Vietnam Veteran Uses Art to Heal, Survive

-Exhibition on view in Sheboygan, Wis. tells 15 American stories-

SHEBOYGAN, Wis., June 25 /PRNewswire/ -- On the night of February 27, 1969, American soldier Gregory Van Maanen was shot and left for dead in the fields of Vietnam. His night patrol mission through a Vietcong stronghold had left many of his fellow soldiers dead. After being rescued the next day, he spent months recovering in Japan. He returned to New Jersey and became one of the countless American soldiers forever impacted by the horrors of war.

Although he was lucky to be alive, living through war is not the same as surviving. Signs of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder began to plague him. Unable to keep his mind at ease, Van Maanen turned to art as a way of letting the demons out of his head. His image-making became a medicinal form of both journal and therapy.

In the following decades, Van Maanen restlessly traveled, finally settling back in New Jersey, in a loft apartment near the Great Falls of the Passaic River. The place became art studio, bunker and cocoon that Van Maanen filled with altars, symbols, and some 4,000 paintings and sculptures.

In 2007, Van Maanen married and left the space that had offered him protection for so long. With his wife, he moved to Rochester, N.Y., where he continues to paint daily on boards, stones and other oddments as a way to process his experiences and maintain a sense of balance between mind, body and soul.

Van Maanen's art is featured in the John Michael Kohler Arts Center's American Story exhibition on view June 21-December 30, 2009. The exhibition explores the diversity of America through 15 powerful artists who tell stories about American life in huge installations, paintings, sculptures, folk carvings and textiles. Together, their art illuminates the American experience and demonstrates that each person makes a unique contribution to a shared American story.

Established in 1967, the John Michael Kohler Arts Center is a nationally acclaimed visual and performing arts complex in downtown Sheboygan, one hour north of Milwaukee. Admission to the Arts Center is always free, making it a great destination for travelers and families. For additional information, call 920-458-6144 or visit www.jmkac.org.