A salute to the arts

This summer, residents are invited to honor our nation’s heroes while also supporting the arts. On July 11,  Artists Incorporated will host a fundraising event featuring live music, food and the chance to buy unique art, with proceeds benefiting veterans and their families.

“A portion of proceeds from all sales will go to Wounded Warriors,” Artists Incorporated Gallery Director Mary Jean Henke said. “Sales on Saturday will also be included. We’ll also have a red bucket on the desk for donations from customers and artists who don’t purchase anything.”

The Wounded Warrior Project serves veterans and service members who incurred a physical or mental injury, illness or wound, as well as their families. The organization offers a variety of programs, services and events for wounded veterans.

“Wounded Warrior Project is one of the most worthwhile causes I can think of,” Henke said. “Because these men and women have given so very much for our country and for us as individuals, I feel we should try to do everything we can to try to repay them and say, ‘Thanks for your service.’”

Two Birmingham artists whose works are featured at the gallery are also veterans who incorporated art during their terms of service.

Artist Jerome Vason is one of the main coordinators of the Wounded Warriors fundraiser. After college, Vason joined the U.S. Army and remained in service for 22 years. Throughout his military career he maintained his art skills by painting murals and completing artwork at various duty assignments.

“In 1980, as soon as I got off the plane for basic training I remember being asked, ‘Who in this group can paint and draw?’” Vason said. “I immediately raised my hand. I was always being asked to do things and expressed myself through art through the time I was in the military.”

After retiring from the Army, Vason returned to Birmingham. Artists Incorporated was the first gallery he visited, and he is now a board member there. Vason works out of his studio in Alabaster and travels to various art shows across the Southeast showcasing his work, which is primarily painting with oil, charcoal, acrylic and ink. 

“I make sure to tell people this is not a hobby for me, it’s a job,” Vason said.

Sculptor Calvin Macon was born and raised in Birmingham. Macon joined the U.S. Navy in 1975 and retired in 1999. Initially, he carved small wooden abstracts, decorative coffee coasters, ornate pipe holders and other unique items for shipmates. He was introduced to stone carving in 1997 while stationed in Yokosuka, Japan. He is working on a special wood panel with a flag depicting an eagle to be displayed at the fundraising event.

“I really wanted to make sure I got it just right,” Macon said. “I want to honor these people that have served.”

Artists Incorporated Gallery, also known as the “Little Red Barn,” has been in Vestavia Hills for 15 years. The gallery displays the work of 50 local artists and aims to foster an appreciation of a variety of art mediums in the community.

For more about the gallery, visit artistsincorporated.com. For more about the Wounded Warrior Project, visit woundedwarriorproject.com.