NVCAF’s Impact on Battle Creek Veterans

The annual event helps highlight the creativity of Veterans from across the nation and celebrate their talents by showcasing their work publicly.

The NVCAF will be hosted in Denver, Colorado, from May 11th – 18th and the impact of NVCAF continues to provide local Veteran artists with more than a medal and title, but also a positive and lasting impact to their well-being.

“I noticed that a lot of Veterans are prideful and experience an increase in their self-esteem,” said Taylor Fox, Battle Creek VA Medical Center Creative Arts Therapy staff member. “Sometimes they are a little taken aback, which is exciting to see when they surprise themselves with what they’re able to accomplish.”

The National Veterans Creative Arts Festival originated as two separate competitions. Muriel Barbour, then chief of recreation therapy at the McGuire VA Medical Center in Richmond, Va., created the visual arts competition, VET ARTS, in 1981, as an observance of the International Year of Disabled Persons. Shirley Jefferies, a recreation therapist at the Waco, Texas, VA Medical Center, initiated the performing arts competition, The National Music Competition for Veterans, in 1981.

The NVCAF has expanded and receives thousands of submissions each year. It now includes five major divisions of entry for the competition:

• Art (photography, paint, crafts, etc.)
• Creative Writing (poetry, essay, short story, etc.)
• Drama (performing poetry, prose, comedy, etc.)
• Dance (modern, line, ballroom, etc.)
• Music (vocal, instrumental, original, etc.)

“It pushes a lot of Veterans to explore their more creative side and maybe consider a different medium that they haven’t thought of pursuing before,” said Fox. “We have a Veteran right now who normally submits content in the music category, but this year he’s going to try some drawing and try and to submit something new for him. It provides them a place to see what they can do and what they can accomplish.”

The festival begins with individual VA facilities gathering Veteran art at their local level where potential submissions to the national level are considered. Creative Art Therapy is widely used by VA in many settings as a tool to help rehabilitate Veterans and offer a therapeutic outlet. For some, like Thomas Walk, who is an Army Veteran that won 1st place in Dramatic Poetry, the impact is a heartfelt one.

“No one can take this away from me, and even though it may be something small, it gave me enough of a reason to try and so if I ever think that I’m not good enough, I’ll reflect on this and remember this, then I can accomplish just that much more,” said Walk.

This is the first time that Walk has submitted to NVCAF, and the poem he entered is titled ‘After You're Gone’ which he wrote regarding his thoughts on Veteran suicide.

“It makes me feel like somebody cared about my opinion and that’s so important, and to know that people will purposely come and view it makes it that much bigger and impacts me in a very personal way,” said Walk. “Not only was I validated, but I was also validated by a particular crowd of people I intended to be validated by and they understood the message I was conveying.”

Walk is one of three Veterans from the Battle Creek VA Medical Center who earned first place. Altogether, six Veterans who receive care from Battle Creek VA earned spots in first through third. One of the other Veterans is Navy Veteran Jeremiah Brown, who took 3rd place in the Art- Oil Painting category.

While Brown has earned numerous awards on a local level, this is the first time he placed at the national level, with his oil painting ‘African American Western History’.

“It’s giving local artists like me a chance to display our art, our talent, our views, and get some exposure and it also gives us a sense of accomplishment as we put a lot of time and effort into our art and rewarding to get recognition for that,” said Brown.

Like many Veterans, Brown uses his artistic outlet for his own quality of life and therapeutic process. He is also working on his next oil painting, using famed scientist Albert Einstein as his focus, and intends to submit that piece during next year’s NVCAF.

“I hope they keep this program running even if you don’t win or get first place, it can still give you a sense of purpose and sense of positive outlook on life,” said Brown. “My message to other artists would be to just keep doing what they’re doing and exercise their creativity and imagination.”

Beyond the recognition that Veterans from Battle Creek have earned, and the additional emotions they have shared, Fox also expressed her opinion and observation from a Recreation Therapy point of view.

“I think it’s a great way for Veterans to explore their own thoughts and feelings, and because it’s a competition, it does put them in a familiar mindset at times because it can allow Veterans to push themselves and do so in a place where they don’t necessarily always think they’ll be in after their service,” said Fox. “I think that holds some real intentionality with what they turn around and produce.”

Below is the list of Veterans from Battle Creek VA who earned a spot at this year's NVCAF, along with their category and title of their entry.

• Jim Thompson, 1st-Black and White Photography-"Hasting Bank"
• Larry Massie, 1st - Creative Writing, Non-Rhyming Poetry-Military Experience: “Dandelion Sky”
• Thomas Walk, 1st - Drama Dramatic Poetry: “After You're Gone”
• Tonya Wigger, 2nd - Art Stained or Painted Ceramics: “Hyperion Guardian of the Skies”
• Henry Kellum, 2nd - Dance Ballroom: “Nobody Knows”
• Henry Kellum, 2nd - Dance Latin Ballroom: “Dance With Me”
• Jeremiah Brown, 3rd - Art Oil Painting: “African American Western History”
• Larry Massie, 3rd - Creative Writing Non-Rhyming Poetry-General Topic: “Aprilescence”
• Thomas Walk, 3rd - Creative Writing Rhyming Poetry-General Topic: “Through the Glass Wall”
• Thomas Walk, 3rd - Drama Inspirational Poetry: “Crossing Lines”
• Rick Nelson, 3rd - Music Instrumental Broadway: “Far From the Home I Love”