Heroes Hall exhibition Through Their Eyes features work by local military artists

A new exhibition at Heroes Hall Museum, Through Their Eyes: Artwork by Active Military and Veterans showcasing the artwork of 24 local veterans and active U.S. service members, is on display now through January 20, 2022.

In this juried show, the artists have expressed their individual experiences through a variety of mediums including sculpture, photography, painting, carving and woodworking. Their subjects are as unique as the artists themselves and range from combat scenes to flowers, from landscapes to surreal portraits. Though their artwork varies by subject and individual perspective, one thing unifies them: They have all served in the U.S. Armed Forces.

Among the artists, the top winners were: First Place - Unlikely Path by David Vargo; Second Place - Hope by Giovanni Berdejo; and Third Place -Entrenchment by Ed Bowen from Corona del Mar.

Click on photo for a larger image

Photos courtesy of Orange County Fair & Event Center

“Unlikely Path” by David Vargo

–First Place: David Vargo for Unlikely Path. Vargo is an art professor at Laguna College of Art and Design, and has painted illustrations for companies like Blizzard Entertainment, Arch Enemy Comics, Lucasfilm and Wizards of the Coast. “My love of the mysterious combined with my passion for the figure has led to a long-term art affair with imaginative realism,” Vargo said.

Click on photo for a larger image

“Hope” by Giovanni Berdejo

–Second Place: Giovanni Berdejo for Hope. Berdejo is a photographer and author, and has taught photography workshops for student veterans at Chapman University.

Click on photo for a larger image

“Entrenchment” by Ed Bowen 

–Third Place: Ed Bowen for Entrenchment. Bowen is a Vietnam War veteran whose art is part of the Army’s war art collection and is displayed in various government facilities including the Pentagon and the Smithsonian.

Heroes Hall Museum is dedicated to honoring Orange County’s service members and providing a place where they can tell their stories. For this new exhibition, military service members have expressed their individual experiences through a variety of mediums including sculpture, photography, painting, carving and woodworking.

“It has been such a pleasure meeting the artists and hearing the stories behind their artwork,” said Carol Singleton, Heroes Hall Museum supervisor. “Several of the veterans in this show turned to art as a means to heal both emotional and physical wounds. We are privileged and honored to bring this extraordinary exhibit to the community.”

To learn more about the artists, go here.

Through Their Eyes was underwritten by the Heroes Hall Veterans Foundation. The judges were Dave Barton, Fatemeh Burnes and Denton Knapp.

Heroes Hall is open Wednesdays through Sundays from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. It is located at the Orange County Fair & Event Center, 88 Fair Drive, Costa Mesa.