Veterans Celebrate the 'Art of Healing' in Sag Harbor

Bay Street Theater in Sag Harbor is currently exhibiting work by a trio of veterans with East End ties who have said making art has been instrumental in their healing following deployments overseas.

A well-known figure in the local art and military communities, and a Vietnam veteran who was in the military police, John Melillo was set to show a selection of large “abstract surrealism” works at Bay Street when he had a thought. “I said, wait a minute, this is Women’s History Month, why don’t we bring in a couple of women veterans that I know?”

Soon after, Melillo recruited his friends and fellow veteran artists Angelique Williams (Navy) and Lisha Terry (Coast Guard and Air Force), both of whom have struggled with PTSD since serving and found art to be therapeutic, like it was for Melillo who was suddenly besieged by painful flashbacks from Vietnam when he retired from working as a marketing executive nearly 50 years after the war was over.

“So we called it The Art of Healing, and I think it worked out very well,” Melillo said of the show that opened March 7 and will remain on view in the Bay Street Theater lobby (1 Bay Street) through April 13. “It really opened the door for these girls,” he added, pointing out that neither woman had exhibited before. “They came out of their shells,” Melillo said. “I mean, now they’re off and running — they’re going to have giclees made and prints made, and all kinds of stuff. I’m really happy to see this give them the opportunities and exposure. It was good to give back a little bit like that.”

“I was just thrilled and honored to be able to show my work alongside John, who is a longstanding member of the community and has deep roots here,” Williams said, explaining that Melillo painted her dog and others from Paws of War, a program she’s involved with that provides support dogs to veterans in need. As for her own work, the longtime Wainscott summer resident with family ties that go deep in the hamlet creates charcoal drawings, mixing expressive mark making and realism with spectacular results.

“It’s more than just creativity. It marks a personal mental health victory for me, because I came out on the other side of PTSD, which almost took my life,” Williams, who served in Kuwait, said, describing the importance of making art for her and how it is all about expressing her feelings and struggles. And now, showing her work has brought something new to her world. “It’s a new experience. Having been a part of the show has been an eye opener for me, learning about how to get my work out there.”

A veteran who also served in Kuwait, commander of the Westhampton American Legion post, and Westhampton native, Terry celebrated her experience showing for the first time with Melillo, who she met at the VFW and continued seeing at various events. “I went to John’s show and then exhibit in Southampton, and I couldn’t believe that he had the same job as me in Vietnam. It meant so much to me then, not only him being an artist and talking about veterans, but that he had the same job, military police. I retired as security forces, and I also went overseas as security forces,” she said.

Terry is showing five local scenes featuring frames made from driftwood and old furniture from her WWII veteran grandfather’s shop, adding an extra layer of meaning to the compositions within them. “That driftwood is from Rogers beach, and that’s my other therapy, walking on the beach. And sometimes I’ll collect stuff. I want to start doing some of my artwork with the things that I collect,” she said, noting that she’s also collected photographs from the recent Suffolk brush fires in order to create paintings based on them.

Frames also play a part in Williams’ work. “I chose to frame my artwork in shadow boxes, because, as a veteran, shadow boxes hold a deep meaning for me in the military. They’re often used to honor service members career, whether it’s displaying their medals and ribbons or holding a flag,” she explained, pointing out that, for her, the shadow boxes symbolize achievement and sacrifice.

The Art of Healing marks an important first step for the two women exhibiting, and it is yet another step in Melillo’s efforts to show his work and spread his message throughout the East End. “We want to not only present in galleries, we want to teach in galleries. We want to talk in galleries, tell stories about the East End and healing. So we’re commiserating with a couple of galleries now on that, and I know at least one of them is going to happen for the summer,” Melillo said, though he couldn’t announce specifics just yet.

Visit Bay Street Theater in Sag Harbor, baystreet.org, to see The Art of Healing and explore the work of these three veteran artists.