Daniel King, an Air Force veteran and lens-based artist who once concealed his military service for a decade, is serving as juror for the 2025 Ohio Veterans and Military Art Exhibition at the Ohio Arts Council's Riffe Gallery in Columbus. The show features 37 works by 23 artists, selected by King to highlight the complex, often overlooked stories veterans tell through creative expression. King, who leads workshops through the Central Ohio VA Medical Center's veteran artist initiative, uses photography and proto-photographic techniques like cyanotypes and pinhole cameras in his own practice.
The exhibition matters because it reframes veteran identity beyond traditional military narratives, giving veterans permission to express nuanced experiences and emotions through art. King's personal journey—from hiding his veteran status to publicly championing veteran artists—underscores the therapeutic and humanizing power of creative freedom. The show, on view through December 6, is part of a broader effort to integrate art into veterans' whole health programs, demonstrating how visual art can serve as a tool for healing and community connection.