Since we first started Voices in 2021, the project has grown into a more fitting name that ties it to our long-term goal with veteran art outreach: Art for Honor. For ArtPrize this fall, Art for Honor will continue to feature veteran artwork and stories at Veterans Memorial Park in Grand Rapids. This new project gives our heroes a chance to be heard and understood, and more importantly, to experience hope and empathy. When I reflect back over my various veteran art projects over the years, this story stands out.
John surprised his fellow soldiers by risking everything for his enemy. As bullets sprayed from every direction, John zigzagged the battle field to help a wounded enemy soldier who sprawled suspended between life and death.
John is one of the bravest people I have ever met. But risking his life isn’t what is truly amazing about his story. The deeper story goes beyond self-sacrifice. The real story is about love that crosses the fiercest battlefield—not for a cherished friend—but for an enemy, a foe who would have possibly shot and killed John first had he been given the chance.
I think of these sacred words: “Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends.” John plunged out onto the battlefield without taking days, weeks, or even hours to consider the consequences of such extravagant kindness. Such costly love. As I listened to John, I wondered, would I be willing to lay down my life for an enemy? An “Yes” is not easy.
Art for Honor is an exhibit of artwork created by veterans,
because every story deserves a chance to be heard.
September 13 – 28, 2024
Veterans Memorial Park (next to Grand Rapids Children’s Museum)
Art for Honor: A creative collaboration with Pamela Alderman Art, Kent County Veterans Services, and Michigan Veterans Affairs Agency.
