American Veterans Arts and Crafts Gallery is designed to help and heal

By Mike Lange
Staff Writer

    HUDSON — After Jay Emerson was discharged from the Army, he took a renewed interest in art, one of his favorite pastimes from his pre-service years. “I’ve always been an artist at heart, but I never thought about it much while I was in the service,” Emerson said.

Contributed photo

    PORTER-PARSONFIELD BRIDGE — A postcard with Allen Francis Foley’s photo of the Porter-Parsonfield covered bridge over the Ossipee River

    His tour of duty included combat during the Tet Offensive in Vietnam where he was wounded. “I was seeing a VA counselor after I got back, and mentioned that I was interested in art. He then asked me if I’d consider helping a client sell his artwork,” Emerson recalled.
    He met the artist, Milt Turner of Plymouth, and described his work as “beautiful. I was truly impressed with the guy.”
    Following a family trip to San Francisco a few years ago, Emerson started thinking about the number of veterans like him and Turner with artistic talents, but with no way to showcase them to the general public. “I knew several veterans who paint or do crafts. So I contacted a half dozen of them, one thing led to another and three years later — here we are,” he said.
    The American Veterans Arts and Crafts Gallery was created to showcase the works of veterans of all age groups and skill levels, both online and in live exhibits. Veterans can post their artwork on the site free of charge, but those who sell artwork through the website are asked to donate a small percentage of the sale to help with the site’s maintenance.

Contributed photo

    BARTLETT POND — Angie Blevins’ painting of trees near Bartlett Pond in Waterboro.

    It’s also undergoing a major upgrade, Emerson said. “We want to make it easier to shop online. Our site lists all the individual crafters — 55 at this point – but there aren’t links to everyone, so you may not realize that you can buy items on the site,” he explained. So Emerson is working with a website creator to make American Veterans Arts and Crafts Gallery more user-friendly. “We want to make shopping on it a pleasure, not an ordeal,” he quipped.
    The online exhibit is basically a “one-man operation,” Emerson said. “I seek out veterans with artistic talent and help them sell their works. I don’t care if they whittle sticks or paint a Mona Lisa. If you’re a veteran, you’re welcome here. We know where you’ve walked and we know where some of you have feared for your life.”
    Emerson will also be quite busy during the next few months, coordinating live exhibits. “We were in Bar Harbor, Northport, Camden and other places on the coast this summer, but they’re all closed up for the season,” he said.
    Two shows coming up soon are at the Bangor Veterans of Foreign Wars Post on Nov. 9 and at the Maine Veterans’ Home in Bangor on Dec. 14. “We had a special request from the veterans’ home to set up shop in their activity room for patients who can’t get out and about,” he said.
    The American Veterans Arts and Crafts Gallery also has artwork available at the Bangor Wine and Cheese Company, 86 Harlow St., Bangor; Maine Jewelry and Art Shop, 96 Harlow St., Bangor; Nautical Scribe Books, 132A Church St., Belfast; and Main Street Country, 24 Main St., Lincoln.
    “Our goal is to have a gallery in downtown Bangor next year,” Emerson said. “It’s something we’ve been working on for quite some time.”
    For more information, visit www.veteransartsandcrafts.com or find them on Facebook.