SOUTH BEND — Lisa Ducharme, mother of the founder of the True Top 1% Military Project, told Denis Burns the meanings behind the artworks Saturday morning in Union Station in South Bend that were created with a beer bottle technique that symbolized a way for their creators to heal from the horrors of war.

Her artist son, J.R. Ducharme of South Bend, worked with this painting technique during the coronavirus pandemic. The effort blossomed into a way for veterans to find therapeutic healing.

Viewpoint:Protecting veterans’ rights in our non-veteran era

The circular patterns on the paintings were just some of the many agencies, military groups and other things at the inaugural True Top 1% Military Exhibit at Union Station and Four Winds Field. The exhibit took place Saturday and will continue from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. today. Admission is free.

“We teach vets to use the beer bottle to change the direction, from a tool of suppression to a tool of expression,” Ducharme said. As the effort for the artwork grew, he said, veterans always have a duty to volunteer, and the exhibit was an outgrowth of that desire to volunteer to help others.

The exhibit features a variety of military vehicles, items from private military collectors, vendors with products and services, craft vendors, food trucks and a smash room.

The artwork also will be part of a silent auction.

For more information, visit https://truetop1percent.com.

This article originally appeared on South Bend Tribune: South Bend exhibit features art as mental health help for veterans