Local Veterans Compete for Chance to attend National Veterans Creative Arts Festival
Artwork by local Montana Veterans will be on display to the public on Sept. 12 from noon to 5:30 p.m. and Sept. 13 from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. at the Holter Museum of Art, located at 12 E Lawrence St. in Helena.
Over 25 pieces of art from among 13 different categories will be exhibited.
VA medical facilities incorporate creative arts into their recreational therapy programs to further the rehabilitation for both inpatients and outpatients. This annual competition recognizes the progress and recovery made through that therapy and raises the visibility of the creative achievements of our Nation’s Veterans.
Finalists will advance to the national level where they will compete with entries submitted by Veterans from other VA facilities from across the country. The competition is an annual event that provides Veterans receiving treatment at VA facilities the opportunity to participate in creative self-expression in art, creative writing, dance, drama and music as part of their therapy, and to gain recognition for these artistic accomplishments.
First-place winners from the national competition will be invited to attend the National Veterans Creative Arts Festival held in Columbia, South Carolina June 2026.
For more information, contact Mike Bassett, Montana VA Recreational Therapist at
Montana VA serves over 49,000 enrolled Veterans across Montana—an area roughly 147,000 square miles in size. Veterans are cared for by a staff of 1,400 at 18 sites of care across the state. One third of Montana VA employees are Veterans.
-30-