The National Veterans Art Museum (NVAM) was officially established on Oct 12, 1986. It was created by several emerging veteran artists and volunteers of the Vietnam Veterans Art Group (VVAG) that had been exhibiting veteran artwork beginning in 1979. The VVAG’s original founding members included Sondra Varco, Rick Aztlan, Joe Fornelli, Ned Broderick and Richard Hackett with later contributions from Mike Helbing, Jim Moore, Neal Pollack and many more.

"This art touches everyone who sees it," said Joe Fornelli, former VVAG member and veteran-artist. "Vets bring their families to say 'This is what I can't tell you.' I've seen non-veteran artists and art students talk about the sources of creativity and expression. Vietnamese families have come to see a part of their history and what they left behind."

At the time, traditional galleries and museums were unwilling to exhibit art about the Vietnam War that was considered controversial. However, the VVAG worked with a local gallery space to host a temporary exhibit. 

This first VVAG show, Vietnam: Reflexes and Reflections, which opened in the fall of 1981 received 150 visitors a day. The artwork was critically acclaimed, drawing thousands of visitors to the gallery. This included its keystone installation, Above and Beyond, the only art work outside of the Vietnam War Memorial in Washington, D.C.,l that represented all the lives the US lost. With this popularity, the VVAG was invited to bring its collection to other cities as a traveling exhibition.

Each time the exhibition was shown in a new city, additional artists were found and the collection grew. 

After the positive public reception of the first exhibition, the City of Chicago under the administration of Mayor Richard M. Daley, donated a warehouse to NVAM which became the initial home of the museum and its growing collection.

NVAM sold the original building back to the City in the spring of 2012. The museum opened its doors on November 11, 2012 at its current home at 4041 North Milwaukee Ave, Chicago’s historic Six Corners neighborhood.

This new location could not permit the installation of the Above and Beyond exhibition which is on loan to the Chicago Public Library and houses the 58,307 dog tags on the third floor of the Harold Washington Library Center.

The initial VVAG collection of over 700 works of art created by veteran artists from the Vietnam War now has a permanent collection of more than 2,000 works from artists that have served in WWII, Korea, the Gulf War and the Global War on Terror. The artists live across the United States as well as Australia, Cambodia, Hungary, Thailand, North and South Vietnam.

In addition to paintings, drawings, photography and sculpture, the museum connects works of literature from writers who served in the military like Kurt Vonnegut and Tim O’Brien to interactive exhibitions where visitors are encouraged to engage with the ideas and concepts that they learn about.

The artwork that makes up NVAM’s permanent collection has now been exhibited in 15 states at 54 individual shows and several overseas exhibitions with a broad appeal of visitors ranging from 31 countries and 46 states and continues to grow.

We are grateful for the founding members of the VVAG for having the tenacity to make dreams and vision a reality.