A first-of-its-kind art exhibition on display at the Joe McCauley Gallery features works created by student veterans at Heartland Community College.
The show is a culmination of the inaugural CreatiVets program at Heartland. Veterans ranging in age from their 20s to their 90s created mixed media works including painting, pottery and collage.
The centerpiece of the CreatiVets show is a memorial to participant Nancy Benedict of Pontiac. Benedict died unexpectedly in a car crash last September. She served in the Marine Corps from 1975-1978, stationed in southern California.
Navy vet Mike Sorak has fond memories of his classmate.
“She sat next to me all the time,” he said. “A Marine and a sailor. She was so bubbly.”
Sorak painted a duck and created a bowl and ceramic horse inspired by his childhood hobby riding horses at the University of Illinois. His bowl is blue and orange in homage to that Illini connection. At 83, he’s one of the oldest CreatiVeterans.
“I didn’t serve combat,” said Sorak, who volunteered for the Navy during the Vietnam War. “But I was exposed along with my shipmates to a lot of radiation. We worked on nuclear submarines. So, I’m one of the last ones alive.”
Classmates banded together to finish Benedict's projects. Photos of her surround the completed pottery, which is prominently displayed along the gallery's back wall.
Benedict's daughter, Lisa Fite, attended the reception, which included a flag ceremony honoring her mother's service. Director of Veteran services Jerri Andrew led the memorial with CreatiVets classmate Jess Ray, who served in the Illinois National Guard, reciting The Watch.
Fite said her mother loved the class.
“She was older, so it was twofold,” said Fite. “Not only getting to be with other veterans but also getting to be with other people her age, getting her out of the house, getting her into a community atmosphere—which is something we struggled with.”
Fite comes from a military and law enforcement family. Both her parents were Marines. Her grandfather was a superintendent for the Department of Corrections, which brought the family to Pontiac. Fite moved back to care for her mother as she got older and currently works at Heartland’s Pontiac campus.
“She would drive down here to come to class, which really helped her wellbeing,” Fite said. “She was laughing all the time, having such a great time. It gave her something to look forward to.”
The CreatiVets program was free for participants, thanks to a partnership with CreatiVets founder Richard Casper, a veteran and Heartland alum.
“We’re very grateful for Richard and for everything he has developed, and for his inspiration,” said Heartland Community College president Keith Cornille, addressing students and guests during the show's opening reception on Feb. 3.
Cornille said he saw the CreatiVets class in action and met with the students last fall.
“The one thing they told me is we need to continue this program no matter what,” Cornille said.
They have. CreatiVets student Jody Cabanaw said she was anxious to continue even before finishing her Janis Joplin-inspired collage and complimentary pottery for the exhibition. The group has continued to meet and do weekly art projects.
“I’ve got to be around my fellow airmen, Marines, Army,” she said. “It’s like a drug, talking about what we were doing in the service. We know the talk. We all have a good time laughing. It’s just fun.”
