At their recent Legislative Meeting on February 22 in Washington, DC, the National Association of Counties’ (NACo) Arts and Cultural Commission held a panel on arts and the military, which focused on how the arts can assist with the physical and physiological healing of our nation’s veterans. Jay Dick, Americans for the Arts Liaison to NACo, moderated the panel that consisted of Americans for the Arts Senior Director of Arts Policy Marete Wester and Director of the Veterans Writing Project Ron Capps. NACo members were very interested in the topic and have invited Americans for the Arts to organize another panel at NACo’s annual conference for their Veterans Committee.

Marete Wester, also acting Chair of the National Initiative for Arts and Health in the Military, commented on the extraordinary commitment of the 1,500 representatives in attendance at the Arts and Culture Commission meeting.  “Counties across the country historically have a strong record of both supporting the arts and humanities in their communities, as well as advocating for veterans. Through NACo’s leadership on these issues, we welcome a dialogue with country leaders on how we can work together to better unite the arts as tools for health, healing and well-being for military service members, veterans and their families, in the counties in which they reside.”

If you have any questions, please contact Senior Director of State and Local Government Affairs Jay Dick at [email protected] or Senior Director of Arts Policy Marete Wester at [email protected].