Events

All workshops are listed in Eastern Time.

Unless specifically noted, our programs are free, virtual and suited for participants ages 16+. For further details about what to expect from our workshops, including accessibility options, and registration & Zoom instructions, click here.

2025 Vision Boards — An Online Visual Art Workshop with Veteran Artist Valerie Acosta

Zoom Virtual Event

This week Valerie will be working on personal Vision Boards for the New Year. This will be a good way to set some intentions for the year and to have a visual reminder along with some inspiration to accomplish our goals. It can be as detailed or as general as you’d like. You can also use any materials available to you. Suggested Supplies: Markers/Colored Pencils/Paint/Pens Surface for Vision board (Poster board, card-stock, canvas, cardboard, wood, journals) Collage Materials (scrapbooking paper, magazine clippings, photos, inspirational words, stamps, stickers, etc) Adhesive (glue, tape, washi tape) Rulers Valerie Acosta served in the United States Air Force for 20 years before retiring in 2022. She is a self-taught visual artist and published photographer. Her mediums include acrylic, gouache, watercolors, pencils, pens, clay and wood. Her art has been exhibited at the Arches Gallery in the Workhouse Arts Center in Virginia. She is also a DoD-certified Master Resilience Trainer and loves to teach resiliency skills that can support mental health and replace misery with happiness. About CBAW Visual Arts Workshops Join Veterans and Artists, Valerie Acosta, Shaun Smith, Joe Merritt, or a special guest to learn new art techniques on Wednesdays at 7pm EST. Come […]

Creative Writing Workshop with Seema Reza

Zoom Virtual Event

No experience required! If you can think, you can write. In this creative writing workshop, we'll consider writing as a tool for communication, expression, and relief from holding it all together. Join us. Seema Reza is the author of the books A Constellation of Half-Lives and When the World Breaks Open. She is the CEO of Community Building Art Works, a non-profit organization that brings workshops led by professional artists to service members, veterans, and clinicians. An alumnus of Goddard College and VONA, Reza has taught poetry in classrooms, jails, hospitals, and universities. She was a 2019 Stand-to Veteran Leadership Fellow at the George W. Bush Institute and the 2023 Pauli Murray Art for Racial Justice Fellow at the Antiracism Research and Policy Center at American University. Reza’s writing has been widely anthologized and has appeared in the Washington Post, McSweeney’s, The LA Review, LitHub, and Electric Literature among others. REGISTER HERE MissionBelonging is funded in part by Creative Forces®: NEA Military Healing Arts Network, an initiative of the National Endowment in partnership with the U.S. Departments of Defense and Veterans Affairs. Creative Forces Community Engagement Grant program is managed by Mid-America Arts Alliance.

Event Series Online Music Workshops for Everyone

Intro to Music – An Online Music Workshop with Wytold

Zoom Virtual Event

Now a monthly MissionBelonging Program! Used to play an instrument but it's been a long time? Always wanted to try to learn an instrument or write a song, but not sure where to start? Join cellist and composer Wytold on the first Monday of each month and get started! Instruments are welcome but not required. Wytold (aka William Wytold Lebing) is a six-string cellist and composer from Washington DC whose original music is featured in film, theater and dance productions. Learn more at wytoldmusic.com and listen to "Wytold" on Spotify and Apple Music. @wytold | @wytoldmusic REGISTER HERE MissionBelonging is funded in part by Creative Forces®: NEA Military Healing Arts Network, an initiative of the National Endowment in partnership with the U.S. Departments of Defense and Veterans Affairs. Creative Forces Community Engagement Grant program is managed by Mid-America Arts Alliance.

Online Visual Art Workshop with Special Guest Facilitator TBA

Zoom Virtual Event

Details of this workshop are forthcoming. Please check back soon. Suggested Supplies: TBA Special Guest to be announced. About CBAW Visual Arts Workshops Join Veterans and Artists, Valerie Acosta, Shaun Smith, Joe Merritt, or a special guest to learn new art techniques on Wednesdays at 7pm EST. Come hang out in a collaborative group setting and bring what materials you have. No experience necessary! To register, click the link below. REGISTER HERE MissionBelonging is funded in part by Creative Forces®: NEA Military Healing Arts Network, an initiative of the National Endowment in partnership with the U.S. Departments of Defense and Veterans Affairs. Creative Forces Community Engagement Grant program is managed by Mid-America Arts Alliance.

