SYRACUSE, N.Y. (NCC News)– Earlier this fall marked the twenty-seventh year the Syracuse Veteran’s Creative Arts Competition has been held, and the first year it’s been held at the Syracuse University National Veteran’s Research Center. The Creative Arts Competition allows veterans like Richard Rodriguez, who spent years serving in the military, to now serve their community through the gift of their artwork.
As a longtime member of the Syracuse Veteran’s Association, art isn’t just a hobby, job or form of competition for Rodriguez.
“I find that it helps with my PTSD, and with my life in general. It helps me put things in perspective,”he said.
Rodriguez is one of the 12% of veterans who suffer from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder according to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. Through the Syracuse VA, he has been able to access art therapy programs, stretching from visual arts to creative writing.
Rodriguez submitted artwork to almost every category in the competition, all of which revolve around his experiences serving in the Army. While Rodriguez has competed in the Arts Competition for years, it’s the first year he has ended the competition in a clean sweep for his true love he calls writing.
Suzanne Hawes, lead recreational therapist at the Syracuse Veteran’s Association, said she was thrilled with the turnout at the event. Hawes founded the Syracuse Veterans Creative Arts Competition 27 years ago, after she joined the Veteran’s Association as a therapist. She said she has felt a calling to therapy ever since a young age, and gets to see the value of her work every day in the effect it has on the veterans she works with.
“It’s when the staff look at a veteran differently than someone’s diagnosis or their current situation. It allows them [veterans] to really understand how they use art as a way to express themselves,” Hawes said.
Rodriguez noted that he would not be where he is without the work Hawes has put into the Veterans Association over the years, and the work that goes into making events like the Creative Arts Competition run for over 20 years.
“It isn’t just there to help us with recreational things like playing cards and stuff, but to help us to bring out within ourselves what we have in ourselves,” Rodriguez said.
