Beyond Stereotype: War, Warriors, and the Creative Arts

Join us to consider the historic and contemporary intersection of art, war, and culture. Guests Michael D. Fay, former United States Marine Corps combat artist, and Tara Leigh Tappert, cultural historian, will discuss the role and influence of wartime experiences on culture and the arts since WWI, addressing both art’s place on the battlefield and its rehabilitative qualities for veterans. They will also discuss contemporary issues surrounding art and war in a post-9/11 era, including art’s capacity to subvert stereotypes about war and the impact art made by combat artists and veterans has on the national discourse on war and the military.

Michael D. Fay was an active duty Marine for nearly 20 years, attaining the rank of sergeant in 1978. He joined the Marine Corps Reserve in 2000 and served as a combat artist with the Field History Detachment supporting the Historical Division of the Marine Corps through two tours in Afghanistan and two tours in Iraq. Fay holds a BS in art education from Pennsylvania State University and an MFA in illustration from the University of Hartford. He is an adjunct professor with the Virginia Commonwealth University’s painting and printmaking department, where he created a course on reportage art. His work resides in the collections of the National Museum of the Marine Corps and the James A. Michener Art Museum, among others.

Tara Leigh Tappert is a scholar, curator, and archivist. She holds an MS in library and archives administration from Wayne State University and a PhD in American civilization from George Washington University. Since 2010, Tappert has been developing veteran-focused exhibitions and researching the recent history of art-making as a form of rehabilitation for the war wounded. Her work has been supported by the Center for Craft, Creativity, and Design; the John W. Kluge Center at the Library of Congress; and the National Endowment for the Humanities. In 2011 she founded The Arts & The Military, a grassroots arts initiative that provides educational programs, art-making workshops, and exhibitions to a wide range of cultural, educational, medical, and military institutions.

Registration begins January 16 at 9 am.

To register, go to: https://bbd.bostonathenaeum.org/sslpage.aspx?pid=300

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