AWC Veteran Art Program at risk of discontinuation, seeks funding
Since 2014, veterans have found tactile healing and support through the Arizona Western College Veteran Art Program, where pottery and the creative process are the bridge that connects veterans, active duty and retired service members affected by post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) to resources and a sense of community.
Since its inception, veterans and their family members have flocked to the program to occupy a seat in one of its 16-week handson classes, with numerous others comprising a wait list each semester. Depending on funding, the classes can serve up to 16 veterans at a time, many of whom appear on future class rosters as continuing students.
As funding has ebbed and flowed over the years, class instructors have donated their time and skills gratis to ensure the program could continue serving veterans at no charge, according to Military and Veteran Services coordinator Rebecca Cordero-Torres.
The current semester is the first in five years that the program has been unable to offer a class; the program’s financial well has run dry, forcing the college to consider the possibility of discontinuation.
According to Cordero-Torres, the Veteran Art Program requires just under $3,000 to operate each semester. A recent auction showcasing veterans’ ceramic vases raised less than half of that amount. With the help of community donors and proposals submitted to other funding outlets, the college’s Veteran
Services and Fine Arts departments hope to revive the program in the fall.
“Art has helped our veterans to regain control of their lives in a positive and healthy way,” said Cordero-Torres. “The program allows veterans to spend time with their spouses or their children in a setting outside the house where they’re doing something together and reconnecting. That’s what it’s all about – supporting those who have suffered and helping them rehabilitate in a very fun and positive way.”
The program has also been vital in providing networking opportunities as veterans reacclimate to civilian life.
“The program allows for a lot of leadership development and social assistance in re-entering society and finding their footing in it,” said Cordero-Torres. “We know that support for our veterans comes from beyond their families and themselves; we know that it’s a community thing, and we pride ourselves on being a veteran-supportive campus.”
According to Cordero-Torres, though funding has fluctuated, interest and participation have not, suggesting the Veteran Art Program is an essential resource for veterans and service members in the Yuma community.
“We have not seen a decline in interest, which tells me that it’s helping a lot of our community,” she said. “I think it’s important that we continue to support those who have been affected by their service and offer something to help them deal with these things. We know from studies that sometimes the best therapy is to get your hands in things, whether that’s construction or automotive or, in this case, art. It’s important that we’re able to maintain different avenues of support as well as remediation for some of these things that our veterans are dealing with.”
Handmade ceramic vases of various shapes and styles are still available for purchase in the Veteran Services office located on the second floor of the College Community Center (3C Building), right above Starbucks and the campus bookstore at 2020 S. Avenue 8E. The funds from all purchases will go to the Veteran Art Program.
Donors can also contribute via the AWC Foundation at www.foundation.azwestern.edu/give-online under “Veterans Art Project.”
For more information, contact AWC Veteran Service at 928-344-7622 or veteran.services@azwestern.edu.