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Release Date: 
Monday, December 10, 2012

Sisson Gallery to showcase “Portraits of War” exhibition

Artist Mike Fay's work showing LCpl Andrian Jones, who was wounded by an IED Sept. 2005 in Ramadi, Iraq
Artist Mike Fay's work showing LCpl Andrian Jones, who was wounded by an IED Sept. 2005 in Ramadi, Iraq

HFCC's Sisson Art Gallery will showcase more than a dozen artists during the College’s “Portraits of War” exhibition Jan. 14 to March 1, 2013. The Sisson Art Gallery is located in the MacKenzie Fine Arts & Fitness Building on the main campus.

“Portraits of War” is inspired by “The Joe Bonham Project,” named after the main character in Dalton Trumbo’s 1938 novel John Got His Gun. In this novel, Bonham was disfigured and lost all his limbs during World War I. This project began in 2011 as a group of American, Australian and Canadian artists began documenting the experiences of servicemen undergoing extensive medical treatment after sustaining life-changing injuries in Afghanistan.

Working primarily at in-patient surgical shock-trauma wards, artists spent time with some of the most physically damaged soldiers and sailors. These service personnel have endured multiple traumatic amputation injuries and disfiguring facial wounds, which encompassed months of operations and challenging physical therapy.

All the service personnel depicted in the works of art have volunteered to be sketched. Several of the artists who participated in “The Joe Bonham Project” will have their artwork displayed in HFCC’s “Portraits of War” exhibition.

“I can’t find the words to describe how moving this exhibition is. It’s just powerful,” said Steven Glazer, HFCC ceramics instructor and director of Exhibitions.

The “Portraits of War” exhibition hours are as follows:
• Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday: 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
• Thursday: 9 a.m. to 8 p.m.

For further information, contact the Sisson Art Gallery at 313.845.6485.