Sketching Faces — An Online Visual Art Workshop with National Museum of Health and Medicine’s Elizabeth Lockett

Zoom Virtual Event

Explore the anatomy and features of the face using pencil and paper. We will use some basic drawing techniques and some basic anatomy to learn how the muscle and bone under the skin inform what we see on the surface. Paper and any drawing tool you are comfortable with are all that is required. Pencils, ink pens, or things like charcoal or graphite sticks. Suggested Supplies: Paper Pencils Ink Pens Charcoal Graphite Sticks Anything you enjoy drawing with will work! Elizabeth Lockett is a scientific illustrator and Collection Manager for the National Museum of Health and Medicine. The National Museum of Health and Medicine was established during the Civil War as the Army Medical Museum, a center for the collection of specimens and artifacts for research related to trauma and pathology. The museum's mission to preserve and explore the impact of military medicine spans more than 150 years and includes each major U.S. armed conflict. However, military medicine does not exist in a vacuum, and it is the museum's vision to preserve, inspire, and inform the history, research, and advancement of military as well as civilian medicine through world-class collections, digital technology, and public engagement. Visit the museum to learn […]

Creative Writing Workshop with Ben Weakley

Zoom Virtual Event

No experience required! If you can think, you can write. In this creative writing workshop, we'll consider writing as a tool for communication, expression, and relief from holding it all together. Join us. Ben Weakley spent fourteen years in the U.S. Army, beginning with deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan and finishing at a desk inside the Pentagon. He writes poetry and prose about the enduring nature of war and the human experience for veterans, their families, and anyone who would help them bear witness to war and its aftermath. A believer in the power of words to empower and heal, Ben leads writing workshops for Active Duty Military, Veterans, their families and caregivers, as well as Frontline Health Care Workers and other communities of ordinary people bearing witness to a difficult world. Ben lives in the Tri-Cities of Northeast Tennessee with his wife, two children, and a well-meaning but poorly behaved hound-dog. REGISTER HERE MissionBelonging is funded in part by Creative Forces®: NEA Military Healing Arts Network, an initiative of the National Endowment in partnership with the U.S. Departments of Defense and Veterans Affairs. Creative Forces Community Engagement Grant program is managed by Mid-America Arts Alliance.

Comedy Writing Workshop with Amelia Bane in Partnership with Steven A. Cohen Military Family Clinic at Easterseals & The Up Center

Zoom Virtual Event

Join comedian Amelia Bane for a comedy writing workshop. Give yourself a break from your routine and take some time to laugh in community. Each workshop, we will read a humor piece and react to it together. After some discussion about technique and what makes comedy writing work, we’ll write our own pieces. We’ll come together at the end of the hour to hear a few participants share their work. You never have to share if you’re not in the mood. Come write with us or just come laugh with us! Open to all, and no experience required. Amelia Bane is a writer, improviser, and filmmaker based in Brooklyn. She trained at The Upright Citizens Brigade and has performed improv and sketch comedy at theaters all over NYC. Amelia holds degrees in Literature and Film from The College of William & Mary and Goddard College. She facilitates improv and comedy writing workshops for veterans, and service members in military hospitals, and in corporate settings, using humor and spontaneity to teach emotional regulation and communication. REGISTER HERE MissionBelonging is funded in part by Creative Forces®: NEA Military Healing Arts Network, an initiative of the National Endowment in partnership with the U.S. […]

Stone & Brick in Watercolor — An Online Visual Art Workshop with Veteran Artist Shaun Smith

Zoom Virtual Event

This week, join Shaun Smith for a study on how to render stone and brick textures in watercolor. Suggested Supplies: Watercolor paint Watercolor paper Paint brushes Pencils Eraser Ink pen (optional) Tape Water container Paper towels Q-Tips / Cotton balls (optional) Shaun Smith is a Retired U.S. Army Veteran and Fine Artist based in Northern Maine. Shaun served 10 years as a Combat Medic with a tour in Afghanistan. During that time he was awarded The Combat Medic Badge for providing care under fire and a Purple Heart for injuries sustained from a VBIED. Shaun found comfort in art therapy as a way to express his experiences, leading him to enroll into an art university. Shaun graduated from The Academy of Art University of San Francisco with a Bachelors in Fine art Painting in 2021. Shaun dedicates his time to painting landscapes, wildlife, and peaceful moments. "War carves a deep scar on us, always reminding us long after we leave the battlefield. I combat that ugliness by submerging myself in the tranquility of the wilderness to reflect and find peace. When I paint a scene or a subject, That's the only thing that matters in that moment and I get […]

