Veritas Artist Collective: Connecting, Creating and Influencing I have had a large number of people ask me recently what the Veritas Artist Collective is, means, does, or represents. Due to the high volume of these questions, I figured that sharing and introducing you to our members here on HyperVocal would be the perfect forum for an introduction, especially since I have already introduced three of our artists (Lamar Stockton, Esther Havens and David Ramirez) to you in the last few months in my regular column here. Installation by Matt Braun Here is a little section from our vision statement that explains our vision behind the Artist Collective: Veritas is an Art Fashion Brand, creating its own niche in the fashion market, a brand with its core revolving around the Fine Arts community. This community encompasses all genres of art and design, similar to the late 1960’s New York art scene that revolved around the Factory owned by Andy Warhol. Groups of creative individuals who networked and created together, shared their works, critiqued each other and most of all impacted the art community worldwide. The network of artistic talent that was born out of this collective included artists, poets, photographers, actors and actresses, fashion designers, musicians, and filmmakers. In essence the idea behind Veritas is to become “The Factory” as a brand, but with a greater purpose than just influencing artistic creation, a purpose of becoming involved in humanitarian projects worldwide through this collection of creative individuals. This is the design behind “The Veritas Artist Collective”, a collection of artists, photographers, sculptors, musicians, actors/actresses, filmmakers, producers, writers and athletes thus enabling the Veritas brand to connect internationally in all creative circles. The design behind to Artist Collective is to use creative individuals to inspire hope where hope is needed, bringing together the creative to inspire the community around them as well as invest in and empower communities in need. When I began to vision cast and dream about what this could look like I continued to think about Warhol’s Factory and how that collection of individuals influenced creative minds around the globe. What would have happened if they focused all of their talent and gifts on communities in need around NY? Dramatic change? We don’t know, but we can use the idea and see what happens. We are worlds away from Warhol’s crew but I believe that we are a step in the right direction. Our goal for 2011 is to take members of our Collective to Kenya to invest in the people and lives that we as a brand have been investing in for the last 2 years. Here is a list of the current Veritas Artist Collective with links to their worlds. Art: Beth Anna Hynum | Paris, France | www.takeholdoflife.com Bob Johnson | Dallas, TX | www.workofbob.com Brent Richardson | Norman, OK | www.brentrich.com Caitlin Bielder | Myrtle Beach, SC | theredemptionart.com J. Taylor | Dallas, TX | www.artbyjtaylor.com </noscript> Justin Strickland | Denton, TX | www.justin-strickland.com Katie Kader | Denton, TX | Katie Kader Art Matt Braun | Dallas, TX | Matt Braun Art Nicole Morrow | Dallas, TX | www.savenikki.com SAMO4PREZ | Austin, TX | www.samo4prez.com SAMO4PREZ Commercial for Chinon Japan </noscript> Sean Ellis | Dallas, TX | Sean Ellis Art Zach Saucedo | Phoenix, AZ | www.saucedodesigns.com Photography: Daniel Davis | Austin, TX | www.danieldavisphoto.com Esther Havens | Austin, TX | www.estherhavens.com Words: Kelli Anne Noftle | Los Angeles, CA | www.kelliannenoftle.com Film: Tai Duncan | Beverly Hills, CA | Tai Duncan IMDB Music: Brian Holwerda | San Diego, CA | www.blackoutpartymusic.com David Ramirez | Austin, TX | www.davidramirezmusic.com Green River Ordinance | Fort Worth, CA | www.greenriverordinance.com GRO Covers \”The Weight\” by The Band J Lynn Johnston | San Luis Obispo, CA | www.jlynnjohnston.com </noscript> Jonathan Combs | Fort Worth, TX | www.jonathancombsmusic.com Justin Loose | Dallas, TX | www.justinloose.com Lamar Stockton | Austin, TX | Lamar Stockton Music Miniature Soap | Los Angeles, CA | Miniature Soap Music Miranda Dodson | Austin, TX | www.mirandadodson.com Ryan Edgar | Dallas, TX | www.ryanedgarmusic.com Ryan Edgar covers \”Love Lockdown\” by Kanye West (Steve Rokks on Percussion) </noscript> Seth Philpott | Nashville, TV | www.sethphilpott.com Sleeperstar | Dallas, TX | www.sleeperstar.com Sleeperstar \”I Was Wrong\” Steve Rokks | Dallas, TX | www.steverokks.com There is no denying that creativity can inspire change in a wide variety of shapes and forms. We don’t want to just inspire change, we want to make an impact and create change in a multitude of small ripples that we hope will spread further than we can dream. I would love to hear your thoughts and ideas on ways you think we could do this together! I am going to leave you with quite possibly my favorite quote from one of favorite authors and literary mentors, Madeline L’Engle. It explains me in the form of words as well as my creative peers. Veritas Artist Collective show 2009 “There is no denying that the artist is someone who is full of questions, who cries them out in great angst, who discovers the rainbow answers in darkness, and then rushes to canvas or paper. An artist is someone who cannot rest, who can never rest as long as there is one suffering person in this world. Along with Plato’s divine madness there is also divine discontent, a longing to find the melody in the discords of chaos, the rhyme in the cacophony, the surprised smile in time of stress or strain. It is not that what is not enough, for it is; it is that what is had been disarranged, and is crying out to be in place. Perhaps the artist longs to sleep well every night; to eat anything without indigestion; to feel no moral qualms; to turn off the television news and make a sandwich after seeing the devastation and death caused by famine and drought and earthquake and flood. But the artist cannot manage this normalcy. Vision keeps breaking through, and must find means of expression.” Madeline L’Engle Ty Clark is the CEO of Veritas Fashion. He likes to think that he is an Artist, Fashion Designer, Writer, Social Entrepreneur, Activist, non-media mogul and vagabond traveler. Ty Clark Ty Clark is the CEO of Veritas Fashion. He likes to think that he is an Artist, Fashion Designer, Writer, Social Entrepreneur, Activist, non-media mogul and vagabond traveler.