Creativity races into Indianapolis with arts festival

As the Indy cars speed into the Indy 500 to start practicing, there are also gold medal-winning performing artists, creative writers and visual artists heading to Indianapolis to show off their talents at the National Veterans Creative Arts Festival (NVCAF) May 11-18, 2025, hosted by the Richard L. Roudebush VA Medical Center in Indianapolis.

Co-presented by VA and the American Legion Auxiliary, the NVCAF is the culmination of VA facility competitions in art, creative writing, dance, drama and music for Veterans enrolled in the VA national health care system. At the festival, Veterans may exhibit their artwork and original writings or perform musical, dance or dramatic selections in a live stage show performance.

 All Veterans invited to participate are selected winners of a national creative arts competition in which nearly 4,000 Veterans entered their creative expressions in local competitions across 116 VA medical facilities. Judges reviewed over 6,500 submissions and awarded first, second and third place honors.

Creative arts therapists and other health care professionals at VA medical facilities nationwide use the arts as one form of rehabilitative treatment to help Veterans recover from and cope with physical and emotional disabilities.

“This year, 150 gold medal winning Veterans were invited to attend the festival,” said Amy Kimbler, NVCAF director. “This includes 75% first-time attendees and 30% women, which is amazing.”

During the week, the Veterans will engage in a variety of artistic workshops, participate in whole health and wellness events, and even an artistic and therapeutic experience at the Indy 500 track.

As Army Veteran Jerry Zabel expressed, “My paintings surround me with beauty and buoy up my emotional powers.”  

The power of creativity is evident throughout the week. The highlight is the stage show performance and the art and writing exhibition, both open to the public. For highlights of the NVCAF, follow Adaptive Sports and Arts – U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.