Welcome to VAP!

VAP takes artists, who are also veterans, and propels their works and careers into the mainstream creative arts community through networking, mentorship, collaboration with professional artists, and original productions. We are based in the Baltimore-Washington area and looking forward to connecting with other like-minded organizations and expanding the network of veteran artists throughout the country. 


Countless veterans made the brave decision to step away from their art and be part of something larger than themselves and fight for their country.  VAP provides the resources, tools, and networking necessary to take the intentional artist to the next level.We want you to be part of our work in all the artistic disciplines.  We are about collaboration in all genres of art with an emphasis on bringing together the Veteran and Artistic communities.  We are about the Artist, both veteran and non-veteran, coming together to tell a story.

Director's Blog

BR's picture

The Importance of Community Art

Submitted by BR on Fri, 03/23/2012 - 12:56

As you all know by now, VAP has been involved in Operation:Oliver since the inception of the project and represents an important tangible asset to the Oliver neighborhood in the work that we are doing both in creating green spaces and painting murals.  The whole idea of community art is something that we take for granted.  I would venture to say that most of us live in nice neighborhoods where manicured lawns, driveways, and houses are in good condition and the community is filled with families who have the resources to not only keep

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Operation: Oliver

Submitted by BR on Thu, 12/08/2011 - 09:34

Operation: Oliver has been an amazing partnership with so many organizations, universities, and people in Baltimore City coming together because they believe that change is possible and won't accept failure...

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The Hedgehog or the Fox?

Submitted by BR on Mon, 12/05/2011 - 10:34

My Executive MBA class had a good debate this last week about the business approaches between a Hedgehog and a Fox. A lot of people have written about this, including Jim Collins in "Good To Great". Most experts believe that successful organizations and leaders take the Hedgehog approach.....

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The Gallery

Submitted by BR on Tue, 11/29/2011 - 17:31

If you just started following VAP or maybe just got involved with The 6th Branch (T6B) in many of our service projects, you may not know that VAP and T6B occupied a loft space at Skylofts Gallery in Baltimore City for about 18 months. We had some amazing events there, including a fundraiser for adults with Autism, movie-screening nights, concerts and art shows, and even P90X and Insanity workouts! Leasing the gallery was the first joint move that VAP and T6B made early on in the relationship and it was a bold decision...

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Taking Credit through Collaboration

Submitted by BR on Mon, 11/28/2011 - 17:19

It nevers fails...whether I am in a meeting in the Pentagon or working on promotional materials for an upcoming VAP event, the topic of who gets credit for a decision or outcome always comes up. It got me thinking today about humility and how leaders balance getting and giving credit, especially in an arts organization where creativity reigns and ideas tend to develop through collaboration...

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Cold Call

Submitted by BR on Fri, 11/25/2011 - 12:51

One thing I perfected early on in the life of VAP was the "Cold Call". It was actually a tactic I used extensively when I was in the Army planning missions as a singleton operator. I was often out in the middle of a city, all alone in a foreign country, and charged with successfully completing some of the most exposed and dangerous missions the US government asked of the military. I was given plenty of training but at the end of the day, it was me out there mustering up the courage, motivation, and resources to pick a part every piece of fabric to arrive at the intended goal...

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Happy Thanksgiving

Submitted by BR on Wed, 11/23/2011 - 14:30

As I think about the meaning behind Thanksgiving and reflect on all that has happened with VAP over the last two years, I am so grateful to all the people who have given so much of their time to make this organization successful and have believed how important it is to bring the voice of veteran artists to the mainstream creative arts community. This time of year is not only about giving "thanks" but about reflecting, especially for veterans. As a Veteran Service Organization (VSO), this is one of our busiest times of the year where everyone steps up and gives every ounce of energy available to accomplish the mission.

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