“Things Carried Home” — Seen is Apache Pride by Daniel Villareal from last year’s Things Carried Home: VA Texas Valley Coastal Bend Veterans’ Creative Arts Competition Exhibition. The veteran-featured exhibit returned to San Benito this week (Courtesy photo/SBCAD)
Special to the NEWS
The San Benito Cultural Arts Department (CAD) has again partnered with the regional VA office to host Moments of Expression: VA Texas Valley Coastal Bend Veterans’ Creative Arts Competition Exhibition at the San Benito Cultural Arts Center.
This exhibit features the work of local participants in the VA Texas Valley Coastal Bend Creative Arts Competition. Some of these artists will advance to the national level. They may be invited to the 45th National Veterans Creative Arts Festival, scheduled for June 2026 in Columbia, South Carolina.
Originating from VA medical facilities’ use of creative arts as rehabilitative treatment, this competition features categories in the visual arts division — including oil paintings and various kits — as well as writing and music.
Just as the National Veterans Creative Arts Festival started as two separate competitions — VET ARTS and The National Music Competition for Veterans — CAD is eager to team up with the VA Texas Valley Coastal Bend Health Care System to create a space where these artists’ work can be showcased to the local community.
This year, the exhibition title highlights the diverse submissions to the creative arts competition and also celebrates the individuality and unique life experiences of veterans.
To quote Dr. Jessica Carmona, Psychologist and Local Recovery Coordinator at VATVCBHCS, “We are pleased to collaborate with the City of San Benito to put together this exhibit. Veterans go through many processes as they transition back into civilian life, and art can be a way to process experiences, rebuild confidence, and reconnect with themselves and their communities.”
“Projects like these reaffirm our commitment to supporting veterans’ well-being and the fostering of spaces where their experiences can be shared and witnessed,” Carmona continued.
Organizers hope that every visitor walks through the San Benito Cultural Center and experiences these moments that each of the veterans has chosen or found best to express them, through their preferred medium and subject matter.
The SBCAD is committed to this ongoing partnership with the local VA and values the opportunity to support the arts and highlight the talents of regional veterans, according to statement from the CAD.
Moments of Expression had its opening reception on November 20, 2025, at 5:30 p.m. at the San Benito Cultural Center.
The exhibition is on display at the San Benito Cultural Center, located at 225 E. Stenger St., San Benito, from November 20, 2025, to January 17, 2026.
This exhibition is included in the regular San Benito Cultural Heritage Museum admission fee and is open during museum hours: Monday through Thursday, 10 a.m.-4 p.m., and Friday, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. For more information, call the San Benito Cultural Heritage Museum at (956) 658-8493.
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