OFFUTT AIR FORCE BASE, Neb. -- Author Thomas Merton said, "Art enables us to find ourselves and lose ourselves at the same time," so it seems only fitting that veterans are using art as their outlet to discover once again who they are.
The 2014 Metro Military and Veteran Juried Art Exhibition can be seen at Metropolitan Community College's Fort Omaha Campus, in Building 10, the Student Services Building. It can be seen Monday through Thursday from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Saturday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. The exhibition will run through Dec. 6. All proceeds go to a veteran artist and student artist scholarship funds.
"I strive to reproduce many of the scenes familiar to me in an attempt to allow others the ability to view the world through my eyes," said Air Force veteran and 2014 Metro Military and Veteran Juried Art Exhibition artist Shawn McLeod. "If my photographs enrich even one life, I have succeeded."
Another artist from the 2014 Metro Military and Veteran Juried Art Exhibition, U.S. Army veteran Phillip Schladweiler would like to become an art therapist and see art therapy incorporated into the Department of Veterans Affairs health care system. After being wounded in combat he developed what he calls "The Shrapnel Project" which is a series of photographs depicting shrapnel pulled from America's wounded warriors. Schladweiler is always looking for other wounded warriors who are willing to share their stories and the object(s) that changed their lives.
"For me, it's a chance to give back to the Veteran community and aids in my healing process." Schladweiler said.
There are three more veteran airmen with art on display and they are Bryan Bankston of Omaha, Imo Lax from Colorado and Bart Vargas from Bellevue.
The art exhibition was made possible by the New Century Art Guild, a nonprofit arts organization that supports emerging artists and veterans seeking new careers in the creative arts. When the guild was founded, one of its goals was to provide opportunities for veterans and active duty service members to showcase their works of art.
The 2014 Metro Military and Veteran Juried Art Exhibition at Metropolitan Community College is a venue for active duty and veterans to display their art and to come see the art is free. Troy Muller, founder of the event and juror, judges the participants work to decide on which pieces will be shown.
Muller is an Omaha native, artist and a part-time art instructor at Metropolitan Community College. He also has a Master of Fine Arts degree in Creative Writing/Poetry from the University of Nebraska.
"I am not a veteran of the armed forces but I have great respect for the military." Muller said.
Last year's student artist scholarship winner: http://newcenturyartguild.org/finalists-and-winner-of-2014-competitive-student-scholarship-announced/
For information about the New Century Art Guild, visit www.newcenturyartguild.org or on their Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/NewCenturyArtGuild.