“The Art of Healing” Veterans’ Program

With Veterans Day approaching, we would like to share with you the progress of our Veterans’ Outreach Program in hopes that you will get inspired to support Veterans and show your appreciation for their great service not only during Veterans day but all year long. 

The Arizona Art Alliance Veterans’ Outreach Program, “The Art of Healing”, has added a fourth location in Mesa, Arizona on September 11^th! All our four locations (in Tempe, Phoenix, Surprise, and Mesa) are focused on healing our Veterans’ wounds, encouraging social interactions, and establishing an environment where Veterans can deal with their suppressed emotions all through art.

The interested Veterans and a staff of artist volunteers gather for four-hour classes per month in each of the four locations. Class attendance averages about 15 Veterans per class who have all shown increased interest in the arts and eagerness to continue learning through the program. Classes are instructional and challenging which provides a real opportunity for growth and development.

The quality of art among the Veterans, in the longer established classes, shows that immense progress and new friendships are forming between fellow students, as well as an appreciation for the instructors. What is more exceptional, is the result the program is having in the Veterans’ daily lives. In a recent survey, one of the Veterans expressed his appreciation for the opportunity to learn about art, which he has always been interested in, and reflected on how the program has helped him by saying, “I have anxiety and depression due to high pain levels. This class makes my anxiety and depression more manageable. It is very important to me.”

“The art class is the highlight of my month! I enjoy the educational and social aspects,” another Veteran stated.

The Art of Healing Veteran Program continues to expand as Veteran students have been communicating their newly acquired artistic skills and sharing their successes, in art and personal life, with fellow Veterans. One of our Veterans, Budd Gilbert, has shared how he deals with his “beast” in the following link: bit.ly/1vvKzxQ

Here is a sample of Budd’s art:

 

 

The program began in 2013 with donations and grants from various sources and is managed and coordinated by Alliance member volunteers who are committed to the importance of The Art of Healing. In fact, our volunteers have contributed 438 hours in the months of July, August, and September alone and thousands of volunteer hours are put in to support Community Outreach programs, which is always on top of the Arizona Art Alliance’s agenda.

A well deserved thank you is in order for all the Veterans who fought our wars bravely and are now fighting their own battles or “beasts” and a thank you for all the donations and grants that continue to support the program and the Veterans.

Let’s know what you think in the comments below.