CLARKSBURG, W.Va. (WBOY) — Sixteen years ago, the Clarksburg VA started its now-annual Creative Arts Festival to give local veterans a chance to show off their craft to a much larger audience. On Monday, the tradition continued.

On top of showing off their craft, the festival looks to help veterans cope with whatever they may be dealing with emotionally. It also gives them an opportunity to compete to see which of them is the best at their craft.

“If you win at the local level we actually have a National Veterans Creative Arts Festival,” Recreation Therapist Michael Andrew said. “The way it works is any veteran that wins first place here is entered into that competition. If they win first place at the national level then they actually are invited by the VA to go out to and showcase their work at a rotating city—host site city—and what we do is a national art gallery. So all first place winners across the country will showcase their art and then all their performing artists actually does a national concert.”

A Homeless Veteran’s Lament, a poem on display at the festival. The author was not listed. (WBOY Image)

For more information about how you could submit your piece in the future to the Clarksburg VA you can contact Michael Andrew at michael.andrew@va.gov. 

You can go here to take a look at the National Veterans Creative Arts Festival.