If you are a Veteran, Servicemember, military family member, or military caregiver, and you haven’t participated in a free Veterans and the Arts Initiative workshop to learn guitar or make art — or would like to join us again for a new semester, there are plenty of opportunities to participate this fall!
The ever-popular Veterans Guitar Workshops (Level 1 & Level 2; 9/6 – 11/8) will be offered virtually this fall. Whether you’re a complete novice, or just looking to hone your skills, retired George Mason University professor Glen McCarthy can guide you. Another fun workshop opportunity that only requires the use of a smartphone: our smartphone photography workshop at the Hylton Center, led by Thuy Senser, an adjunct professor in the Mason School of Art and Design. Unlock the hidden potential of your smartphone camera to take incredible photographs in Basic Landscape Photography Using A Smartphone (9/14 & 9/21). Furthermore, learn basic composition, natural lighting, and editing techniques. Or, if using your own two hands to physically create a work of art sounds intriguing, consider signing up for Sneaker Sculpture Workshops! (10/5, 10/12, 10/19, & 10/26) where participants will use everyday materials to create a personally meaningful and fun sculpture based on the Jordan 5.
The Hylton Center and Prince William Public Libraries are also teaming up to provide additional workshops in library locations across the County, including:
- Basic Portrait Photography Using A Smartphone (10/19 & 10/26),
Potomac Library, Woodbridge
- Basic Close-up and Macro Photography Using A Smartphone (11/5 & 11/9),
Central Library, Manassas
- Exploring Innovative Collage Techniques Through Botanical Imagery (11/18 & 11/19), Haymarket Gainesville Library, Haymarket
Registration for the library workshops listed directly above starts September 1.
Next, join us for a free celebratory concert with the Metropolitan Jazz Orchestra in Salute to the Military (11/12) during Veterans Day weekend. Vocalist Darden Purcell, Director of Mason’s Jazz Studies and Jazz Voice, joins conductor Jim Carroll and his orchestra for an inspiring evening of music from the Jazz Age and eras of World War I and World War II. This concert is free for Veterans and Servicemembers with ID (up to 2 tickets each).
Learn more about upcoming Veterans and the Arts Initiative workshops and register today.