a postmodern mosaic of service,
struggle, and strength

SAVE THE DATE! NOVEMBER 7-9
AT OKLAHOMA CONTEMPORARY

TICKETS AVAILABLE SOON!

Born from months of free, Veteran-forward workshops, Ditty Bops 2025 unites 14 artists and Veterans in a postmodern mosaic of life after service. Sparked by Vietnam-era Morse Code Interceptor Neil Chapman (USAF), whose courage showed how one story can open the door for many, this new chapter continues in his honor. Through music, movement, film, and visual art, audiences witness resilience, humor, grief, leadership, and love. In these divided times, Ditty Bops 2025 offers a powerful chance to gather around Veterans with creativity and care, moving beyond “thank you for your service” to truly honor those who have carried the country on their backs.

Ditty Bops 2025 began in a room full of Veterans and artists, with a simple idea: make space for authentic expression and collaboration instead of over-simplified explanation. Over months of free, trauma-aware workshops, more than 70 Veterans and artists worked side by side, exploring personal messages through Morse Code, translated into rhythm, text, movement, mask-making, and visual art. Together they built skills, tried new tools, and connected with a sense of belonging and shared purpose inside a creative team.

The performance you will see is the living result of that process. Fourteen artists and Veterans stand shoulder to shoulder to create a non-linear, high-energy collage of music, dance, film, and design. It is a postmodern mosaic of Veteran life across eras and branches. Pride and pain. Isolation and intimacy. Routine and rupture. Humor and heartbreak. The work does not seek to fix, pathologize, or explain — it simply invites us to bear witness, to listen, and to belong to one another a little more than we did the hour before.

The first Ditty Bops (2023) was sparked by USAF Veteran Neil Chapman, a Vietnam-era Morse Code Interceptor who once believed no one would resonate with his story — until audiences responded with overwhelming recognition and care. Neil became the heartbeat of this work, and each new chapter continues in his honor, amplifying the voices of Veterans who, like him, deserve to be heard.

Ditty Bops 2025 is not outreach. It is a return. It is not us and them. It is “US” — Veterans and artists working together, shaping the frame and filling it with care.

Created and presented by SPARK! Creative Lab with generous support from Creative Forces®, an initiative of the National Endowment for the Arts, administered by Mid-America Arts Alliance, and presenting partner Oklahoma Contemporary Arts Center, with support from American Legion Post 12, the Oklahoma City Museum of Art, and individual donors. Additional amplification and community partnership provided by VFW Post 7192, the Oklahoma Department of Veterans Affairs, and the EagleOps Foundation.

DITTY BOPS: THE ART OF LISTENING

A short documentary by Zachary Burns

Bringing Stories to Life — Inspiring Action Through Art

Through a powerful, short documentary, live performances, exhibits, and free, Morse Code-infused workshops, SPARK!'s team of professional artists collaborates with Veterans, their families, and caregivers to foster connection and explore creative expression. The Ditty Bops project honors Neil Chapman and all who have served, while collaborating with Veterans from all branches and service eras to develop their unique voice and share their stories with the broader community.

The gallery below features highlights of the project’s first iteration, Ditty Bops: The Art of Listening, which premiered in August, 2023.