Steve Burns
WMAL.com
CRYSTAL CITY — (WMAL) In a studio space in Crystal City, Scott Gordon uses art therapy to help veterans readjust to life at home.
In 2013 he founded the 296 Project, a program that teaches veterans various art forms, from photography to pottery.
“Art allows you to say the unspeakable, or convey the unconveyable,” Gordon said of his work.
One veteran, Jesse, took up photography as a hobby.
Jesse’s photo of a duck wading across the Tidal Basin is proudly displayed in the studio.
“Consider where he came from,” Gordon said of Jesse.
“Withdrawn, to being out in public, to showing his work. He’s bearing his soul there. That is the life cycle of art therapy.”
Gordon said that helping veterans through art therapy is effective because there are so many ways to succeed in art, and there’s really no wrong way to be creative.
“Lives have been saved,” Gordon said, “It’s a wonderful feeling.”
Click below to enjoy the rest of Brand New Battlefields:
PART 1:
LISTEN: Brand New Battlefields Part 1: A Home To Come Back To
PART 2:
LISTEN: Brand New Battlefields Part 2: Keeping Our Veterans Working
PART 3:
PART 4
LISTEN: Brand New Battlefields Part 4: Understanding Veteran Mental Health
Copyright 2015 by WMAL.com. All Rights Reserved. (PHOTO: The 296 Project)
