Aiding veterans with the healing arts
Summary
Artist Mary Whyte leads free painting classes for U.S. veterans through the Patriot Art Foundation, using in-person and online sessions to encourage creativity and connection. Veterans in the classes use painting to express grief and reflect on their experiences, including through watercolor exercises focused on their combat boots.Key Facts
- Thirty veterans attended Whyte’s class aboard the USS Yorktown in Charleston Harbor, while dozens more joined online from other locations.
- Whyte’s exhibition “We the People” features life-size watercolors of 50 veterans, one from each state, and has toured the United States since 2019.
- Whyte created the Patriot Art Foundation to provide art activities for veterans.
- The foundation offers video tutorials and a weekly online art gathering for veterans.
- Army veteran Carissa DiPietro said painting helped her process grief after she experienced sexual assault during recruitment and her five-year-old daughter was murdered by the child’s father, who was also a service member.
- Navy veteran Jeffry Peterson said painting combat boots brought up thoughts of people who had died and made him think, “Welcome home.”
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