Chicago area veterans find camaraderie, comfort through art
Some local veterans have come up with a creative way to share their stories.
They're using everything from scrap metal to paint to make critical connections.
When artists hang around their work, they find a lot in common.
"It's not really the finished product, but it's the process, I think that makes our lives better," said veteran Steve Kost.
Their art is different, but there's camaraderie among creators like Kost and Michael Bever—two guys who never pictured themselves in a gallery.
"Not even as a visitor," Bever said.
Kost said he didn't feel like he belonged anywhere until he joined the Navy Seabees.
"Gave me a sense of brotherhood, gave me a sense of belonging that I didn't have before that," he said.
For Bever, it was the Army's third Ranger Battalion.
"We were extremely disciplined and extremely – it was hard. We did stuff daily that you never thought you could do," he said.
The kind of stuff that's tough for a veteran to talk about.
"Things spiraled out of control," Kost said. "We were the first unit to go to Mogadishu and clear the beaches, repair the runways so that other United Nations could come in, so it was, ummm. pretty eye-opening when we got there."
"I don't know some of the places we were cause we would just get in airplanes and go jump out and do whatever," Bever said.
"Yeah, some of the things that I experienced at the time I probably didn't process it in a healthy way, and I spent a lot of years trying to forget about that and trying not to think about those things," Kost said.
To keep his mind occupied, Kost started tinkering with pieces of metal.
"Wasn't until 2015 that I actually started creating metal sculpture and welding together found objects and household components that I was working with," he said.
Bever picked up a paintbrush to capture what he calls unseen beauty.
"I'm on the search for the perfect dumpster shot in an alley in a city, cause I think stuff like that if you get the lighting right and the colors right, it's really beautiful," he said.
Now, both of their works are on display at the McCord Gallery and Cultural Center in Palos Park.
All the art that's created here was all created by veterans—50 pieces of art from more than 40 vets, who find camaraderie through creativity.
"We got a pretty good group of artists that are going to be taking part in this."
Their exhibit will be on display through March 28.