HONORING OUR HEROES: THE ART OF SERVICE AND SACRIFICE

Curated by Christina Katsolis, Southeast Museum of Photography

On Exhibit: November 9 – February 6, 2021
Reception: January 8, 2021, 5 PM – 7 PM
Atlantic Center for the Arts main campus, Pabst Visitor Center & Gallery
Gallery Hours: Tuesday – Friday 10 AM – 4 PM, Saturday 10 AM – 2 PM

This moving exhibition brings together works created by veterans with years of military service, who to explore their unique perspectives, personal narratives, and themes of service and sacrifice. With a specific focus on photography, Honoring our Heroes: The Art of Service and Sacrifice showcases an array of works–from film to digital to alternative processes–meant to raise awareness of our veterans’ experiences and honor their service to their country.

The majority of the artworks presented in this exhibition are an extension of the Southeast Museum of Photography’s Art in Action: Veterans Exploring the Visual Arts program. The program began in February of 2017 in an effort to create an artistic outlet for veterans and bring their stories and artwork to a wider audience. Through a series of workshops and open-studio sessions, Art in Action allowed veterans to meet and learn from professional artists, to discover and cultivate their own talents, and to transform their experiences through thoughtful and therapeutic forms of self-expression. This exhibit features over 45 images by local and regional veteran artists as well as photography by two members of military families, placing emphasis on the shared connections, concerns, and emotional effects of deployment. An exclusive screening of sections of the documentary film Bastards’ Road (Directed by Brian Morrison) accompanies photographs taken by Daytona State College student–and Gold Star family member–Kerry Schrage.

These veterans–some are accomplished artists and others are newly emerging–have drawn from the deep wells of their personal and collective experiences to further inform and enrich the public narrative regarding military service, the effects of engagement, and the subsequent pathways to healing and integration. This exhibition is intended to encourage conversation about issues important to veterans and their families, and to narrow the gap in understanding between civilian and military communities.