Seven combat veterans reflected on their return home from war as part of a special exhibit of their work on Nov. 7 at the Castellani Art Museum on the Niagara University campus. “Odyssey: Warriors Come Home,” which was on display from Nov. 7-12, 2019, presented selected photographs taken by the panelists, which showed the profound and deeply personal impact of war.
The artwork was created through Odyssey Workshops, a unique series of classes hosted by the CEPA Gallery in partnership with the Veterans One-stop Center of WNY and supported by the National Endowment for the Arts, the John R. Oishei Foundation, and M&T Bank. Designed to promote the mental, social, and emotional well-being of post 9/11 veterans, Vietnam veterans, and veterans’ caregivers, the 12-week program was led by internationally respected photojournalist Brendan Bannon and supported by veteran and artist Julian Chinana. The photograph, words, and life-sized self-portraits of all 36 participants is on display at the CEPA Gallery in Buffalo through Dec. 28, 2019.
Panelists at the Castellani included Jim Becker, Stephen Siulc, Maja Kraft, Christopher Veltri, Alyssa Vasquez, Julian Chinana, and Joe Ruszala.