Features Reporter
Photos by Malissa Smithey
Art is known in many circles for its healing properties, and when dealing with the horrors of war, there is no substitute.
Operation Revamp, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) non-profit that aims to make art accessible to veterans of all eras of war, to those who are still trying to gain control over their emotions and comprehend the traumas sustained during service within the armed forces.
Wendy Hoffman, Operation Revamp’s president and CEO, started the organization shortly after the death of her husband. Previously, she had been active in military support operations for several years while her and her late husband’s son, Dallas Hanson, was in the Army.
“Art therapy was a natural progression for me and many others that I know,” Hanson said.
During Hanson’s enlistment, Hoffman became involved with Blue Star Mothers, eventually starting the local Grand Valley chapter. After a year with the local organization, Hoffman was elected national president and continued to push Blue Star Mothers forward and expand the organization.
Having dealt with her own battles with PTSD and finding peace through art, Hoffman, as well as Hanson, noticed a divide between treatment being prescribed by the Grand Junction Veterans’ Hospital (the VA) and that which was actually working for veterans. The Veteran’s Art Center, which is part of Operation Revamp, was the resulting solution.
Currently, The Veteran’s Art Center is hosting a “March Madness” art exhibit, highlighting the artwork created by veterans and their family members from ages nine to 90. The exhibit opened as part of March’s First Friday art walk and is scheduled to run until March 28.
Some of the artwork is available for sale, while other pieces have been donated to such organizations as the American Legion for display after the exhibit ends.
Because the organization is based around the idea of veterans helping veterans, most of the classes offered at the art center are taught by vets.
No matter their experiences or political aspirations, all veterans are welcome at the Veteran’s Art Center and, as Hanson explained, there are wide ranges of people who attend and teach classes. In fact, the span of experiences is so vast that organizers are working on setting up an old-time stained glass class, which uses leaded joints and will be taught by a World War II veteran.
“He wanted to teach old-time stained glass before he passed, so we are working to get everything in place and classes should be starting soon,” Hanson said.
(Dallas Hanson is an Army veteran who, along with his mother Wendy Hoffman, founded the Veteran's Art Center at 12th and Pitkin.)
As for the political atmosphere, the Veteran’s Art Center is like a non-denominational church, where all are welcome and a good dialogue is something to look forward to. People are always civil, know when to stop the conversation and refrain from sharing possibly controversial ideals. Veterans are there to find peace, not to make war any longer.
The art produced by each individual at the art center does not simply stay in our community. Twelve veteran artists submitted art through the National VA’s art contest, 11 of which placed in the category for which they were submitted. Hanson explained that these individuals are not necessarily lifelong artists, but rather veterans who decided to take a class and submit some of the work they had completed during their time with the Veteran’s Art Center.
Formerly housed in what is now the Pufferbelly Station Restaurant adjacent to the Amtrak station, the Veteran’s Art Center found a new home 10 months ago in the old Daily Sentinel printing building on the corner of 12th and Pitkin. It was recently granted $7,000 from the Grand Junction Lions Club to help complete the building of a woodworking room. Hanson explained that the funds will be used to purchase and install a vacuum exhaust system after the walls are completed.
It is often difficult for veterans to find the support they need, especially from people who share similar experiences. The divide between military service and civilian life is wide, and Dallas, Hoffman and the other Veteran’s Art Center volunteers strive to create a safe space where veterans can feel welcome and work to find peace, no matter how each individual defines it.
ldaniel@mavs.coloradomesa.edu
Recent Comments