Veterans share their talents and show creative expression at Birmingham VA Creative Arts Festival

The festival celebrated Veterans’ creativity and talents, and showed how art can help with rehabilitation, recovery, mental health, and overall well-being.

Veterans displayed their skills in visual arts, pottery, photography, creative writing, music, drama, dance, poetry, and other creative activities.

“The Creative Arts Festival is about much more than art,” said Dr. Ladi Kukoyi, Executive Director and CEO of the Birmingham VA Health Care System. “It celebrates the creativity, resilience, and determination of our Veterans while showing how artistic expression supports rehabilitation, mental health, and overall well-being. Through their work, our Veterans share their stories, inspire others, and remind us of the incredible strength of the human spirit.”

"About two years ago, we started a partnership with a community organization that would visit once a week to teach our Veterans with visual impairments,” said Sara Barnard, Assistant Chief, Blind Rehab Center. “That partnership grew into our plan to host a Creative Arts Festival. In the beginning, we expected to talk about resiliency, community, creativity, and joy — and today was all of those things, plus more.”

For U.S. Army Veteran Benjamin McCory, the festival was a chance to enjoy the arts, meet others, and experience the support he has found at the VA.

“It’s a nice gathering. I love it here, and the people are very nice,” McCory said. “It’s just a lot of fun to be around nice people. I hope to come back again.”

McCory said he is most impressed by the personal care and support that Veterans receive.

“They treat the individual according to who they are, and that’s a good thing because everybody is different,” McCory said. “They look toward supporting people, and they definitely support me very well. They make you feel like you’re the number one priority.”

The festival also showed how creative arts can help in programs like Blind Rehabilitation, where Veterans are encouraged to try new things and build skills, confidence, and independence.

“It was amazing to meet the artists and talk about what was behind their work,” said Bernard. “We had everything from photography to fiber arts to glass mosaic, pottery, and poetry.” She added, “Getting the Veterans to come together and meet each other—to see that camaraderie—was one of the best parts of my day."

For Alex Diaz, who works in Blind Rehabilitation, one of the best parts of his job is seeing Veterans discover new abilities and activities they didn’t know about before.

“It’s a dream to be able to pass on what I’ve learned,” Diaz said. “Especially with someone who is here for the first time, they may come in with certain expectations, and then we blow those expectations away. They’ll say, ‘Wow, I didn’t know you had this. Thank you for showing me this.’”

Diaz said rehabilitation is more than just meeting goals. It’s about supporting the whole person and helping each Veteran become as independent as possible, while staying connected and enjoying life.

“We’re here to treat your whole self,” Diaz said. “My godfather and my grandfather were Veterans, and this is how I can serve. After they served this country, I’m serving them by helping them become as independent as they want to be in their lives while also teaching them how to be independent.”

Events like the Veterans Creative Arts Festival give Veterans at Birmingham VA the chance to discover new abilities, share their stories, connect with others, and make creative expression a key part of their rehabilitation and wellness.