Reflections of Generosity Volume 1

Published on November 22, 2009 by Ron Kelsey

Fellow Artists and Soldiers

As I wear the uniform of the U.S Army, as I plan the next exhibit of Reflections of Generosity, from New York to Germany, I have expressed my interest with IAM to share these experiences as they unfold. The upcoming exhibit will provide military soldiers and spouses an opportunity to respond to the stresses of ongoing deployments through their own artwork and music. Many artists from RoG (Ft. Drum), as well as additional artists who have heard about the exhibition, plan to participate in Germany.

Last month I was asked by the military to create a nonprofit lithograph edition to benefit the soldiers of 2-159 AVN BN when they return home from Iraq. As the challenges and stress of deployments continue, the Army often uses art as a way to honor and support soldiers as they return home from the battlefield. In this way, RoG represents a tribute not only to the heroes of 9-11 and soldiers who have given their lives in recent conflicts, but also serves as a way to honor those who continue to serve toward restoration and peace.

Makoto Fujimura, in his essay “Refractions 1: Peacemakers” explains how art can create peace:

Art can play a central role in our making of peace. Jim Hall, the legendary guitarist, in receiving the Jazz Masters Award this January, stated: “Jazz is our great peacemaker.” When jazz musicians travel around the world (they are more respected today outside of the US than inside), their music carries a message of collaboration, the freedom of improvisation, of community — really the fruits of democracy.

During my deployment to Iraq, I read Mako's latest book, “Refractions,” to find peace on the battlefield (pictured left). The following words I wrote to describe this experience:

Sitting in a bomb shelter, in front of Saddam Hussein’s former palace in Baghdad, Iraq, I found relief from the burning sun to reflect upon Refractions. As I read the quote below, I was approached by a soldier I had never met before, who requested to take my photograph. In that moment of time, SSgt Gonzalez unknowingly captured me being moved and inspired by the following words:

"God appeared in flesh via the babe in a manger, bridging eternal gaps in the incarnation: Flesh, therefore, is given the weight of glory. God came, supped as a man, and bled to bring our bodies and spirits to merge into heaven. He defined humanity within his own body. As Dutch art historian Hans Rookmaaker famously stated, 'Christ did not come to make us Christians . . . but that he came to redeem us that we might be human in the full sense of the word.' Our Lord humbled himself to have a body, to make himself vulnerable, to be lifted up in ignominy, and to find resurrection in that glorious body. (Makoto Fujimura, Refractions: A Journey of Faith, Art, and Culture, page 81)

Yours toward restoration and peace

Ron Kelsey, Germany
Nonprofit Artist, Military Liaison for the Arts
ron.v.kelsey (at) us.army.mil

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