Ash Kyrie, World War Two Veteran, 2009

By GINNY VAN ALYEA

Veterans Day is an occasion to recognize those who have served, but also to listen to what they have to say. This week, the Veteran Art Summit offers an opportunity to do both, bringing artists, veterans and the public together for four days of free workshops, performances and conversations about war and its lasting effects.

Taking place November 5–8, ahead of Veterans Day, November 11, the summit is part of RESISTING THE LONG WAR, the 2026 Veteran Art Triennial organized by the emerging Veteran Art Movement (eVAM). Programs span four sites: Hyde Park Art Center, Elmhurst Art Museum, Walls Turned Sideways and the Chicago Cultural Center.

The range of activities offers many ways into a difficult subject. Visitors can make prints, contribute to a quilt, listen to poetry or join a conversation about memory and displacement. Throughout the weekend, art provides a way to consider experiences of military service and war that can be hard to communicate—and that deserve attention beyond a single day on the calendar.

The summit opens November 5 at Elmhurst Art Museum with a dance performance, exhibition tour and readings.

Next, Hyde Park Art Center hosts two full days of programming November 6–7. Highlights include printmaking with John Hitchcock, community quilting with Dorothy I. Burge and creative writing with Warrior Writers. “Kleicha: A Taste of Return” pairs a discussion of the Iraq War with traditional Iraqi pastries associated with home, family and memory. Other workshops invite participants to explore the impact of warfare through embroidery or create screen prints and picket signs with veteran antiwar organizations.

Friday evening includes a tour of Shifting Horizons, followed by music from Jules Vaquera of The Guillotinas, DJ Sound Culture and the Bollywood ensemble Do the Needful. Saturday brings further workshops and discussions at the Art Center, followed by an evening program at Walls Turned Sideways.

On Sunday, November 8, programming moves to the Chicago Cultural Center’s Grand Army of the Republic Hall—a particularly meaningful setting for reflection on service, sacrifice and remembrance. Visitors can join an embroidery circle with Sabba Elahi, make antiwar posters with Josh MacPhee and tour Freedom Fighters with Dorothy I. Burge. The day closes with a walking meditation inspired by the friendship and peace efforts of Martin Luther King Jr. and Thich Nhat Hanh.

Now in its third iteration, the Veteran Art Triennial places veterans’ creative work within a wider conversation about resistance, healing and peace. Ahead of Veterans Day, the summit makes room to spend time with that work—and with the people and experiences behind it.

All summit programs are free.

Find the full schedule and register at resistingthelongwar.online.