Veterans Art at the MACC

For those who served

Exhibitions and Fundraisers

A deep and abiding commitment to military veterans.

Salute To Our Veterans

Annual Veterans Art Exhibition and Fundraiser

The MACC has long been devoted to art by and for military veterans, in part because Monthaven is so steeped in the region’s military history. During the Civil War, the mansion was converted into a field hospital. Both Union and Confederate soldiers were treated in the home.

Today, Monthaven is a place where members of the armed services and their families are celebrated through the arts. Since 2018, the MACC’s Annual Veterans Art Exhibition has displayed the art of more than 30 military veterans.

Monthaven Arts and Cultural Center’s Sixth Annual Veterans Art Exhibition, titled Brave Beauty, ran Oct. 19 to Nov. 17, 2024 and featured the touring exhibition Quilts of Valor along with the paintings of Tennessee artist (and Vietnam War veteran) Gerald Morgan. The event’s keynote speaker was J.T. Cooper, who was one of the American soldiers who fought in the 1993 Battle of Mogadishu in Africa. Cooper’s experience was portrayed in the movie Black Hawk Down. Warrior Rounds, a collaboration between military veterans and Nashville songwriters, gave an incredible performance.

Artists who participated in past Veterans Art Exhibitions have included photojournalist Nick Ut, who won the Pulitzer Prize for his work during the Vietnam War. Other past artists included James Mellick, who showcased works from his “Wounded Warrior Dogs” series; and David Wright and Chuck Creasy, whose exhibit “Vietnam. 2 Soldiers. 2 Artists. 2 Journeys. Then and Now,” premiered at the MACC in 2021.

Each Veterans Art Exhibition includes a Boots and BBQ Fundraiser, which supports the MACC’s “Between the Lines” healing arts programs for military veterans. Selected art from some of the veterans participating in the Between the Lines program are displayed as part of the Annual Veterans Arts exhibit.

For more information about supporting the MACC’s Healing Arts Program for veterans, please email admin@monthavenarts.org.

2023 Corporate Sponsor Spotlight

on the road

Vietnam Art Exhibition

Monthaven Arts and Cultural Center is now touring an exhibition titled Vietnam 2 Soldiers. 2 Artists. 2 Journeys. Then & Now, featuring the artwork of renowned artists (and Vietnam veterans) David Wright and Chuck Creasy.

The exhibit includes many of the sketches of American soldiers and Vietnamese civilians that Wright drew in-country in 1965. Creasy, who served as a forward artillery observer in 1968, returned to Vietnam as a visitor exactly 50 years after his deployment. The experience inspired him to create a series of colorful expressive watercolors of the Vietnamese people and countryside. Together, Wright’s and Creasy’s colorful, remarkably sensitive artwork serves as a lasting testament to the healing power of art.

The exhibition’s 2022-23 touring schedule includes stops at the Customs House in Clarksville, Tenn., Virginia War Memorial in Richmond, Va., Middle Tennessee State University in Murfreesboro, Tenn., and Ashland City Library in Ashland, Kan.

If your museum, gallery or organization is interested in hosting Vietnam 2 Soldiers. 2 Artists. 2 Journeys. Then & Now, please contact Executive Director Cheryl Strichik at cheryl@monthavenarts.org.