An exhibition showcasing the power of art to help people heal and build community brought the public to American Legion Post 139 over Memorial Day weekend.
Organizers hope it will become a regular occurrence.
“We’re going to try to do this every six months if we can,” Post Commander Richard Rodriguez told ARLnow.
Rodriguez and another veteran, Patrick Sargent, were among those with works on display. Each spent a lengthy career in the military — Rodriguez as a Marine and Navy diver, Sargent in the Air Force — and after retiring, used GI Bill benefits to earn degrees in fine art at George Mason University.
The exhibition featured work from veterans, family members of veterans or those otherwise connected to the American Legion. Pieces came in a variety of media and many were offered for sale.
The three-day event was designed as an interactive experience.
“It provides a space for dialogue, connection and community healing,” organizers said. “Art becomes both a therapeutic outlet and a bridge to broader conversations about patriotism, identity, trauma and resilience.”
Some of the artists were on hand to explain their work, while a guide to the exhibition provided background on the artists and their work.
Among those whose work was on display:
- Leonard Hall, a U.S. Navy veteran, found solace in art and music during long sea deployments. Today, he combines his love for both art forms through sculptural expressions featuring musical instruments.
- Edgar Russell, a retired U.S. Air Force lieutenant colonel who served from 1976-2003, had a career that included operations and intelligence work and serving as a missile-launch officer. In retirement, he is an award-winning artist, playwright, vocalist and actor who has made appearances at the Kennedy Center and Arena Stage.
- Judith Coady was born in the D.C. area and moved frequently as the spouse of a U.S. Navy officer. Along the way, she studied art wherever she lived, and after settling back in the local area became a member of the Torpedo Factory Art Center and Printmakers Inc.
- H. Harold Dorton was represented posthumously by three charcoal-on-paper works. He had served in the U.S. Army Air Forces in the South Pacific during World War II, then used his GI Bill benefits to study mechanical engineering — while sketching American landscapes and scenes of quiet resilience in his free time.
Other featured artists: Veronica Barker-Barzel Kelly, Marcus Beauregard, Henry Dunbar, Jennifer Dunbar, Avis Fleming, Brian Hoffman, Otis Stanley and Priscilla Young.
The exhibition also showcased a wall of art created as part of George Mason’s “Arts & the Military” workshops, an initiative of the university’s School of Art in connection with Peace Paper and other veteran-centered organizations.
Launched in 2012, the Arts & the Military initiative uses art to help military personnel transition back to civilian life.
One of the care activities is a papermaking process in which participants transform uniforms and other clothing into pulp and then paper. Imagery and writing are added to create unique works of art.
Another purpose of the exhibition was to draw the public to the relatively new Post 139 facilities, located on the ground floor of Terwilliger Place at 3445 Washington Blvd.
Post 139 collaborated with True Ground Housing Partners (formerly the Arlington Partnership for Affordable Housing) on a mixed-use affordable housing project at the site of the post’s longtime home.
Veterans in need of housing are given preference in renting half of the units in the complex, located near the Virginia Square-GMU Metro station.
Student honored for award-winning essay
As part of the weekend’s events, Post 139 honored Eloise Sumner, a seventh-grader at Veritas Collegiate Academy, for placing first in the local 2025 American Legion Middle-School Essay Contest.
The theme was “I Like Living in America Because …”
“It was a very rigorous process” to select a winner, said David Lapan, the post’s adjutant.
The essay has moved on to statewide competition.
Among those assisting in the award presentation was Eugene Malinowski, commander of the American Legion’s Virginia Department.
Virginia is home to more than 200 American Legion posts.
