Manhattan College Presents The Experiencing Veterans and Artists Collaboration Gallery at Flatiron Building, previously at O’Malley Library earlier in 2019
Kirsten Battocchio ’18, recent Manhattan College alumni who served in the armed forces.
New York, NY – Experiencing Veterans and Artists Collaboration (EVAC), an art project that was displayed at Manhattan College’s O’Malley Library in the spring 2019, has moved to a pop-up space in midtown Manhattan’s Flatiron Building.
The EVAC exhibit includes visual presentations and accompanying narratives such as those of a World War II Marine who fought in Okinawa, Japan; a Gold Star mother, and a post-9/11 82nd Airborne veteran who served multiple tours as part of Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Two recent Manhattan College alumni who served in the armed forces – Kirsten Battocchio ’18 and Michael Giraldo ’19 – also have their stories told through the EVAC art gallery.
In addition to these stories, Manhattan College is presenting its history of supporting our military through images of veteran alumni. This display includes the discharge papers of a Manhattan College Civil War veteran, a letter written from a prisoner of war in a German camp to a Lasallian Christian Brother, images of men who served in Vietnam, and the men and women who have participated in the Air Force ROTC program on Manhattan’s campus. Brothers Thomas Scanlan and Philip Nealan are also featured.
The EVAC gallery gives a glimpse into real people’s lived experiences and creates a space for the audience that invites genuine understanding and engagement. Through storytelling and interpretation, the project promotes empathy from multiple groups – the artist and audience for the veteran’s experience, and the veteran for the artist’s realization of their stories.
Participating veterans include service members from World War II through the present, including all five branches of the military. The participating artists are professionals from 23 states and one country outside of the United States. They use a variety of printmaking techniques from etching to serigraphy.
This gallery has been made possible by the following sponsors: Flatiron 23rd Street Partnership, GFP Real Estate and the Steven & Alexandra Cohen Foundation. Br. Ralph Bucci has been keenly instrumental in putting together this exhibit, along with Ms. Amy Surak, Mr. Steve Kaplan, and Ms. Tiana Sloan.
The gallery is located in the Flatiron Building at 949 Broadway at 23rd Street. It will be open from Veterans Day through the end of 2019, closed on Tuesdays and holidays.
From Spectrum News 1 NY – by Michael Herzenberg
Sacrifice and service are on display in the Flatiron Building, from a mother learning her son was killed in action to a female Marine, or rather a Marine who happens to be a female.
“I just wanted to be seen as a Marine. I wanted to be seen as a sergeant,” said former Marine Sergeant Kirsten Battocchio.
Battocchio served for five years on embassy duty in several countries and says women in the Marine Corps have additional challenges.
“You want to be liked because you want to have that camaraderie and also you don’t want to be liked too much because you want to have that respect,” explained Battocchio.
After she left the Marines, Battocchio enrolled in Manhattan College and was asked to record her story for an artist to interpret.
“It was just so, so very important to her that she not be viewed through the lens of woman Marine, but rather that she just be viewed through the lens of Marine, period. I think that is representative of what we’re all working towards,” said Printmaker Emily Sullivan Smith.
Smith is an assistant professor at the University of Dayton and was asked to participate in what’s called the Experiencing Veterans and Artists Collaborations, or EVAC project, which was started a few years ago in Ohio.
“I did something that I hoped she would be proud of and that she would feel represented by,” said Smith.
“It tells stories of our conflicts, our wars, from the ground up, not the top down, not from the politicians, not from the generals, but form the men and women who have served,” Manhattan College Professor of Religious Studies Stephen Kaplan told NY1.
Kaplan says he got involved in the project because it flows with the program he created to help veterans assimilate into school and society, something which helped Battocchio, who is now a grad student at Georgetown University and a legislative policy analyst for the government.
“It needs to be a mutual effort — both parties, the veteran community and civilian community — because I think there’s a lot to learn from both,” said Battocchio.
The exhibit is open six days a week at the Flatiron building through the New Year, and it’s free.
You can also visit the Flatiron 23rd Street Partnership website >
Gallery Hours are November 20, 2019 – January 5, 2020
Sunday 11am-4pm
Monday 11am-7pm
Tuesday CLOSED
Wednesday 11am – 7pm
Thursday 11am – 6pm
Friday 11am – 6pm
Saturday 11am – 4pm