Schools
Veteran Art Exhibit Highlights Realities of PTSD
Artwork on Display Sept. 19 to Nov. 11 at College of DuPage
In partnership with The Road Home Program, a military trauma clinic at Rush University Medical Center, College of DuPage will host an exhibition featuring painted masks to reveal what veterans’ post-traumatic stress disorder looks like.
The exhibition, “Artfully Facing Trauma: The Internal/External Realities of Veterans with PTSD,” will be on display Monday, Sept. 19, through Friday, Nov. 11, in the Student Resource Center, Room 2210 on the College’s Glen Ellyn campus, 425 Fawell Blvd.
The exhibit is free and open to the public.
Find out what's happening in Glen Ellynfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
COD Veteran Services staff and leadership from The Road Home Program will host a grand opening from 5 to 7 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 29. Light appetizers and refreshments will be served. Registration is encouraged.
The Road Home Program provides mental health care and wellness to veterans of all eras, active duty military and their families at no cost. Art therapy, including creating masks, is part of the two-week, intense outpatient treatment program.
Find out what's happening in Glen Ellynfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
COD’s Veteran Services Manager Sheri Gross hopes the exhibition will help reduce the stigma around discussing mental health and suicide, especially for veterans.
“These are taboo subjects in so many cultures, and the military is no exception,” she said. “The pieces in this exhibit are a visual representation of hiding what we aren’t supposed to talk about because it makes the people around us uncomfortable. And I do hope people get a little bit uncomfortable during the course of viewing these pieces because it’s when we get uncomfortable that real change can happen.”
COD has long supported the educational goals of veteran students, offering them the resources they need to be successful. Recently, the College was recognized nationally for its support of military students, earning the 2022-2023 Military Friendly School designation by G.I. Jobs, a veteran-owned publication focusing on post-military education and employment.
For more information about COD’s commitment to military veterans and available academic opportunities, contact Veterans Services at veterans@cod.edu or (630) 942-3814.
