A deep and abiding commitment to military veterans.
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 [email protected].
Monthaven is steeped in the region’s military history. During the Civil War, the house 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 Show has displayed the art of more than 30 military veterans.
The annual exhibit also includes a Bourbon & BBQ Fundraiser to support the MACC’s “Between the Lines” healing arts programs for military veterans. The art of a half-dozen veterans participating in the Between the Lines program was displayed during our 2022 fundraiser. Marine Corps Sg. Maj. Bradley Kasal was the event’s engaging keynote speaker. Country Music star Eric Lee Beddingfield gave a riveting performance.
Our 2023 Veterans Art Show and Fundraiser will feature the work of Pulitzer Prize-winning photo journalist Nick Ut. People interested in supporting the MACC’s Healing Arts Program for veterans should contact Development Director Celeste Davidson at [email protected]
Nick Ut is the Pulitzer Prize-winning Associated Press photographer who shot the iconic Vietnam War photo often referred to as “Napalm Girl.” He joined the AP in Vietnam after his older brother, who was a war photographer, was killed in combat.
During his time covering the war, there were many close calls. When the Americans and South Vietnamese invaded Cambodia in 1970, he was wounded three times: in his stomach, his left leg and in his chest. The highlight of Ut’s career came on 8 June 1972, when he photographed Kim Phuc running and screaming after her village had been bombed with Napalm by South Vietnamese planes. Immediately after making the photo, he rushed the girl to a hospital, which saved her life.
Ut will be on hand at the MACC for the opening of his exhibit, which will feature many of his best-known photographs. Kim Phuc is scheduled to appear with him.
For more information, call (615) 822-0789.
A collection from our last event.
For more information on Veterans Arts and upcoming event dates, contact us.