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Veterans create art for virtual exhibit

Pittsburgh Tribune-Review - 8/29/2020

Aug. 29--Join the conversation

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The pieces of art were created by heroes.

Twelve veterans from the Southwestern Veterans Center are part of the exhibit, "We Are Beautiful Art!"

An opening was planned for March at the Greater Pittsburgh Arts Council, Downtown, but was canceled because of the pandemic. The 35-piece collection can be viewed here.

"The impact of the arts is beneficial, and we love this exhibit because it features a creative community of veterans," said Mary Brenholts, director, artists in schools & communities for Pittsburgh Center for Arts and Media in Shadyside which collaborated on the project. "The arts can inspire. Not having an in-person opening is unfortunate, because an artist loves when he or she comes into a gallery and sees the work framed on the wall. You really don't get the experience of connecting with people through a virtual exhibit. You miss out on something as subtle as a smile or direct eye contact when a guest meets an artist."

The artists are people in their 80s and 90s -- many who made art for the first time for this exhibition, Brenholts said. They took a creative risk, she said.

Maritza Mosquera is a teaching artist and developer of the"We Are Beautiful Art!" programs. She enjoyed watching the growth of the students. One wanted to explore more realism while another was there to "have fun." Mosquera works for Arts Path and Holy Family Institute. She's a former assistant curator of education at The Andy Warhol Museum on the North Side.

The program focused on love for art, introduction to famous artists such as Bearden, Chagall, O'Keeffe and Picasso -- specifically those who created art in their elder years.

"I focused on that, and the rest was their magic all the way," Mosquera said.

This was the first time 90% of the students had created art. She could tell some had some art experience, and some could not remember, but she could tell they had drawn or painted before.

Christiane Leach, artist relations manager for Greater Pittsburgh Arts Council, started the "Art on the Walls" program 10 years ago. It's described as a program for greater Pittsburgh visual artists, displaying quality art by regional artists in office spaces and encouraging patrons and corporations to purchase artwork for their collections.

More $60,000 worth of art has been sold, directly supporting the artists, Leach said.

This art is not for sale.

There is documentation about how art helps people with memory loss dementia, Leach said, and everyone should have access to the arts from children to elders.

Mosquera, said art supports the mind and heart in elder years.

"I believe that each student was a bit more themselves and present while creating, and that, itself, was a huge highlight," she said. "Some people may believe that when you are in that place where you are in your 90's and have little facility in recognizing, remembering or lack some physical abilities, you may not have any more growth in your life.

"This is not the case. I have experienced elders during those years, learning new and expansive ideas and material, as art and art history can bring to any human being. I love that and felt really happy to be in such a gifted space."

Also involved in the project are the Pennsylvania TimeSlips Creative Communities Care Project, the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts and the Pennsylvania Department of Military and Veteran Affairs. They bring creative programming to six veterans homes in the state. Veterans worked alongside assistants from the Therapeutic Recreation Services, led by supervisor Chris Veitch, who Mosquera said was "key in making it go smoothly."

JoAnne Klimovich Harrop is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact JoAnne at 724-853-5062, jharrop@triblive.com or via Twitter .

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