Talk about an arts alliance!
Kids from JHS 259 in Bay Ridge teamed up with army veterans to make art inspired by the soldiers’ experiences. They showed off the fruits of their labor at a pop-up gallery in Borough Hall on May 13.
The collaboration gave veterans a chance to pass on their knowledge, and helped kids understand the sacrifices fighting men and women have made, one hero said.
“The kids were very nice, and they were interested in our stories,” said Army serviceman and Vietnam veteran Barry Berger. “I’m glad somebody taught them reverence — what a veteran is, what we did, and what we go through.”
Seventh-grade students from the junior high school partnered with veterans in the Department of Veterans Affairs New York Harbor Health Care System at Ft. Hamilton to bring the projects to life.
The pupils viewed a permanent art installation at the fort called “Visions of Veterans” and used the exhibit as inspiration for collaborative art projects with Ft. Hamilton veterans, according to the organizers. Their original art touched on themes of courage, freedom, loyalty, and honor, resulting in a body of pieces collectively titled “That’s What I Like About Veterans.”
