Fine Arts Gallery Exhibitions

Exhibition Dates: September 1 - October 2, 2026

Opening Reception: Tuesday, September 1, 6:00 p.m. - 7:30 p.m.

Curated by Cynthia Nourse Thompson

Veterans and Visionaries presents a continuation and expansion of a grant-funded project that curates the life histories of Veterans who served in the U.S. Military surrounding segregated and recently integrated military service, such as World War II and the Korean War, as well as those of the Vietnam War who participated in the Civil Rights Movement. Building on initial work in 2024-2025, which featured World War II Veterans in Georgia, this traveling museum exhibit focuses on Vietnam-era Veterans in the Southeast. It includes corresponding lesson plans geared towards multiple grade levels, an immersive self-guided walking tour of one partnering cemetery, professional development for soon-to-be educators, and a community workshop hosted by the Zuckerman Museum of Art with COMBAT PAPER®.  This workshop, titled "From Combat to Connection,” brought together students, community members, and veterans to transform military uniforms into handmade paper art. A selection of works created during this workshop is also featured as part of this exhibition and grant-funded project preserving the stories of veterans who contributed to our nation’s history in an extraordinary manner and promotes student and community engagement with state and federal cemeteries in the Southeast. 
  
The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Veterans Legacy Grants Program, Office of Engagement and Morial Innovations, National Cemetery Administration awarded a Veterans Legacy Grant to Kristin Horan, Associate Professor of Psychology in the Department of Psychological Science and Chris Hess, Assistant Professor of Sociology in the Department of Sociology and Criminal Justice at KSU in association with the Center for the Advancement of Military and Emergency Service Research [AMES] at KSU as the Primary Investigators [PI]. Cynthia Nourse Thompson, Professor and Director of Curatorial Affairs at the ZMA, partnered as a co-investigator for the ZMA.