Charles Town Native and Air Force Veteran Wins National VA Art Competition
PRESS RELEASE
May 23, 2023
Martinsburg , WV — A local Air Force veteran, supported by the Martinsburg VA Medical Center’s Healing Arts Center, has taken first place in the 42nd Annual National Veterans Creative Arts Festival in St. Louis, Mo., April 10-16.
Walter Tomlin, of Charles Town, W. Va., took first place for two of his pieces, his mosaic ‘Daisy,’ and for a metal work piece, ‘Protectors of the Metal World.’ Tomlin competed against veterans from across the country at the national festival that supports and promotes the arts among military service veterans.
“Making art clears my mind,” said Tomlin. “It makes me feel comfortable, it gives me peace and it helps me pass the hours.”
According to Martinsburg VA Medical Center Recreational Therapist, Dawn Johns, the Healing Arts Center is a place for veterans to explore art as therapy, which is utilized as a means for recovery and to offer coping mechanisms for service veterans.
“Art therapy improves cognitive function such as eye/hand coordination, fine and gross motor skills as well as self-awareness , self-esteem and enhances social skills,” added Johns.
Tomlin has been visiting the Healing Arts Center for more than 15 years and has experimented with several forms of art including creative writing, metal working and his real passion, mosaic work. Tomlin’s winning piece took six months to create with glass pieces less than a fourth of an inch across.
“I was a mechanic in the Air Force and I like putting things together. Mosaics are kind of like that; you put things together and it makes sense to me. I look at the scattered pieces and I can see what it will look like when I am done.”
The center currently serves approximately 75 veterans and offers a variety of art forms including woodworking, pottery and model building as well as drawing, painting and more.
“The center truly is healing,” said Johns. “This is a safe environment for veterans to foster, build and showcase their talents; that increased socialization builds confidence in their abilities, in their art and beyond.”
“I wish every veteran would make art and enter something,” said Tomlin. “When you leave the military you can feel like you lose your purpose. Any veteran can find their place and this program, it makes you feel like you have value, that you are important.”
The Martinsburg Medical Center Creative Arts Show will be held late summer and the top three local artists from 50 mediums in seven categories are submitted to the national competition for selection in December and first place winners will be invited to the National Festival in Denver, Co. in the spring of 2024.
The National Veterans Creative Arts Festival is co-presented by the Department of Veterans Affairs and the American Legion Auxiliary. It is the culminating competition of art, music, creative writing, drama and dance for veterans enrolled in the Department of Veterans Affairs national health care system.
For more information about the Martinsburg VAMC, visit VA Martinsburg Health Care | Veterans Affairs.
For more information about the National Veterans Creative Arts Festival, visit National Veterans Creative Arts Festival - National Veterans Sports Programs.
