Virginia Square’s newly renovated American Legion Post 139 plans to host its first-ever veterans art exhibit over Memorial Day weekend.
Highlighting art by Northern Virginia veterans, the gallery opening on Saturday, May 24 at 3445 Washington Blvd will “explore themes of service, conflict, healing and duty,” Commander Richard L. Rodriguez, who served in the Marines, Navy and Navy Reserve, told ARLnow.
Works will include drawn illustrations, oil paintings and pottery. Some pieces may incorporate items from artists’ military service, like boots or gear, while others will depart from these themes, “kind of [like] an escape,” Rodriguez said.
“We have a number of Northern Virginia veterans that choose to — for lack of a better term — vent their experiences in the combat zone in Afghanistan, especially Afghanistan and Iraq recently, and they do that through artistic pursuits,” Rodriguez said.
Rodriguez and Patrick Sargent, an Air Force veteran, printmaker and faculty member at George Mason University’s School of Art, are spearheading the exhibit. The duo also painted the mural at the American Legion building in 2023.
Rodriguez, an artist who served two tours in Afghanistan, said the creative process helps some of the post’s 260 regional members process their military experiences and work through mental health challenges.
“It takes over your mind and it takes over your presence, and you’re able to focus on something beautiful,” Rodriguez said. “In my own experience, it enabled me to disconnect from some of the things that I experienced in the combat zone.”
Sargent hopes the artwork will help visitors better understand the perspectives of local veterans reentering society.
“It’s about community building, and it’s about reintegrating people back into our local communities from service,” Sargent said. “It gives you an opportunity to kind of walk a mile in their shoes.”
After May 24, the exhibit will remain open daily from 10 a.m.-9 p.m. through Memorial Day.
Featured artists will discuss their work during a talk and awards ceremony at 1 p.m. on Memorial Day, which is May 26. Some works will be available for purchase.
After the exhibit, Rodriguez and Sargent plan to implement a new art program for veterans and their families at Post 139.
“We want this post to be a little bit different than normal American Legion posts and offer different things to veterans than have been offered in the past,” Rodriguez said.
The art exhibit is still collecting submissions. In total, the post hopes to represent between 30 and 40 artists next month.
