Truman VA Veteran Selected to Attend National Arts Festival

Robert Jones, a U.S. Army Veteran from Columbia, Missouri, who served as a combat medic with the 101st Airborne during the Vietnam War, has been selected to attend this year’s 42nd annual National Veterans Creative Arts Competition and Festival, which will be held from April 10 through April 17 at the Soldiers Memorial Military Museum, located at 1315 Chestnut St., in St. Louis.

“Mr. Jones was selected because his artwork received a first-place award following the national judging of our annual local competition,” said Natalie Akins, ATR, LPC, a creative arts therapist at Harry S. Truman Memorial Veterans’ Hospital. “We are so proud of Mr. Jones and the fact that he will represent our Veterans. We’re also excited that this year’s national festival will be held in St. Louis. The museum is close enough for mid-Missourians to have an opportunity to attend and the artwork will be on display throughout April at no charge to the public.”

The national festival showcases the artistic achievements of Veterans from across the country. Participants can submit their art in more than 50 categories that include painting, sculpting, writing, performing arts, and more. Workshops utilizing the talents of local community artists also are offered to participants and staff during the national festival week.

“Truman VA’s upcoming annual local creative arts competition for 2023 will be held from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Aug. 24, here at our facility in Columbia,” Akins said. “The competition is open to Veterans who are eligible to receive care through the Department of Veterans Affairs and who are enrolled. We encourage all our Veterans to share their creative talents.”

In 2021, nearly 2,000 Veterans from 118 VA medical facilities entered over 3,600 submissions. Of those, 142 Veterans earned an invitation to participate in the 2022 festival held in St. Petersburg, Florida. The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and the American Legion Auxiliary present the National Veterans Creative Arts Competition and Festival in a new city annually to raise the visibility of the creative achievements of our nation’s Veterans. The program also is supported by many other organizations, both locally and nationally.

 

Jeff Hoelscher, Public Affairs Officer

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