CreatiVets Featured in Time Magazine
Richard Casper (BFA 2012) and his nonprofit organization, CreatiVets, were the recent feature of a Time magazine story. Casper founded CreatiVets in 2013 as a way to help veterans heal through art and music programs. Casper who was a Marine Corporal in the Iraq War returned home in 2007 after having suffered injuries from an improvised explosive device and seeing his best friend killed. Suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder, Casper found relief in the arts. “I dove into art because I felt like it was healing me at that moment,” he says.
CreatiVets flies veterans to Nashville to collaborate with songwriters or to Chicago or Richmond, Virginia to study at SAIC or Virginia Commonwealth University for three weeks. Since beginning the organization in 2013, Casper and CreatiVets co-founder Linda Tarrson have helped more than 80 veterans and Casper's work was recognized by former President George W. Bush. Read more about CreatiVets and Casper in the Time article here.
In celebration of alum Georgia O’Keeffe: My New Yorks opening current SAIC students were invited to submit artworks inspired by O’keeffe and the city of Chicago.
An image from the exhibition opening of “My Chicagos: SAIC Students Honor Georgia O’Keeffe.”