Personal Projects by Veterans

Launched in August 2017, the Colorado Photographic Arts Center’s annual Veterans Workshop Series gives local military Veterans with a passion for photography access to advanced photographic education free of charge. Since we and our partners launched the program seven years ago, 60 local Veterans have graduated.   

Over the past six months, participants learned to refine technical skills, hone ideas into a body of work, create a portfolio, and write about their artistic practice. For the first time, Veterans attended the program in CPAC’s new facility at 1200 Lincoln Street and enjoyed the benefits of learning in a dedicated, state-of-the-art classroom. Their final projects will be shown to the community through an exhibition from January 12 – February 17, 2024. 

Each artist was asked to consider a personal project and to explore a narrative that goes beyond a single frame. The result is a broad range of subject matter, because each project is a deeply personal expression of the individual. For example, Cherie Sutton’s layered self-portraits explore her experience with aging combined with her multifaceted personality and lifestyle. Jason Alfaro’s portrait series of his friend Santos, a former Marine and Green Beret, underscores the transformative power of relationships, whether with the land, animals, or one another.  

As a mentor to the artists throughout this rigorous program, I have seen tremendous growth and development of each artist’s project. It has been an honor to work closely with them, hear their stories, and try to see the world through their eyes. 

– Samantha Johnston 

Executive Director & Curator, Colorado Photographic Arts Center