On May 17th, Armed Forces Day, veterans traveled to Richmond, VA to use a hand-built ballista to launch physical symbols of their military service into a clay wall that will later be cast and become a tribute to veterans. The Veterans Impact Project made its debut at the Dominion Riverrock Festival. A collaborative project between Art on Wheels and artist James Robertson, it is the first art project of its kind to enable veterans to honor the military and to give them a platform to communicate their experiences.

“Giving men and women with physical and emotional wounds from combat the ability to communicate with each other and a greater audience will hopefully be the veterans’ chance to ‘hit back’ in a way that is constructive and creative, acknowledging the struggles they face in a lasting way that communicates the complexity of their challenges, while empowering them to take action," says James Robertson.

Robertson is a sculptor and mason based in Richmond. Art on Wheels is a nonprofit organization which aims to bring therapeutic art education to communities that do not have access to the arts. The Veterans Impact Project will tour the state for the coming year.

For more information for Art on Wheels, visit their website.