2013 IVAW School for Creative Activism participants announced

The Center for Artistic Activism is proud to hold a School for Creative Activism with Iraq Veterans Against The War this summer at their annual meeting in Chicago. The following members will be participating in the weekend long workshop.

Michael Applegate

Michael Applegate

“I was in the Navy for 8 years from 1998–2006 and joined IVAW in 2008. As a veteran, activist and artist I have recently begun pursuing a career as an art therapist”

Chantelle Bateman

Chantelle Bateman

Chantelle Bateman is a Marine Corps veteran, whose experiences as a woman in the military have translated into published literary works, artistic features, and a career as a social justice community organizer. After returning home from Iraq, deeply troubled by her experiences of war, racism and sexual violence, she began to study the history of American militarism and moreover histories of resistance and became active in the struggle for transformative justice as a member of Iraq Veterans Against the War in 2004. Chantelle has appeared as a guest on CNN’s Newsroom, a plenary panelist during the 2010 US Social Forum, as well as giving public orations at colleges and universities across the country, sharing her personal and professional experiences and speaking out against injustices at home and around the world. Her creative works have been featured at the National Veterans Art Museum in Chicago and published in anthologies such as ““Warrior Writer’s: After Action Review”“. She is a former member of the Washington Peace Center Board of Directors and in 2009 became the first Northeast Regional Field Organizer for Iraq Veterans Against the War. Ms. Bateman’s approach to change is rooted in the Ella Baker tradition of grassroots leadership development and her work as an organizer is focused on developing and implementing liberation education models.”

Sara Beining

Sara Beining

Sara Beining is a single mother of an almost-5 year old, as well as being on the board of Iraq Veterans against the War, and an Iraq Veteran as an Intelligence Analyst with 4ID. She went AWOL shortly after returning from Iraq in 2007 and is now in the 5th year of her B.A. in Writing and Publication, residing in North East Indiana. Sara tutors college students in critical thinking and writing as well as being a freelance writer herself; she has several published poems and short stories, ghost writes blogs, and manages social media and marketing for various clients.

Jeremy Berggren

Jeremy Berggren

“My name is Jeremy and you can call me that or jerms. I am an artist and have been drawing most of my life. I was in the marine corps reserves and that experience changed me. I live in Durham, NC and am involved with a city farm and really trying to connect my art to resistance,and healing; and food justice and medicinal plant knowledge to healing from trauma and living well.”

Graham Clumpner

Graham Clumpner

Graham is an army veteran deployed to Afghanistan. He has been an organizer with IVAW for 2 years and is interested in using creative activism to add to his cultural understanding.

Matt Howard

Matt Howard

“I served in the Marines from 2001 to 2006 and completed two tours in Iraq. My experience guarding Iraqi friendlies” tasked with manual labor on the FOB I served on and their subsequent treatment by the military dramatically changed my views about the wars in the Middle East and American foreign policy. Recently I have stepped into the Communications Coordinator position for IVAW in New York City.”

Aaron Hughes

Aaron Hughes

“I am an artist, organizer, and Iraq War veteran, whose seeks out moments of beauty, poetry, and connection, in order to construct new languages and meanings out of personal and collective traumas. I uses these new languages and meanings to create projects that attempt to de-construct systems of dehumanization and oppression.”

Jason Hurd

Jason Hurd

Jason is an Iraq War veteran and has been organizing with Iraq Veterans Against the War for the past 6 years.

Maggie Martin

Maggie Martin

Maggie is the Organizing Director for IVAW. She lives in Tennessee and travels often working with members on the Right to Heal campaign and other IVAW work. She has a MA in Social Justice.

Ramon Mejia

Ramon Mejia

“I am from Dallas, Texas and am of mexican heritage. I am a husband, and a father of two children. I graduated from the Univ. of Texas at Austin with a BA in History & Religious Studies. After serving in the Marine Corps, and deploying to Iraq in 2003, my experience would lead me to convert to Islam. My goal in this life is to promote social justice. ”

Bryan Reinholdt

Bryan Reinholdt

“I have degrees in visual art and art education and will be completing my masters in art education this summer. My artwork draws from the inspiration and uninhibited work that children engage in void of adult hesitation over perfection, criticism, and artistic socialization that they are ‘not an artist.’ The medium used for a planned series based on what was described above is a mixed media, combining cardboard, tempera/acrylics, paper, and adhesive. Drawing from that style, I intend to convey the relationships between inspiration and separation.”,

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