Feb. 27, 2017

Three Army veterans are part of a group of 10 women selected to have their art on display in VA medical centers during Women’s History Month.

Pamela Corwin, Cara Myhre and Deveon Sudduth will have their artwork on display at medical centers as part of a celebration of women veteran artists. The initiative is part of a partnership between the VA’s Center for Women Veterans and the Veteran Artist Program.

Kayla Williams, an Army Veteran and director of the VA’s women’s center, said artwork by the women and profiles of their military service will be part of the month-long display. More than 400 people entered the competition.

“We believe that art is one of the best ways to tell a story, and this exhibit reminds us that women are an integral part of our military and continue to serve their community as Veterans,” said B.R. McDonald, VAP founder, president, and executive producer. “We are blessed every day at VAP with these amazing Veteran artists and we are thrilled to share their work and stories in partnership with the VA.”

Corwin is a wildlife and fisheries biologist for the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources. She has her a master’s degree in Avian Ecology and is restoring historical American shad spawning runs that have been impacted by dams and river alterations. She served in the Army for six years in the 218th Combat Support Battalion in Charleston, S.C., as a human resources specialist, suicide prevention program coordinator, and a fitness and health NCO. A biography supplied by the VA says: “Pamela’s creative background started when she could pick up a pencil. She never took any art classes outside of high school and let her experiences in life guide her creativity. She enjoys painting and drawing wildlife and military scenes that provoke thought or emotion.”

Myhre served in the Army and Army Reserve as an Arabic cryptologic linguist from 1999 to 2011, deploying for both Operations Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom. “After discovering that drawing and painting helped her to heal from traumatic experience, she decided to use her GI Bill to study Fine Art along with Psychology,” her VA biography says.

Sudduth is a retired lieutenant colonel who served 12 years as an enlisted soldier before attending Officer Candidate School. She served two tours in Iraq before her 2016 retirement.

Art by women veterans can be seen at Beckley VA Medical Center, Beckley, W.Va.; W. G. (Bill) Hefner VA Medical Center, Salisbury, N.C.; Atlanta VA Medical Center, Atlanta; James H. Quillen VA Medical Center, Mountain Home, Tenn.; VA Eastern Kansas Health Care System, in Topeka and Leavenworth, Kan.; Jesse Brown VA Medical Center, Chicago, Illinois; Southeast Louisiana Veterans Health Care System in New Orleans; Michael E. DeBakey VA Medical Center, Houston, Texas; Mann-Grandstaff VA Medical Center, Spokane, Wash.; and VA Southern Nevada Healthcare System, Las Vegas, Nev.