The Southampton History Museum will host “Creative Forces: Healing Through Writing and the Arts,” a panel discussion inspired by the museum’s current exhibition, “The Great War & Southampton” on Tuesday, December 17, from 6 to 7:30 p.m. at the Rogers Mansion, 17 Meeting House Lane in Southampton.
A panel of veterans and experts will offer a unique perspective on the power of the arts to inspire resilience and recovery by sharing their journey about how writing and creative expression have allowed them to process trauma, reconnect with their past, and find a path to healing. Panelists include John Melillo, an East End visual artist and disabled Vietnam Veteran, who has used painting as a means of emotional healing and expression throughout his post-war life. T.R. Hendricks, an author, former U.S. Army Captain and military intelligence officer is also on the panel, as is Dr. Daniel Van Arsdale, director of Medical Education and Site Designated Institutional Official at Stony Brook Southampton Hospital, who served as a field surgeon with the 42nd Infantry Division in Iraq and practices neuromusculoskeletal, family, and palliative care medicine. Steven Gould, co-curator and research associate at the Southampton History Museum, whose historical expertise includes veteran-related research, will also be a part of the discussion and Sarah Kautz, co-cuator and executive director of the Southampton History Museum, will moderate.
As part of the event guests are encouraged to arrive early for a special exhibition tour led by its curator, Timothy Van Wickler, director of programs and operations at the Southampton History Museum and a U.S. Army aviation operations sergeant.
Admission is free and details are available at southamptonhistory.org.
Staff Writer on Dec 2, 2024