Veterans Encouraged to Sign Up For Creative Arts Competition

Veterans who are enrolled with the Jack C. Montgomery VA Medical Center are invited to participate in the medical center’s Veterans Creative Arts Competition on March 12-13.

The competition includes 53 categories in the visual arts division that range from oil painting to leatherwork to paint-by-number kits. In addition, there are 120 categories in the performing arts pertaining to all aspects of music, dance, drama and creative writing.

Nationwide, VA medical facilities use the creative arts as one form of rehabilitative treatment to help Veterans recover from and cope with physical and emotional disabilities.

“Art, music, creative writing – all those can be therapeutic outlets for people who are going through difficult times to express their feelings on paper or on canvas or in a piece of pottery,” said Deborah Moreno, a recreation therapist and program manager for the JCMVAMC creative arts program.  “Plus when the Veterans get together, they can help one another reinforce positive feelings with each other.  When one is around someone else who likes the same thing as you do, then that just motivates the person to want to become more creative and get involved.”

Across the country each year, Veterans treated at VA facilities compete in a local creative arts competition.  A national selection committee chooses first, second and third place winners among all of the entries. Select winners are invited to attend the National Veterans Creative Arts Festival each year.

This year, the National Creative Arts Festival will be hosted by the Veterans Affairs Boston Healthcare System in Boston, Mass. October 8-15, 2012.

For more information or to register for the competition, please contact Deborah Moreno at 918-577-4014.

For information about the National Creative Arts Competition, please visit the following web page: www.va.gov/opa/speceven/caf/index.asp

For more news from the Jack C. Montgomery VA Medical Center, visit our website, www.muskogee.va.gov, “Like Us” on Facebook, www.facebook.com/MuskogeeVA, and follow us on Twitter, www.twitter.com/MuskogeeVA.