Veterans Home artists show their stuff at art center display
<p>Art created by Montana Veterans Home residents is on display at Stumptown Art Studio in Whitefish.</p>
<p>Warren Jones receives help from Montana Veterans Home activity aide Norma Leib while creating a mosaic piece that will be fused and strung into wind chimes. Art produced by Veterans Home residents is on display through this month at Stumptown Art Studio. (Sue Cox/Stumptown Art Studio)</p>
<p>Ray Taylor places mosaic pieces to glass to be fused into wind chimes. (Sue Cox/Stumptown Art Studio)</p>
<p>Bev Hamann decorates an embossed foil Aztec sun with the help of an aide. (Sue Cox/Stumptown Art Studio)</p>
<p>Robert Rales shows off his embossed foil Aztec sun. Being nearly blind with macular degeneration has not slowed him down. He is able to feel the ridges of the embossed metal to know where to add color. (Sue Cox/Stumptown Art Studio)</p>
Whitefish residents may have noticed an above-normal amount of red, white and blue around town recently.
The Whitefish Winter Carnival season, themed “America the Beautiful: Honoring Veterans,” officially kicked off on Jan. 10 and will culminate this weekend with a host of events.
Stumptown Art Studio is doing its part to honor local veterans by highlighting artwork created by residents of the Montana Veterans Home.
The art exhibit is on display in the front window of Stumptown Art Studio in Whitefish through the month of February.
Local artist and art instructor Sue Cox has been teaching art classes at the Montana Veterans Home in Columbia Falls since 2009. She packs up supplies for a different project every other week in Stumptown’s art mobile, the “Van Gogh,” and takes everything to the Veterans Home.
“I love it,” Cox said. “I really enjoy getting [residents] out of their everyday routine and helping them find things they can do and art they can create.”
The exhibit at Stumptown features about 20 pieces of artwork created by veterans over the past year. Cox said many of the artists give their work away to family or friends as gifts, which made it a challenge to put together a full display.
Even so, the final exhibit showcases a variety of projects from all different artistic ability levels.
According to Montana Veterans Home activities worker Bonnie Savage, “These aren’t just ordinary projects.”
“[Cox] brings in real quality projects that are challenging,” Savage said. “The residents love it.”
Cox said she tries to vary the lessons to incorporate as many ability levels and skills as possible. Changing the type of art being created for each class gives all residents a chance to express their creativity.
“It doesn’t matter what their level of ability is,” Cox said. “There is always a way to participate in the creation of art.”
Savage said the Veterans Home is very proud have its residents’ art on display as part of the Winter Carnival this year.
“Any recognition of our vets is well-deserved,” Savage said. “We are thrilled to have Sue and Stumptown providing this for us.” Cox currently teaches the classes at the Montana Veterans Home as a volunteer, but added that Stumptown is always looking for donations to help offset the costs of the art supplies.
To donate to the Montana Veterans Home classes or for more information about Stumptown Art Studio, call 862-5929 or visit www.stumptownartstudio.org. To view the current art exhibit, visit Stumptown at 145 Central Ave., in Whitefish.
Entertainment editor Stefanie Johnson can be reached at 758-4439 or ThisWeek@dailyinterlake.com.