GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — Veterans Memorial Park at 101 Fulton St. in Downtown Grand Rapids is home to the "Art for Honor" exhibition. The exhibition highlights artwork from 27 military veteran artists.
In partnership between the Kent County Veterans Services, Michigan Veterans Affairs Agency, Healing in Arts and Pamela Alderman Art, the exhibition looks to give veterans a platform to tell their stories while honoring their service and giving veterans an opportunity to use art as a means of healing.
"These are plants that can all survive in with very little care. They can survive in sand, no water, nobody's taking care of them," said Captain Brandi McBride.
McBride is an eight-year veteran of the U.S. Air Force who has used her passion for gardening to craft her ArtPrize entry called Embrace the Struggle.
"Just like a lot of us, when we deploy, we're out alone. We're by ourselves," she said.
The plants and items used in her work are all symbolic of a range of topics, both pertaining to her individual struggles and those shared by everyone.
"There is beauty in the struggle," said McBride.
The exhibition features items such as a globe to represent the diplomatic roles members of the armed forces serve throughout the world and pink cherry blossoms to represent McBride's battle with breast cancer.
"That disability took me out of the workplace, and so I kind of turned to gardening as something that I just love to do, and started my own business to be able to to work through some of this kind of stuff, whether it's cancer, whether it's PTSD, whatever we're all dealing with," said McBride.
McBride's work is just one of over two dozen pieces made by veterans at the Art For Honor Exhibition to honor their fellow service members and discuss important topics such as PTSD.
"Their issues, and their stories and their experiences, it's very healing to talk about them and when we hear their stories, that helps our veterans to heal when we increase in our understanding and show empathy," said Pamela Alderman, curator for Art for Honor.
Alderman said it's veterans being able to connect with the community through their work that makes the exhibition so special.
"Last year, someone brought a lunch to one of the veterans a community member, and that's just such a healing thing, and that helps the veterans to realize the public does care about them, and it does care of what they went through," said Alderman.
On Saturday starting at 9:45 a.m., people can come view the artwork while hearing the stories of service from artists themselves and from speakers. There will be a performance from the 126th Army Band, arrival of Patriot Guard Motorcycles, along with live music and family activities.
Other pieces on display include The Protector by Laszlo Szalay, which is a metal K-9 sculpture honoring CWD EMPEROR, a bomb detection dog who served with SEAL Team 3, and received a Bronze Star and Purple Heart for serving in Iraq and Afghanistan.
It Is What It Is consists of two oil paintings by U.S. Army veteran Devin Daniels to show the complexities and stigmatization veterans may face when discussing mental health, and looks to foster empathy and connect viewers with the emotions veterans experience.
The free event will run from 9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday.
"Art for Honor" will be available to view from Sept. 13 to Sept. 28.