Serving Those Who Have Served

Creative Arts for Veterans

Abstract

This paper discusses Creative Arts for Veterans, a program launched in 2021 to connect veterans across the state of Indiana with the healing power of the arts. A collaboration between the Sidney and Lois Eskenazi Museum of Art, the Indiana University Center for Rural Engagement, and various community veteran and arts partners, Creative Arts for Veterans utilizes therapeutically informed arts-based approaches to assist veterans and their families in promoting general health and wellbeing. The origins of the pilot project, new adaptations and directions for programming, the overall approach to the program, program goals, and specific examples of programming are discussed.