Veterans healing the wounds of war through military art program

A former Afghanistan solider now studying in Halifax is trying to heal through her art and pass those lessons along to other wounded veterans.

At 18 years old, Jessica Wiebe had just graduated from high school in Brandon, Man., when she joined the 26 Field Regiment as an artillery gunner.

Soon after, in 2008, she was deployed to Afghanistan with the Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry Battalion from Shilo.

For six months, she provided security for local Afghanistan citizens who were hired by the Canadians to fix ditches and irrigation systems and build roads.

But Wiebe's time in Afghanistan was hard on her. Just last month she was medically discharged from the military.

She turned to art and is now in her final year at the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design.

On Nov. 8 she'll show her art work at the historic St Paul's Anglican Church in the Grand Parade.

She was invited to do the show by Ian MacKinnon,  one of her professors at NSCAD and the artist-in-residence at St Paul's.

Together they came up with the name for the show: "Bearing Arms, B(e)aring Wounds: One woman's witness to the space between war and healing."

Wiebe says art helps her express herself and "exposes the vulnerabilities of being a human being in a war zone. That's where the bearing wounds comes from."

It's taken Wiebe some time to feel comfortable talking about her experiences of being in Afghanistan.

"I don't think you can go overseas and come home with having no effect or change in your life," she said.

Wiebe has several pieces in the exhibit. Most are collage-type drawings and paintings. Many are based on her experiences as a soldier and what she witnessed in Afghanistan.

Passing on the lessons

As well as making her own art, Wiebe has recently started teaching an art program at the Military Family Resource Centre in Halifax. The volunteer-run program is targeted to ill and injured soldiers and their families.

Wiebe runs it herself.

"I've done a lot of self-reflection of how my artwork has helped me and how it's helped me express things that I have difficulty expressing through words and how much it has helped me in my recovery. I want to be able to share the gift that I've been given with other people."

Wiebe says her goal is to create a safe environment for soldiers and their families to express themselves through art.

She says creativity can help improve self-confidence and self-esteem.

The class has had only has three sessions, but Wiebe says there's a lot of interest in the program. 

It makes me feel physically lighter whether or not I'm painting a tree or a tank.- Carrie Houghton

Carrie Houghton, a military communicator who has been in the military since 1991, is a student.

Houghton suffers from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and depression.

She says she's been having a hard time being social lately. So when she heard about this art program, "something clicked... about maybe being happy when I was a child,  doing drawings or something to that effect."

Despite being nervous, Houghton signed up for her first class. Now she loves it. 

"I am so relaxed. I look forward to it. I look forward to my homework," she said. "I think I really like that."

Houghton says painting is helping her to write and have courage to do social activities.

"It makes me feel physically lighter whether or not I'm painting a tree or a tank," she said.

There are ten people in the class, but it's still growing.

The art class welcomes donations of art supplies.

They also have a Indiegogo campaign. The deadline for donating to that fund is Nov. 15.