Carving Joy, Finding Peace - Tales from a Vietnam Vet

Jun 09, 2021

Shane Matthews

Scott will briefly discuss his Vietnam experience as a 19-year-old Marine machine gunner during the years 1967-68 and how he used a Chopin tune from a music box and the imagery of a carousel to help calm him between firefights. After coming home, he walked a years-long path of social isolation and escape as do so many combat veterans. Seventeen years later he came across a broken-down 1910 carousel frame, brought it home to Colorado from Utah and over two and a half decades carved all new animals to repopulate the frame and mechanism. He will describe the beginnings of a non-profit organization, The Carousel of Happiness, and efforts to construct a building and operate it. He will briefly describe another related sculptural project called The Council of Kindness, a different kind of healing experience. Whereas the carousel was to help him heal, the “council” was designed to help others.

Scott Harrison will be joined by Shane Matthews, the filmmaker of “Carving Joy”, a short documentary film about the origins of the Carousel of Happiness. Shane will talk about why he created the film, “Carving Joy”, and a bit about the filming. Shane will show it and afterwards, Scott will give an update on the present state of both these projects.