Exploring Arts Programs That Serve Military and Veterans

Yesterday was Memorial Day here in the United States, which is a holiday that remembers service members of the military that have died both in peacetime and war time.

Many programs and organizations exist for members of the military, their families, and veterans to benefit from the arts. And the U.S. Army is the largest employer of musicians in the world. It’s not easy to land a place in a military band, as this NY Times profile of a euphonium player going through auditions AND boot camp from 2024 shows.

Here are some arts programs for service members and veterans to be aware of:

• Blue Star Museum: free admission to museums for active-duty military and their families in the summer, a partnership with the National Endowment for the Arts and Blue Star Families, and organization that connects service members and their families to communities. (There used to be a Blue Star Theater program run by Theatre Communications Group, but it doesn’t look to be active anymore.)
• Rural Veterans Telerehabilitation Creative Arts Therapy Initiative from the University of Florida Center for Arts in Medicine. University of Florida is the leader in a growing arts and health movement, and this is one of their programs.
• The branches of the military have their own art collections. Here’s information about the Air Force and Navy art collections.

Finally, here’s a resource from Americans for the Arts for arts and community organizations that want to work with military and veteran populations. As with any community project, understanding the people you want to serve needs to be the first step.

Thank you to all the service members and veterans that help to keep all of us safe and prosperous.