Center of Innovation on Disability & Rehab Research (CINDRR)

Tides of Change by Stacey Thompson

The 2017 Women Veterans Art Exhibit was presented by the Veteran Artist Program (VAP) and the VA's Center for Women Veterans.  In honor of Women's History Month, a call for submissions went out to women Veterans to submit examples of their artwork to remind everyone of the great contributions and sacrifices that women Veterans have made over the last 100 years.  Over 120 women Veteran artists submitted close to 400 works of art.  Ten were chosen to be showcased for the month of March in ten VA Medical Centers around the country. Ten more were selected as Honorable Mentions.  

One of the winners was Stacey Thompson, a Marine Corps Veteran and a survivor of Military Sexual Trauma (MST). Ms. Thompson is completely self taught and credits her grandmother with teaching her the elements of art when she was young. Ms. Thompson, a disabled Veteran, is the caregiver for her husband, retired GySgt. Jesse Thompson, and the mother of three children.  She has a Masters of Science degree, a career as a professional artist, and is a motivational speaker.

The title of her piece is Tides of Change, broken mirror pieces that reflect the broken parts of herself which can come together as something beautiful.