A number of veterans use artistic outlets to cope with the mental wounds of war, and now for the first time the National Endowment for the Arts is recognizing the connection. The organization's quarterly magazine, NEA Arts, has dedicated the entirety of its most recent issue to the topic, Military Times reports.
The 24-page issue covers the military's long history with the performing arts. It examines many different facets of the relationship between the two, including a program currently underway called the National Intrepid Center for Excellence, which encourages patients to use creative therapy as part of the healing process. The issue also features some stunning artwork by veterans.
"The NEA has long recognized the connection between the arts and the military," the organization's chairman Rocco Landesman said earlier this week, according to the publication.
Though this is the first time NEA Arts has paid tribute to the military in its pages, the organization has a history of reaching out to the troops. Recently, it partnered with Blue Star Families to offer military families free admittance to certain museums across the country this summer.