WKU Military Student Services hosted Veteran Art Nite in partnership with the WKU Counseling Center as a way to build community among military students and provide them with a chance to destress and learn new art skills. 

Mariya Fye, staff counselor for the WKU Counseling Center, organized the event to offer military students a chance to show artistic expression and experience the benefits that art can have on stress management and mental health on Oct. 25. 

Fye, who has a bachelor in fine arts with a minor in art therapy, is passionate about helping others manage stress through art, and she hopes this type of event will be recurring in the future. 

“I believe that art making stimulates our brain to produce serotonin and dopamine, and those are the neurotransmitters that help us stay in a positive mood,” Fye said. “It is something I do for myself, and I find it very stress relieving.”

With the support of Veteran Student Success Coordinator Suzanne Thomas and Military Student Service Director Kent Johson, Fye instructed those in attendance on how to create an abstract fluid acrylic art canvas. 

According to Fye, this art style is easy for beginners to catch on to since it requires mixing and pouring paint onto canvases. 

Arts for Vets sponsored the event, and all art supplies were provided, Fye said. 

Events like these are important for military students because they allow them a break from work and are good for mental health, according to Johnson. This is the first art event held so far, but Military Student Services is looking forward to similar events. 

“We want to build a community with our veteran students,” Thomas said. “This is a new event, but we are trying to do more events like this in the future.”

News Reporter Madison Carter can be reached at [email protected]