Manhattan College to Present Veterans Gallery at Flatiron Building
The Experiencing Veterans and Artists Collaboration gallery had been at O’Malley Library earlier in 2019.
An image from the EVAC gallery at O'Malley Library in the spring of 2019.
Experiencing Veterans and Artists Collaboration (EVAC), an art project that was displayed at Manhattan College’s O’Malley Library in the spring 2019, has moved to a pop-up space in midtown Manhattan’s Flatiron Building.
The EVAC exhibit includes visual presentations and accompanying narratives such as those of a World War II Marine who fought in Okinawa, Japan; a Gold Star mother, and a post-9/11 82nd Airborne veteran who served multiple tours as part of Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Two recent Manhattan College alumni who served in the armed forces – Kirsten Battocchio ’18 and Michael Giraldo ’19 – also have their stories told through the EVAC art gallery.
In addition to these stories, Manhattan College is presenting its history of supporting our military through images of veteran alumni. This display includes the discharge papers of a Manhattan College Civil War veteran, a letter written from a prisoner of war in a German camp to a Lasallian Christian Brother, images of men who served in Vietnam, and the men and women who have participated in the Air Force ROTC program on Manhattan’s campus.
The EVAC gallery gives a glimpse into real people’s lived experiences and creates a space for the audience that invites genuine understanding and engagement. Through storytelling and interpretation, the project promotes empathy from multiple groups – the artist and audience for the veteran’s experience, and the veteran for the artist’s realization of their stories.
Participating veterans include service members from World War II through the present, including all five branches of the military. The participating artists are professionals from 23 states and one country outside of the United States. They use a variety of printmaking techniques from etching to serigraphy.
This gallery has been made possible by the following sponsors: Flatiron 23rd Street Partnership, GFP Real Estate and the Steven & Alexandra Cohen Foundation.
The gallery is located in the Flatiron Building at 949 Broadway at 23rd Street. It will be open from Veterans Day through the end of 2019, closed on Tuesdays and holidays.
For more information on the gallery, visit https://manhattan.edu/evac.