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Phyllis E. Baker, an Army veteran and retired nurse, with one of her artistic creations. (Photo provided)

By Sydney Byerly

TheStatehouseFile.com

November 17, 2023

Rounding the corner to sneak a peak at the exhibit being put on display at the Indianapolis Art Center, Melissa Barnes, a member of this year’s ArtTroop cohort, said she stopped in her tracks when she saw her own work. She said that’s when she finally had “that surreal moment” when she realized what she’d made was something great.

“I never imagined myself in that box, like I never imagined that something I did could go on display,” Barnes said. “I always just figured that everything I made would look like a kindergartener had gotten access to some grown-up art materials.

“But in the end, I think, with the kind encouragement and the gentle prodding of like, no, really, put something out there. What you’ve created is good.”

The Indianapolis Art Center’s ArtTroop is a 10-month program from February to November, during which the 15 accepted applicants meet biweekly for different classes to learn more about artmaking. Born out of wanting to make art more accessible and available as a form of therapy to veterans, the program has been at the IAC since 2019 and is funded by Jim and Pat LaCrosse.

Barnes, a U.S. Air Force veteran who served 20 years of active duty with little to no artistic experience, said when she and her husband both retired and moved to Indiana from Maryland in 2021, she was just looking for a sense of community.

“I was beyond excited when I got accepted into the program,” she said. “But I was also terrified because I don’t really have a ton of artistic talent. And I was super excited to get to try new things, but I was also scared about having to produce art that could be in a gallery.”

Barnes said the program taught her grace and self-compassion because she realized everybody else was learning just like her.

“We’re trying new things, and sometimes that’s uncomfortable,” Barnes said. “But it certainly forces you to kind of let go of the, like, it has to look perfect … which that easygoing thing is not always first nature for some of us in the military.”

Seronia Everett, a retired Air Force meteorologist and Army welder, found out about the program after taking a class at the Indianapolis Art Center and then attending the Veterans Art Day exhibition opening.

Everett said the whole experience has been instrumental for her.

“It’s been a great experience because artmaking and creating—a lot of times it’s a solitary thing. You’re creating by yourself, you’re at home. So it’s definitely been a way to communicate with other veterans,” she said. “And at the same time, like I said, it gets you out to be able to enjoy art together with others.”

Everett said participating in ArtTroop over the last couple of years helped her develop skills to start her own business, Seronia Bonita. Now, in her everyday life, she uses enameling and other glass techniques she learned with ArtTroop and IAC to make jewelry and teaches classes for the center’s senior-citizen program.

Barnes said it was nice having people to talk with during class, whether it was discussing their shared experiences or teasing each other because of inter-service rivalry, which she said is very much a real thing.

“It just felt good to be around people who got it and who were experiencing the same thing that you were, but we’re supportive in that space,” she said.

Barnes said the camaraderie among the cohort grew as their 10-month stint in the program carried on because they “were all just there to learn and support each other and laugh when something went wrong and be super stoked when things went right.”

Phyllis E. Baker, an Army veteran and retired nurse, echoed Barnes’ sentiment about the group providing support and giving her a purpose.

“I think the thing that I like about the veterans program is not only that they just have free art teachers and art studios and so forth, but we’re doing it in conjunction with other veterans. … It just makes it very supportive,” Baker said.

She said ArtTroop has been therapeutic and meditative because it reminds her to check all of her worries about things happening in the world at the door and “free herself.”

“I look forward to the events, I look forward to being with other veterans,” Baker said. “I look forward to the opportunity to express myself in a creative way and supportive environment, so I think it’s a great thing for people.”

Baker described coming to these realizations in the grocery store when talking with a stranger.

“I met this lady, she was probably about my age, I’m 72, and she was talking about how she didn’t have any joy in her life. And she says, ‘Well, what do you do?’ And I told her, I’m an artist, and that gives me focus,” she said. “I usually have two or three projects going and one or two mediums, and I said I don’t even know how I could work because it’s taking that much of my [time and] life, and it means a lot to me.”

At some point, Barnes said she had a similar epiphany—“[ArtTroop] is very much a program of discovery, not just of art but of yourself.”

Becca Nisenbaum, the director of outreach programs at the Indianapolis Art Center, works to keep the program funded and running but occasionally reaps the benefits of interacting with the veterans in the cohort during the classes.

“It can be such a wonderful process for self-expression and personal growth and healing—seeing veterans feel comfortable enough to share that with me, with other students, with our teachers, with the community. It has meant a great deal to me,” Nisenbaum said. “I have so much more to learn, but I feel very grateful for having the opportunity to do so.”

Nisenbaum said she’s excited about this year’s exhibition because it is the IAC’s largest annual ArtTroop exhibition since the program’s inception. It is open to the public through Dec. 23 at the center.

“This [exhibition] showcases artwork from the current cohort, including works that they’ve created within the program itself but then also within their own personal pursuits,” Nisenbaum said. “I’ve just been so excited to see how this program and just the connections that they’ve created both within and outside of the art center have allowed them to kind of take that next personal step for themselves.”

The Indianapolis Art Center also is accepting applications for the ArtTroop program online and in person until Dec. 8. Veteran scholarships to provide up to 100% tuition assistance for art classes are available.

Sydney Byerly is a reporter for TheStatehouseFile.com, the news website powered by Franklin College journalism students.

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