VisArts receives NEA Grant for Veterans program

The Visual Arts Center of Richmond is proud to announce that we received a $10,000 grant to help fund our Veterans at VisArts program.

The grant award is from Creative Forces Community Engagement Grant project, a partnership between The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) and Mid-America Arts Alliance. The collaborative effort works to improve the health, well-being and quality of life for active members of our military and veterans exposed to trauma, their families and caregivers.

Veterans at Visarts Launched in 2015, and is an arts and wellbeing program for military members and veterans who have reintegrated into civilian life as well as military veterans undergoing rehabilitation or medical care. The program serves more than 525 veterans and active military personnel each year through multi-week arts classes in memoir writing, wood working, stained glass, fiber and other media. Participants in the program are current patients at Richmond VA Medical Center from the Inpatient Acute Mental Health Treatment Program, Visor Program for the Vision Impaired, Psychosocial Rehabilitation and Recovery Center Group, Outpatient Polytrauma Physical Therapy Group and S.T.A.R. Vocational Program.

The United States Department of Veteran Affairs recognizes the efficacy of creative expression for active military members and veterans, using the arts as one of many ways to treat the emotional and physical disabilities that sometimes accompany service.

Learn more about Veterans at VisArts here.