Our collaboration with the “Veterans Day at Mckay” event on Saturday November 11th 2023 was an overwhelming success engaging visiting artists, hundreds of community members, veterans, and allies in a socially engaged, hands on creative event. 

The Humboldt Veterans Clay Group was honored to collaborate in this annual 10k run in support of local veterans.  This year's addition of socially-engaged art in the form of ceramics and watercolors served to enrich the experience for all who attended.  Visiting Veteran ceramic artist Jessica Putnam Phillips of Vermont engaged veterans and the community with demonstrations of hand-building techniques at the College of the Redwoods and at the Mckay event.  Ehren Tool, celebrated Veteran ceramic artist and UC Berkeley ceramics lab technician, threw over 150 mugs for the event which were decorated by veterans and their allies. These mugs were later glazed by volunteers at the Cal Poly Humboldt Ceramics department and distributed back to participants by the volunteers at the Arcata Veterans Hall. The collaboration included a separate "Art in Service" panel discussion and dinner at Arcata Veterans Hall complete with tap dancers and a saxophone player! 

Our unexpressible thanks goes to these amazing, hardworking, and caring artists as well as the leaders and volunteers that made it all possible.