Odyssey Veteran's Day Artist Talk

Witness the journey home from war

Hear Rochester photographers Chris Cilento and Michael Thaxton discuss their artistic process and their experience participating in The Odyssey Project. Program founder and photojournalist Brendan Bannon will also join us remotely.

Combat veterans’ struggles to reintegrate into society are largely misunderstood by their fellow citizens and rarely communicated by those immersed in the experience. Returning soldiers experience the culture shock of transitioning from a close-knit, self-sufficient collective to a society where people are often isolated from wider communities and personal gain can almost completely eclipse collective good.

Taking its title from the tale of Odysseus, this 12-week workshop series allows participating veterans to control their own narratives as they process difficult experiences. With challenging assignments centered around specific themes, participants create visual artworks that explore their shifting life roles and goals for the future.

Want to help bring The Odyssey Project to Rochester?

Please contribute to our 2024 Grow Now Appeal, and don't forget to designate your gift to the "Flower City Odyssey Project."

Generous support for this project, currently based in Buffalo, provided by

Josephine Herrick Project, William Talbott Hillman Foundation, The National Endowment for the Arts, M&T Bank, John R. Oishei Foundation, New York City Council’s Veterans Community Development Initiative through the Department of Youth and Community Development, the Phillip and Edith Leonian Foundation, and a Creative Forces Community Engagement Grant. Creative Forces Community Engagement Grants are part of the National Endowment for the Arts’ Creative Forces® initiative in partnership with Mid-America Arts Alliance. Cameras provided by Canon U.S.A. Host support from DCTV. Thank you to our program partners, the Harlem Vet Center, the Queens Vet Center, the Buffalo Vet Center, and Higher Ground.