Brief Description: We are thrilled to announce M.B. Dallocchio as our guest artist for the June 2021 Drink & Draw. Grab your drawing supplies and your sketchbook to learn how to create a mixed-media sketch book. This month’s format will be a little different because we will be showing M.B.’s pre-recorded workshop so you may get the best visuals of the work she is demonstrating. The artist and our education staff will still be available live to answer any questions. No experience necessary. M.B. Dallocchio is a London-based Chamorro artist, author, and social worker who specializes in artistic psychosocial rehabilitation. Dallocchio served as a medic, mental health sergeant, and retention NCO in the US Army for eight years. While on deployment to Ramadi, Iraq in 2004-2005, she served as a member of "Team Lioness," the first female team that was attached to Marine infantry and Special Forces units to perform checkpoint operations, house raids, and personnel searches on Iraqi women and children for weapons and explosives. In addition to having been featured in the San Francisco Chronicle, New York Times, Huffington Post, Las Vegas Review-Journal, PBS, Yahoo! News, and many other media outlets covering facing injustice during and after combat, she also speaks out on women and minority issues, post-traumatic resilience, and the importance of self-empowerment. Dallocchio received her MSW from the University of Southern California and is a David L. Boren Scholar in Czech studies and international relations. She currently produces art tutorials and virtual exhibits on Veteran Art Studio via YouTube and other social media platforms. Her current virtual gallery exhibit, Fuetsan Famalao'an: A Journey Through Chamorro Matriarchy, is on display from 01 May - 31 Jul 2021. It features a chronology of Indigenous Chamorro women and survival from matriarchal society through centuries of multilateral colonization and military occupation. REGISTER HERE Learn more about the artist here: https://www.thedesertwarrior.com/ This event is free of charge and open to anyone who registers. We will send you a link to join the event after you register. Program funding made possible by the Wisconsin Veterans Museum Foundation through the generous support of Generac Power Systems.

Grab some popcorn and a seat in your favorite chair, and join us for a Movie Night and Virtual Discussion with the Wisconsin Veterans Museum Staff. While we can’t all be together, we can share discussion on major motion pictures that deal with the hardships, humor, and horrors of combat. June brings us into tank combat on the European front as we watch the Brad Pitt drama Fury. This film looks at a young rookie assigned to a veteran Sergeant’s tank crew as they push through Germany to deliver the final blow to Nazi’s.   Your mission is to watch the movie on your own and review the questions we provide you before this discussion event. On June 25, 2021, at 7:00 pm we’ll all meet via Zoom for a conversation led by museum staff. We will cover themes such as conflict, politics, pop culture, the military, and movie-making. After you register, we will email you the discussion questions and a link to join the virtual discussion via Zoom.  This event is free and open to the public and suitable for mature audiences.  Program funding made possible by the Wisconsin Veterans Museum Foundation through the generous support of Generac Power Systems. REGISTER HERE

Join us for our virtual Drink & Draw events as our Artist In-Residence is joined by talented guest artists who lead you through a delightful drawing experience inspired by images from the Wisconsin Veterans Museum collection. So gather your supplies, pour yourself a beverage, and bring your artistic energy as we spend the evening together stretching our creative muscles. This event is free of charge and open to anyone who registers. We will send you a link to join the event after you register. Program funding made possible by the Wisconsin Veterans Museum Foundation through the generous support of Generac Power Systems. REGISTER HERE

In the summer of 1921, a group of fliers led by Wisconsin’s Billy Mitchell proved in a series of tests that warships could be sunk solely from the air. This development influenced many developments up to and including World War II and beyond. WVM’s Chris Kolakowski and Kevin Hampton will explore the tests, their impact, and their legacies. This event is free and suitable for all ages. Program funding made possible by the Wisconsin Veterans Museum Foundation through the generous support of Generac Power Systems. REGISTER HERE

Grab some popcorn and a seat in your favorite chair, and join us for a Movie Night and Virtual Discussion with the Wisconsin Veterans Museum Staff. While we can’t all be together, we can share discussion on major motion pictures that deal with the hardships, humor, and horrors of combat. For July, we will be looking at the 2019 powerhouse, The Last Full Measure, starring Sebastian Stan, William Hurt, Samuel L. Jackson, and Christopher Plummer. Set in the decades after the Vietnam War, DoD staffer Scott Huffman is assigned to investigate a request for a Medal of Honor award. Learning the truth is sometimes difficult, yet what is discovered will not only change Huffman’s life, but the lives of others. Your mission is to watch the movie, which is available from most libraries or on streaming services (we will not be watching the movie the night of the program), while thinking about the discussion questions we will provide you. On July 30, 2021, at 7:00 pm we’ll all meet via Zoom for a discussion led by museum staff. We will cover themes such as conflict, politics, pop culture, the military, and movie-making. After you register, we will email you the discussion questions and a link to join the virtual discussion via Zoom. This event is free and open to the public.  Age Appropriate: This event is suitable for mature audiences as there is strong language and war violence throughout  Program funding made possible by the Wisconsin Veterans Museum Foundation through the generous support of Generac Power Systems. REGISTER HERE

The concert and panel discussion are free and suitable for all ages. 5:15 - 6 pm : Concert at the top of State Street. Open to the public, bring your own seating. 6:30 - 8:00 pm : Panel Discussion with the musicians. Please register in advance on Eventbrite due to limited seating at the museum. REGISTER HERE Live music is back and the Wisconsin Veterans Museum will host a free, outdoor concert at the top of State Street to preview the release of the album, The Last Thing We Ever Do (bring your own seating) followed by a public panel discussion (free; register in advance on Eventbrite) with the musicians. The album is a collection of songs based on first-hand testimony of Vietnam veterans about their experiences. The panel will explore their creative process and the healing that art activities can bring about. Inspired by first-hand testimony, Vietnam-era veterans and professional songwriters created the songs and studio musicians gave them voice resulting in the 14-song album, The Last Thing We Ever Do.  The origins of the project begin with Vietnam vets sharing their experiences at retreats like Warrior Songs where veterans heal through the creative arts, personal conversations, and interviews. Topics range from combat and the draft to reintegration and moral injury. Panelist: Jason Moon, founder and executive director of Warrior Songs; Yvette Pino, Iraq war veteran and curator of veteran art for the Museum; Doug Bradley, Madison Vietnam veteran and co-author of We Gotta Get Out of This Place: The Soundtrack of the Vietnam War; Jake Froelke, songwriter and musician. He and Bradley collaborated on “Look Out Sam,” one of the songs on the album which emphasizes the significance of music to troops in Vietnam. The Last Thing We Ever Do is produced by Wisconsin native and Iraq vet Jason Moon of Warrior Songs, a Madison-based nonprofit which brings hope and healing to veterans through music and the creative arts. Warrior’s second volume, Women at War, was awarded album of the year by the Wisconsin Area Music Industry in 2019. *Copies of The Last Thing We Ever Do will be provided free to veterans who attend the event. The program is presented by the Wisconsin Veterans Museum Foundation with the support of Madison's Central Business Improvement District.