We are really proud of our annual tradition hosting an exhibit that focuses on the experiences of veterans. This is our fourth year at the helm of this show and, as has been the trend, interest continues to grow and the art gets more emotional and thought-provoking. The reception for the exhibit opens at 6:00 pm on November 23, 2019 with all the artists present and a really nice spread of food and drink to go along with the atmosphere. If you're coming here from our social media ad, you may be looking for a way to buy tickets. The event is free and open to the public, it's just that our social media ad platform implies there are tickets.

As always, the artists try to explore, express and honor the veteran experience before, during or after conflict. Subject matter often ranges from purely historical to far more personal themes that depict the experiences of veterans in the artist's family. I feel like I have to say this every year, but it is not our intent to make social or political commentary on international conflict or the military in general. For the individual soldier, those matters are the luxury of those far away from the conflict itself: "theirs not to make reply/theirs not to reason why/theirs but to do and die."

​The title of this year's show comes from the poem Horatius by Thomas Babington Macaulay. It was part of a series of poems called the Lays of Ancient Rome, which extolled great events from Roman history. In Horatius, the namesake hero and two companions defend the only bridge across the Tiber into Rome from an Etruscan army. Our title comes from the famous lines expressing their willingness to die in defense of their homeland:

Then out spake brave Horatius,

The Captain of the Gate:

"To every man upon this earth

Death cometh soon or late.

And how can man die better

Than facing fearful odds,

For the ashes of his fathers,

And the temples of his Gods.

The two men pictured here, both natives of nearby Coweta County, did just that.

I've said this before but I always assume that people want art to mean something or to have it resonate with them in some way. Well at this exhibit, I can almost guarantee you just such an experience. Please come join us.