Coming Clean: How to Tell the Truth with Susanna Sonnenberg — An Online Creative Writing Workshop in Partnership with Strathmore

Zoom Virtual Event

Creative writing is a tool for knowing yourself, understanding the world, and connecting with other people. Led by author Seema Reza and accomplished guest writers—including poets, memoirists, novelists, and storytellers—these generative community workshops follow the model developed by Community Building Art Works (CBAW) over the course of a decade of bringing people together in military and hospital settings. Each workshop is designed to help participants put their personal stories on paper in a supportive environment. Whether you’re just starting out or have been writing for years, you are welcome; no experience is required. Bring a pen, a notebook, and an open mind! Coming Clean: How to Tell the Truth with Susanna Sonnenberg About This Workshop You hold many truths, many realities and experiences. How to choose what to write? How to be honest when you do? We will work with prompts to loosen the stories and gently find the right words for authentic telling. Susanna Sonnenberg is the author of two memoirs, Her Last Death and She Matters: A Life in Friendships, both New York Times Bestsellers. Her essay "Mirage" is a Notable Selection in the 2024 Best American Essays. She has taught in person and online for more than […]

Creative Writing Workshop with Seema Reza

Zoom Virtual Event

No experience required! If you can think, you can write. In this creative writing workshop, we'll consider writing as a tool for communication, expression, and relief from holding it all together. Join us. Seema Reza is the author of the books A Constellation of Half-Lives and When the World Breaks Open. She is the CEO of Community Building Art Works, a non-profit organization that brings workshops led by professional artists to service members, veterans, and clinicians. An alumnus of Goddard College and VONA, Reza has taught poetry in classrooms, jails, hospitals, and universities. She was a 2019 Stand-to Veteran Leadership Fellow at the George W. Bush Institute and the 2023 Pauli Murray Art for Racial Justice Fellow at the Antiracism Research and Policy Center at American University. Reza’s writing has been widely anthologized and has appeared in the Washington Post, McSweeney’s, The LA Review, LitHub, and Electric Literature among others. REGISTER HERE MissionBelonging is funded in part by Creative Forces®: NEA Military Healing Arts Network, an initiative of the National Endowment in partnership with the U.S. Departments of Defense and Veterans Affairs. Creative Forces Community Engagement Grant program is managed by Mid-America Arts Alliance.

Creative Sanctuary: A Creative Arts & Meditative Space Held by CBAW Facilitators and Community Members.

Zoom Virtual Event

Join us for an afternoon of respite on Monday, January 20th 12pm-1pm EST. Creative Sanctuary offers a welcoming space for art, writing, meditation, and meaningful connection. Whether you’re an artist, writer, or simply seeking a moment of calm, this workshop is for you. Held by CBAW facilitators and community members, this event invites you to bring a project you’re working on or something that inspires you to share with the group. Together, we’ll explore our creative sides, find tranquility, and build connections in a supportive environment, away from the noise. All are welcome. REGISTER HERE

Painting Rabbits — An Online Visual Art Workshop with Veteran Artist Joe Merritt

Zoom Virtual Event

This week we will be working on painting rabbits. Looking at proportions poses and textures. We will start with some quick sketches then moving into using acrylic paints to create a rabbit portrait. Suggested Supplies: Acrylic paints (Black, white, brown, blue, red, & yellow) Paint brushes Canvas (Paper, wood, or any other suitable material you have is fine) Pencil Eraser Water cup for rinsing brushes Paper towels Straight edge (ruler is great but any straight edge will work) Joe Merritt was medically retired from the United States Marine Corps in 2016 after 10 years of honorable service. Joe rediscovered art during his medical treatment and has a successful career as a professional artist, exhibiting his work and presenting gallery talks across the country. He is a steward of the veteran art community, leading art programming with active duty and veteran populations in DC, MD and VA. About CBAW Visual Arts Workshops Join Veterans and Artists, Valerie Acosta, Shaun Smith, Joe Merritt, or a special guest to learn new art techniques on Wednesdays at 7pm EST. Come hang out in a collaborative group setting and bring what materials you have. No experience necessary! To register, click the link below. REGISTER HERE […]