FEB 19 - AUG 6, 2021
Place of Peace brings to light the veteran experience. As veterans transition to civilian life, they are often met with challenges of depression and anxiety and must suddenly cope with the complete upheaval of a life once known with very little transitional support. As stated in The Clinical Psychology Review, “Soldiers and veterans are undeniably resilient, both by selection and by training. But they are not superhuman…The process of transitioning and reintegrating back to civilian life is often stressful and can generate lasting psychological difficulties.” Many soldiers who transition back to civilian life are entering day-to-day activities with a baseline of depression, anxiety, and post-traumatic-stress, and there are varying degrees in which these challenges can present themselves. Unfortunately, many veterans can go weeks, months, and even years without realizing the need for mental health support. This doesn’t include the thousands of veterans who are aware but choose not to seek help due to the stigma associated with mental health support as it is often associated with weakness, the counterpart to an essential bravery with which soldiers are correlated. “Previous wars have demonstrated that veterans’ needs peak several decades after their war service, highlighting the necessity of managing current problems and planning for future needs.”
It is all too common that the struggle of transition leads to suicide. Prevention is key. Finding a Place of Peace - be it a spiritual center, a garden, painting, theatre performance, or spending time with friends and family - is absolutely essential. It is critical in preventing a negative outcome. The arts have proven beneficial time and time again in aiding veterans as they bridge the gap between military life and civilian life. Let this exhibition help you find your place of peace and aid in the broader understanding of how we, as a community, can best help those who have served to protect us.
Loneliness, Desertion, Isolation & Abandonment #1
This series was shot on medium format black and white film. In addition, the images were edited and printed in his home constructed darkroom. It is a long exposure/ light painting project that required him to push the limits of his tools and abilities. The project focuses on the idea of loneliness, isolation, abandonment, and desertion. As a Veteran living with Depression and PTSD, the world can sometimes feel like a very lonely place to exist. Often, individuals may fall under the impression that they are battling alone. For that reason, the idea came to him to convey those feelings through imagery. For uninterrupted access to these locations, he would go out under the cover of darkness (typically after midnight). All the images were shot in near blackout conditions and everywhere light is shown was not visible to the naked eye; the light is painted after the image is taken. Each location is where one would typically see people and activity. However, when living with depression, sometimes light is the best one could hope for.
ANTONIO PIPKIN
Loneliness, Desertion, Isolation & Abandonment #2
Loneliness, Desertion, Isolation & Abandonment #3
Loneliness, Desertion, Isolation & Abandonment #6
Loneliness, Desertion, Isolation & Abandonment #5
Loneliness, Desertion, Isolation & Abandonment #4
Ebb and Flow
Chaos and control. I battle with these elements in every painting. Chaos is evoked by how the paint is applied and interacts with other colors and layers. Control comes through by deciding where to apply it and determining what interesting interactions to keep and what to paint over. I primarily paint in an abstract expressionist style in thick layers. I paint in layers because I enjoy the way the layers can convey depth and conflict in a painting. Each piece begins with a general concept I want to explore, and colors to evoke an emotional tone. Because of the way the paint is applied, each smear, drag, or scrape has a random aspect that is a surprise to me after each application. This is the aspect of my style that I enjoy the most, giving up control to obtain unexpected results. Scraping away layers reveals previous underpaintings and gives the viewer glimpses of the evolution of the painting through its history.
KEVIN SYTSMA
Fractured Relic
Infinite
Ripples
Wisps
Angel Flight
I like to take photographs that pull the viewer into and beyond the frame. To tell a digital story that may bring memories of a shared experience they may have had with me or could imagine happening. These images exhibit the art found in and around our museums within our own backyard. I am especially drawn to take aircraft photos because of my time in the U.S. Air Force. I was active duty from 1988 to 1993 as a Fire Protection Specialist and served during Desert Shield and Desert Storm. I was honorably discharged as a non-commissioned officer with the rank of Sergeant. One of the most exciting experiences I had during my time in service was being on the Space Shuttle Recovery team while stationed at Edwards AFB for the first landing of the space shuttle Endeavour. That, in part, gave me continued inspiration to continue to look above and keep going through hardships and happiness to the stars. This series is intended to give a feeling of family and peaceful reflection to all our veterans.
KYLE VANLANDUYT
Life Size Lego Brick
Miss Mitchell
Prairie Bloom
Union Station Silver Shower
Bee on Flower
Heather Inich is an Air Force Veteran who served from 1995 to 1999. She was stationed at Offutt AFB, NE and worked as a Medical Services Journeyman at Ehrling Bergquist Hospital. Heather has always loved photography. She has had a camera in her hand since she was ten years old. She prefers to photograph nature because, as she says, “…you can’t make nature mad…”. She loves to capture the beauty in things that most people see as ordinary. Walking around in the woods or driving around looking for different landscapes to photograph is very therapeutic and is a positive release for her.
