Honoring the Troops---A Sculptor's Perspective
Submitted by Sculptor from Tallahassee, FL on 13 Aug 2010
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I am an artist, specifically, a portrait sculptor. A year ago I decided to create an exhibit that would “Honor Our Troops.” I have recently returned from Iraq and Afghanistan where I was embedded as a media artist. I photographed and measured 19 of 21 military service members to create bronze portrait sculptures for exhibits around the country in 2012-2013. Two of the subjects were wounded warriors (Marines) at Camp Leatherneck in Afghanistan. The subjects are males and females of various races and ranks from the Army, Navy, Marines, Air Force, Coast Guard, and the National Guard. Generals Odierno and Petraeus will be the final two subjects and will be photographed and measured back in the US. There’s a radio interview at www.honoringthetroops.com when you click on the “Honoring the Troops” page that gives a history as to why I decided to do this project. Supporting the troops and their families; educating the public about the duties and sacrifices of our military; and producing lasting historical images for each service member are goals of this project. The exhibit will be tour in Tallahassee, Florida; Naples, Florida; Chicago; West Point; Annapolis; Army and Navy War Colleges, and hopefully the Pentagon and the National Portrait Gallery. Each subject will receive their busts free of charge at the end of the exhibit schedule. My photo shows me in body armor in a MRAP (Mine Resistant Ambush Protective) vehicle while in Iraq. I joined both US and Iraqi Troops on Route Clearance Patrols looking for Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) along the highways in Mosul. I felt it important to meet and photograph the subjects while they were serving on active duty in their war zones and to experience some of what they are going through. Although there are only two people in my company (my wife and I), we contract out to other artisans to make the molds, do the wax chasings, pour the bronze castings, and apply the patinas. I have to deal with professional museum directors and sponsors. I have to coordinate nationwide transportation of the exhibits and notify the public of the upcoming events. Being an artist is the meaning of entrepreneurship. We create a product and try to market it on a daily basis. I need to take my business to a higher level and I believe that Dave's Entreleadership session will help me reach that goal. It will help me to honor our troops, market the exhibits, and better understand how to develop my artistic ability into a successful business. I will be writing a book to explain how the project was created and to honor the individual service members. I would love to include a chapter on how the Entreleadership session helped make this project a reality. We would appreciate your vote.
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