Raising Awareness for Veterans Through the Arts

Wednesday, May 21, 2014

As part of Americans for the Arts' ongoing initative to support our veterans and their families by helping them heal through the arts, we have recently partnered with We Are Veterans, a collaboration of local PBS stations, partner organizations, veteran service organizations, and communities to leverage resources to raise awareness about the well-being of veterans and their families. “We Are Veterans” is part of a larger, multi-year, PBS event that includes live concerts, documentaries, summits, television programs and online engagement. Some episodes, like “Craft in America” (November 2014), focus especially on the role arts play in veterans’ lives.

Americans for the Arts' National Initiative for Arts & Health in the Military was launched in 2012 to advance the arts in health, healing and healthcare for military service members, veterans, their families and caregivers. In 2013, Americans for the Arts released Arts, Health and Well-Being Across the Military Continuum—White Paper and Framing a National Plan for Action, identifying the need to raise visibility for the value of the arts as part of the healing and wellness journey, as well as strengthening family and community ties. “We Are Veterans”, with its strong emphasis on the arts, is a major step forward in meeting this goal.