VoicesTM
Helping Veterans Heal Through Art
In 2021 and 2022, Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer recognized the Voices project, an exhibit Pamela created for veterans to showcase their art, sponsored by Kent County Veterans Services and Has Heart. The project offered veterans an opportunity to create art and tell their stories of service. The first Voices exhibit in 2021 featured art by twenty-two veterans and their stories of PTSD, military sexual trauma, suicide ideation, or other challenges unique to their military careers.
This veteran-based work can be adapted to fit the needs of your military community. The ongoing work of Voices creates a connection point between the veterans and the public, allowing an underserved population to be seen, heard, and understood. More importantly, the project provides a pathway to hope and healing—as veterans enjoy a new sense of comradery and belonging.
Setup day for the 2021 Voices Project at Veterans Memorial Park in Grand Rapids, Michigan.
After Zero-Day veterans installed the artwork, we offered daily community tours.
For the 2022 Voices Project, veterans decorated motorcycle helmets depicting stories from their time in the military. This aerial shot captures their exhibit called “SOS: Stories of Service.”
Following the exhibit, several veterans expressed their experience of positive emotional growth.
The art and stories inspired new empathy for the veterans' struggle with pain and loss.
During the Voices Project, visitors wrote over 10,000 messages messages on yellow ribbons and the Blue Star Mothers included the ribbons in care packages to deployed soldiers following ArtPrize 2021.
Thank you to Governor Gretchen Whitmer for supporting our Voices project for ArtPrize 2022.
