Televison Show Starts Next Week

This week's art radio show is about Volunteering and Art. If you'd like to hear it from your computer simply go to: www.RobertJohnCook.libsyn.com

If you'd rather hear the iTunes podcast on your iPod, the name of the show on iTunes is "Robert John Cook's Art". The iTunes cost is free. Download avialable at http://www.podcastdirectory.com/podcasts/69387

For those who like blogs instead of listening here's the text:

LOCAL ARTIST ROBERT JOHN COOK LAUNCHES “HELP THE VET CAMPAIGN”
New Television Show Joins Volunteer Artists With Veterans

The purpose of introducing veterans to art while supporting the Cape’s art community has lead Congressman Delahunt to release the following statement, “I want to applaud the efforts of Robert John Cook and all of the veterans’ organizations and artists’ groups who are participating in this new and exciting initiative. I look forward to working with our veterans in the coming months as this project unfolds.”

Planned to air in June of this year, renowned Cape Cod artist Robert John Cook will be hosting a weekly television show on Channel 17 in Barnstable, Yarmouth, Dennis, Harwich, and Chatham. The purpose of Cook's television show, titled 'Welcome Home', is to launch the Artists & Veterans Project, a volunteer program which will unite local Artists with 28,000 Veterans living on Cape Cod.

The purpose of the Artists & Veterans Project is for the artist to voluntarily provide the veteran free art lessons, workshops, and training in the veteran's choice of art. The artists will vary from the visual arts, to musicians, and writers, and every artist in between, virtually anyone whose interest involves creativity. One of the key goals of 'Welcome Home' is to help artists promote their own work and in the end help connect them with new audiences who will hopefully want to support and patronize their creative work, while providing veterans with enhanced appreciation of the arts. According to Cook, All of us are artists, in one form or another. Whether it's with a paint brush, cooking spatula, or a guitar with a few chords. We are asking those with a creative skill to step forward, volunteer, and share with those in need.

The program is also designed to increase veterans' ability to connect in groups with other community members , and to pursue creative interests that assist in stress and mood management. Speaking from the Department of Veterans Affairs Hyannis Vet Center, Team Leader Bonnie McIntosh states, “Many veterans struggle with life-long stress reactions from their military experiences. Oftentimes, there are no words to express these experiences in normal conversation. The creative arts provide a ‘voice’ to express these struggles that is powerful and therapeutic. Also, helping veterans develop interest in hobbies and activities is important for successful readjustment to civilian life.”

The Arts Foundation of Cape Cod (AFCC) is pleased to serve as the online information source for veterans and artists interested in this initiative, said Margaret Van Sciver, President of the Arts Foundation of Cape Cod. We expect to receive information from the Artists & Veterans Project beginning on Monday, June 22, 2009. Thereafter, we will post their updated information on our web site regarding their lessons, workshops and training on an ongoing basis.

Cook's weekly television show, 'Welcome Home', will spotlight participating artists through on-air interviews. Additionally, a segment of 'Welcome Home' will address the important work being done by artist advocates, both statewide and on the Cape, in addressing four specific areas: 1) The need for networks and/or mechanisms for sharing best business and marketing practices for artists, 2) Artist-friendly legislative and tax changes, such as work-for-hire and artists rights legislation, and tax incentives, 3) Increasing availability/affordability of spaces for artists, and 4) Promotion of state’s artists and of the significance and importance of art in general. “Massachusetts has the fourth-highest number of artists as a percentage of the total workforce,” says Anita Walker, executive director of the Massachusetts Cultural Council. “Individual artists are the backbone of our state’s creative economy.”

For further info contact Cook at MayflowerStudio@aol.com, or call (508) 367-5571.