HEATHER INICH
A Peaceful Day
Writing was a staple in my career in various positions related to athletics. I did not venture into creative writing until a friend died in 2007. I still can’t explain why, but I wrote two poems after her memorial service. Grief is a recurring theme in my art. As I continued to write poetry, I started spending more time at the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art. I wrote a poem about the lost wax process of creating sculpture after hearing a docent’s comments. Shortly after, I learned that poetry inspired by visual art is called Ekphrastic poetry. I also became attentive to the beauty that appears in front of me everyday--sunrises, plants, animals and the moon. I capture these moments in photographs. I am taken in by patterns and relationships that I see, like a drying blossom hugging a new bud or a pair of trees that look like parenthesis. Visual art and poetry have been in conversation since the time of the ancient Greeks. I pair original photographs and poems that speak to one another. I invite you to join the conversations.
MICHELLE POND
Phoenix
As an artist, I am essentially interested in creating portraits of people, places, and things that inspire me. I attempt to capture a feeling or revisit a moment that I or the subject have experienced. Artistic talents run in my family, and I began drawing at an early age. Over the years I have taken my pencil drawings into a hobby that has now become a passion. Most recently I have focused my art around painting with acrylic and watercolors, although I always keep a sketchbook to draw with pencil and chalk. I picked up the habit while in the US Army from 2004-2006. Having traveled a lot, including a deployment to Iraq in 2005, I was in need of a creative outlet. After filling small sketchbooks, I began to discover other ways to share my talents. I created designs for platoon and company t-shirts as well as painting a few murals.
PAUL KAVANAUGH
Fall of Montségur
I look for beauty, spiritual light and truth in all things around us, but also different concepts have developed over time and they are now influencing the majority of my artwork. With my different series, I have tried to combine realism with different levels of abstraction by looking at realistic subject matter, like landscape, figure and still life through abstract windows. This helps me incorporate contrast, variety and interest in my designs by using different concepts of color theory, and painting technique while exploring the contrast between geometric and organic shapes. These concepts and my elaborate backgrounds are used to portray the beauty of our world and proof of the universal creative force. I also explore Surrealism and Visionary Art, also called Fantastic Realism, while trying to stay true to my color and design principles. I have always been fascinated by the skill and draftsmanship involved in painting. In my own work a great emphasis is placed on the execution, I tend to paint in many layers to build up the glow of light and depth I require to create the atmosphere and mood. I was inspired very early on by the dramatic use of a strong direct light, “theatre lighting” in the work of Caravaggio.
MICHAEL COLEMAN
Cross
I have been diagnosed with chronic PTSD, depression, and suicidal ideations. I started drawing after I retired from the army as a way to escape from my PTSD. The combat pieces I have done are of the memorial for Operation Red Wing. There is a lot of healing that takes place when I do this type of artwork. I get so focused on the project that I lose track of everything. I must set timers to remind me to take a break. After the timer sounds, and I walk away from my desk I process the feelings that I had when I was drawing the image. When I come back to my desk and look at what I have drawn, I don’t remember drawing it. I guess it puts me in the present…almost one with the paper and pencil. They say that the only way to talk to God is to have a clear mind. Doing my artwork does that for me. I believe that it is God working through me to create these images. The only art training I have had was a freshman art class in high school. I have other types of art that I do, but nothing compares to the peace I find in fine detailed drawing in pencil.
BRYAN MOORE
I did not get a chance to say goodbye. I did not have the opportunity to grieve. I died with my friends. Each took a piece of my soul from me. It robbed me of my soul. Replaced it with guilt. I am forever taken. It crushed what God built. Art is the light that God shines on me. Art is the path, my journey freed. Piece by piece it connects me. Back to the soul that was taken from me. Forever vigilant I will be. With the art that God has given me. Forever Vigilant
Key clinical research findings indicate that creative arts therapies can:
• Enable recovery from traumatic experiences through meaning-making, positive reframing, and verbal processing. • Reduce symptoms associated with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) including flashbacks and nightmares, and interrupted sleep. • Improve awareness and tolerance of PTSD/TBI symptoms such as hypervigilance, and pain and stress. • Encourage development of healthy independent coping mechanisms through creation of a safe environment and therapist/patient rapport. • Channel aggressive behaviors and provide a means to address anger and anxiety through creative expression and improved self-regulation. • Foster the ability to experience hope and gratification, and increased confidence through strengths-based rehabilitation. • Reduce isolation and stigma through meaningful interaction with others and improved communication with family, peers, and providers.
Creative Forces: National Endowment for the Arts Military Healing Arts Network