Veterans Creative Arts Festival

Several Veterans from the Community Living Center (CLC) entered art, and so did Veterans in the community. Art therapy is used both at the CLC, and by the recreation therapy program to allow Veterans another avenue of expression when coping with physical, mental, and spiritual struggles. Each piece of art shared a story that Veterans wanted others to know, such as one Veterans mixed media sculpture. 

“Art is a way to express things that can’t be expressed any other way,” said Army Reserve Veteran Mary Murphy. “Each part of my sculpture represents a different part of my journey. Until I started coming to groups at VA, I thought I was on my journey alone. But, through listening to other Veterans, I see that these pieces of my journey in my sculpture apply to so many of us. We go through so many of the same things.” 

This event was part of a yearly event sponsored by VA Adaptive Sports and Arts. Veterans enter local art shows, and the winners will go on to the National Veterans Creative Arts Festival from May 11, 2025, to May 18, 2025, in Indianapolis, Indiana. There are many different categories, including sculpture, painting in various mediums, creative writing, dance, and more. For the artists at the Akaka clinic on Friday, it was about a lot more than competing to go on to the national event. 

“This painting here is a tribute to my art teacher Peter, who helped me to use art to express myself,” said Navy Veteran Richard Henry. “Many of the elements are from stories he told me about his time in Vietnam. In the center, you see the soldiers marching through a rice paddy -but you also see a tiger stalking them. That’s the addiction that so many ended up marching to when they got back. The hope is in the helicopters in the background -they represent the VA. That’s VA employees coming to save us all.” 

Richard Henry -who signs his work as “Uncle Kupuna”- said his work for this year’s show was about showing his appreciation for all the VAPIHCS staff who had been so kind to him as he recovered from a serious injury that caused damage to his brain. For other artists like Veteran Mary Murphy- she was working through depression with the help of the VA- and said she was grateful to staff for all they had done to get her to where she is now, in law school and hoping to help people fight injustice someday. Some Veterans used their art to work through other kinds of things. 

“I lost my grandfather recently and I really wanted to do a pencil sketch of his service photo from his time in the Army,” said Navy Veteran Amanda Hess. “I hadn’t done art in years, but when I heard about this competition I was inspired. It took me more than eight hours of work, but I’m proud of the piece and I think it’s a wonderful homage to him.” 

The Veteran art was displayed in the lobby of the Akaka Clinic so that everyone could enjoy it on the way to their appointments. Others came specifically for the festival. One attendee was Miss Black Hawaii, Army Veteran Kamalani Casteel. Casteel is the 2024 winner of the Hawaii chapter of the Miss Black USA Pageant.

“I think art is important for the healing aspect that it has,” Casteel said. “Not just for the Veterans who make it, either. I think people who view art can also be healed and changed by it, and that is what makes it so powerful. 

Another distinguished attendee was Air Force Veteran Carole Reynolds. Reynolds runs a charity called It Takes A Village, which prepares meals for residents of the Next Steps Shelters. She is also a member of the Hawaii Rotary Club, and the Obama Hawaiian Africana Museum which seeks to honor the history of Black Americans in Hawaii. Reynolds said that art is important because it can be impactful to all who see it. 

“Art can really touch people -it can make them see things in ways they never saw things before,” Reynolds said. “I saw a piece -and the title was ‘Legacy.’ It really made me think. We all consider at some point what legacy we are leaving, and if we are proud of it. Art can remind us of themes like that which are central to the human experience.” 

One of the teachers who helps Veterans express themselves through art is Marine Corps Veteran Peter Koutrouba. He teaches classes in the Akaka clinic lobby from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. every Wednesday. In the Community Living Center (CLC), Recreation Therapist Jonathan Santiago-Cook helps Veterans who are residents there to explore their experiences through the lens of art. 

“This is our second annual event here locally in Hawaii,” said Santiago-Cook. “We have some wonderful pieces this year, and we will start accepting submissions in May for next year’s local show. We hope to get more Veterans involved every year.” 

Announcements will be made in May of 2025 telling Veterans where they can submit art for the next local-level Veterans Creative Arts Festival competition. Veterans who would like to participate can get a referral to recreation therapy or speak with Center for Development and Civic Engagement Chief Schoen Safotu, whose department sponsors the free art classes at the Akaka clinic: schoen.safotu@va.gov.