CEPA Gallery Receives NEA Grant for the Odyssey Workshops

ODYSSEY Workshops - Julian Chinana - CEPA Gallery - Buffalo NY

CEPA Gallery Receives NEA Grant for the Odyssey Workshops

CEPA Gallery to Receive $59K Grant from the National Endowment for the Arts to Fund Groundbreaking Project that Pairs Internationally Respected Artists with US Combat Veterans

National Endowment for the Arts Chairman Jane Chu has approved more than $2 million in Creativity Connects grants as part of the NEA’s second major funding announcement for fiscal year 2018. Included in this announcement is a grant of $59K to CEPA Gallery for the Odyssey Workshops.

The Creativity Connects category advances the role of the arts in the nation’s creative ecosystem by supporting projects featuring partnerships between the arts and non-arts sectors. “The variety and quality of these projects speaks to the wealth of creativity and diversity in our country,” said NEA Chairman Jane Chu. “Through the work of organizations such as CEPA Gallery in Buffalo, NY, NEA funding invests in local communities, helping people celebrate the arts wherever they are.”

Art Works NEA Logos - CEPA Gallery - Buffalo NY

CEPA Gallery Executive Director Lawrence Brose said, “CEPA Gallery is proud to be a recipient of the highly competitive Creativity Connects grant through the National Endowment for the Arts. We are excited to partner with the Veterans One-stop Center of WNY on this unique project and to bring the talents of professional photographers and educators to the service of our veterans.”

The struggles of US combat veterans working to reintegrate into society are largely misunderstood and rarely communicated by those immersed in the experience. There is a boot camp to prepare soldiers to go to war, but there is no boot camp to reintegrate them into civilian life.

The Odyssey Workshops, whose title is borrowed from the journey of Odysseus, aim to ease this transition by utilizing photography, peer support, and artist/educator mentoring. Four separate classes will complete a 12-week workshop series, two made up of Post 9/11 veterans, one of Vietnam War veterans, and one of caregivers of veterans. Participants will control their own narratives as they process difficult experiences and create artwork that serves as a reflection of their experiences at war and at home.

Workshops will be led by internationally respected photojournalist Brendan Bannon, supported by veteran and artist Julian Chinana, and participants will be identified by the Veterans One-stop Center. The entire project will be overseen by CEPA Gallery, a globally recognized incubator of artistic creation.

“I have learned that art is a very powerful tool of expression and communication,” said combat veteran and artist Julian Chinana. I personally have found that with photography I can find ways not only to express how I’m feeling but also how I see the world around me.”

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Following the workshops, a travelling exhibit will be created to engage the public and increase dialogue around the unique reintegration issues combat veterans and their families experience. The exhibit will open with a celebration at CEPA Gallery in May 2019, and will travel throughout the WNY region to public sites and veteran’s service centers.

For information on how to sponsor this project, please contact Melissa Grainger at melissa@cepagallery.org.

About The Odyssey Project

Learn about the Odyssey Project, including artist statements, images, events, press, and other related news.

Lauren Tent
lauren@cepagallery.org