In Phoenix local ALA members are part of the committee that puts on the festival and they assist with numerous components from preparation and planning, set up, photography, judging, and much more.