NVAM.org

The National Veterans Art Museum inspires greater understanding of the real impact of war with a focus on Vietnam. The museum collects, preserves and exhibits art inspired by combat and created by veterans.

Free admission extended! We invite you to visit our new space and are pleased to continue to offer free admission. See you soon!

The National Veterans Art Museum will be closed from May 12-24. We reopen May 25 for the Opening Reception of Tenacity and Truth: People, Places and Memories and will be open on Monday, May 27 in honor of Memorial Day. 

On Saturday, May 25, 2013, the National Veterans Art Museum will honor Memorial Day (May 27) with the Opening Reception of our newest exhibition, Tenacity and Truth: People, Places and Memories, a curated exhibit from the permanent collection. 

Curated by Vietnam Veteran artist and chairman of the board, Mike Helbing, Tenacity and Truth will feature artworks that have not been shown in ten years or more, some never-before-seen pieces, and of course a number of our best-known artworks. 

Please join us on Saturday, May 25, 2013 from 1 - 5 p.m. for the opening reception. Free and open to the public.

Schedule of Events: The museum invites the public to join us for artist talks and light refreshments from 1-5 p.m. on Saturday, May 25, and also to stop by on Memorial Day, as we will remain open in honor of the holiday. 

Opening Reception
Saturday, May 25, 2013
1 p.m. - 5 p.m.
Free and Open to the Public

Schedule of Artist Talks
1:00 - Mike Duffy
1:30 - George C. Clark 
2:00 - Bill Dugan
2:30 - Edgar Gonzalez-Baeza
3:00 - Ulysses S. Marshall
3:30 - Richard Hunt
4:00 - Jim Leedy 

Listen to interviews and learn more about the artists in the show on the Tenacity and Truth exhibition page.

Tenacity and Truth: People, Places and Memories will be on display through May 2014. 

In commemoration of Memorial Day

Honoring the men and women who gave their lives in service protecting our nation’s freedom

Saturday, May 25, 2013

11 a.m. - Wreath Laying Ceremony
Richard J. Daley Center Plaza
50 West Washington Street

Noon - Parade on State Street
from Lake Street to Van Buren Street

If you need additional information, please contact the Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events at 312.744.3316 (v), TTY 312.744.2964

cityofchicago.org/dcase

Service Dress Uniform Requested

Then join us at the National Veterans Art Museum from 1 p.m. - 5 p.m. for the Opening Reception of Tenacity and Truth: People, Places and Memories

Tenacity and Truth: People, Places and Memories showcases works from the permanent collection. It features work that was created by artists both trained and untrained who share in the overwhelming need to express their experiences through a visual language and explores the creative process behind veteran art.

Schedule of Events: The museum invites the public to join us for artist talks and light refreshments from 1-5 p.m. on Saturday, May 25, and also to stop by on Memorial Day, as we will remain open in honor of the holiday. 

Opening Reception
Saturday, May 25, 2013
1 p.m. - 5 p.m.
Free and Open to the Public

Arts Alive/45 (AA45) and the National Veterans Art Museum (NVAM) with the financial support of the Gale Street Inn and generous community sponsors are proud to announce our first joint mural project to be displayed in the NVAM gallery and to be available for touring local communities before being installed as a public work of art in the community.

The Concept:

We believe that every one of us has had to learn how to recover from trauma, and regardless of how insignificant or catastrophic, the healing process is much the same in our heads and in our hearts.  As an artist you already know that art can encode the vocabulary of healing in ways our literal minds cannot always grasp. As a veteran who has connected with their “inner artist” we know you have what it takes to heal yourself and others through your work.  This project asks you to put that healing vocabulary in mural form for the public to experience and benefit from.  Our working title for this project is "How I’ve Changed What I See.”

What You Need To Know:

• All veterans of every branch of service and every generation are invited to submit
• You do not need to be able to paint the final mural - a finished design is welcome
• We will supply the materials and paint for the mural (limited mixed media supplies available)
• The criteria for judging will be the quality, overall message and suitability for public work
• AA45 and the NVAM will select the project from applications submitted
• We reserve the right to not select anyone and re-post the call if no submissions meet criteria
• Artists will be notified if their drawings are selected
• Finished mural is schedule for dedication and display in the summer of 2013
• AA45 and the NVAM will make any hard copy submissions available for pick-up after selection but will not be responsible for mailing them
• AA45 and the NVAM will retain rights to reproduction of selected work for use in promotional materials and fund raising
• Artists may submit more than one proposal
• Submissions must be original work by the artist and free from copyright issues
• Artist will receive stipend for design

Submission and Selection Process:

All interested artists must first submit a complete application by May 31, 2013.

Submissions may be submitted electronically or in person / by mail.

National Veterans Art Museum
4041 N. Milwaukee Avenue
Chicago, IL 60641
www.NVAM.org

Submissions must be original work by the artist and free from copyright issues.

Download RFP 

We are pleased to join Chicago Access Network Television's Veterans Consortium for a monthly TV show, "Veteran Arts on Air," hosted by Melvin A. Lyons.

You can find us on channel 21 on the first Thursday of every month at 6:30 p.m. or stream the show live.

Chicago Access Network Television (CAN TV) gives every Chicagoan a voice on cable television by providing video training, equipment, facilities, and channel time for Chicago residents and nonprofit groups. CAN TV’s five local, non-commercial channels reach one million viewers in the city of Chicago. 

Stream the show live here!

ARCHIVE

• May 2, 2013
• April 4, 2013
• March 7, 2013
• Not About Bombs panel discussion

Not About Bombs opened at the National Veterans Art Museum on Saturday, March 9, 2013 with a reception from 1 p.m. - 5 p.m. 

Curated by Tricia Khutoretsky, Not About Bombs addresses how a female perspective can fit into the modern context of turmoil and conflict through art and avoid falling into the typical ways that women are represented and misrepresented.

The women in this exhibit contribute art that is visually and conceptually accomplished, but unpredictable and emotionally engaging. Because if anything, as a long, drawn-out, mind-numbing war comes to a “close,” emotional investments in Iraq are few and far between.

This exhibit will not be what you expect. It is about war. It is about Iraq. But it presents contemporary art by Iraqi women to deliberately explore and challenge expectations.

Featured Artists: Sundus Abdul Hadi, Tamara Abdul Hadi, Julie Adnan, Dena Al-Adeeb, and Sama Alshaibi

See photos from Opening Reception

See video of Panel Discussion

Inspired by Tim O'Brien's book, The Things They Carried, this exhibit serves as a visual companion to illustrate the narrative with fine art and photography, from veterans that lived the stories in the novel.

Download Gallery Guide

READ MORE