Veterans’ Art in Central Florida

In 1917, upon America’s entry into World War I, J. André Smith, the founder of the Maitland Art Center (formerly known as Research Studio), enlisted in the Army Reserve and received officer’s training. He first served with a camouflage unit and then joined as the senior officer in a war art program, consisting of eight professional artists to document the activities of the American Expeditionary Force in France. Smith designed the Distinguished Service Cross, and after the war, he published In France with the American Expeditionary Forces, which included many of his wartime drawings.

Timed to coincide with the centenary of the end of the First World War on November 11th, Art & History Museums—Maitland presents two exhibitions. Veterans’ Art in Central Florida in the Maitland Art Center showcases Smith’s works that record his wartime experience. In addition, honoring his legacy as a veteran artist, it also exhibits arts and crafts by local veteran artists, such as William Gura and Jim Hosner, who served in the Vietnam War (1964—1975), and other recent wars. This exhibition provides an opportunity to take a look at the impact of war on the individuals as well as the various meanings of artmaking for these artists working in diverse media and styles. J. André Smith and Art of Camouflage in the Maitland History Museum provides an overview of André Smith’s experimentation of camouflage methods during World War I, with objects recreated to bring several of his ideas to life and to explore the intersection of art with the mechanics of war.

Credit: Exhibition overview from museum website