WWW.UPANDCOMINGWEEKLY.COM JANUARY 19 - JANUARY 25, 2022 UCW 15
Art is a celebration of life, intend-
ed by the artist to put the spectator
in touch with the divine.
– Joseph Plaskett, Canadian
painter
Have you ever wanted to create
art to express yourself? Cape Fear
Studios is offering the opportunity
to do just that to military-affiliated
members of the community.
e Arts Council of Fayetteville/
Cumberland County has awarded
funding to Cape Fear Studios to
offer classes to military personnel,
their spouses, and their children
through Creative Arts and Military
Outreach (CAMO).
CAMO launched in 2018,
employing a coordinator who
works with military and military-
adjacent organizations throughout
Cumberland County. e initial
phase of CAMO served as a needs
assessment – reviewing arts,
culture and history opportunities
available specifically for members
of the military and their families.
Initially funded for the first
two years through a Military and
Healing Arts grant from N.C. Arts
Council, CAMO also had private
funding from the Arts Council of
Fayetteville/Cumberland County.
COVID-19 brought a realign-
ment of funding priorities for N.C.
Arts Council, which eliminated
the Military and Health Arts grant
program in 2020. For the past
two years, the Arts Council of
Fayetteville/Cumberland County
has funded the initiative through
internal fundraising efforts.
Pre-COVID-19, CAMO enroll-
ment benefited as many as 150
people per quarter. e visual arts
and pottery classes taught now by
local artists at Cape Fear Studios
will support learning for around 70
individuals through May 2022.
All military and military-affili-
ated individuals are welcome in
CAMO classes regardless of their
skill level.
CAMO serves active-duty sol-
diers, veterans and family mem-
bers looking for therapeutic and
enjoyable ways to develop their
artistic skills. And especially family
members of deployed active-duty
soldiers and veterans with past
deployments.
Cape Fear Studios provides a
safe and accommodating space
where military members and
their families can commune and
connect. e idea behind bringing
the military community together
in a creative space is to provide
them with an outlet for quality
time not directly related to their
work or home lives. Cape Fear
Studios will begin their CAMO
partnership by offering a variety of
classes, including drawing classes
with Sara Jane Lee, painting class-
es with Angela Stout, and pottery
lessons with Guy Jencks.
Cumberland County has a lot to
offer in terms of art, culture and
history," said Kennon Jackson, Jr.,
Executive Vice President of the
Fayetteville/Cumberland County
Arts Council.
"e Arts Council fully supports
its military community."
CAMO provides military mem-
bers and their families a no-cost
option to enjoy a creative outlet
that otherwise may not be avail-
able to them. rough CAMO, the
Arts Council also seeks to capital-
ize on the expertise and value in
its partnerships with nonprofit
arts organizations like Cape Fear
Studios.
e plan is to spread the word
through Facebook, including Face-
book groups for military wives and
families, word of mouth, and the
Cape Fear Studios Website. Classes
offered as part of the CAMO pro-
gram will be free. For additional
information, visit www.cape-
fearstudios.com or artgallery@
capefearstudios.com.
EVENTS
ELAINA J. MARTIN, Staff Writer.
COMMENTS? editor@upandcomin-
gweekly.com. 910-484-6200.
Military outreach through
the arts
by ELAINA J. MARTIN
Photo courtesy of Pexels
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