Duggal Big Picture Foundation is honored to sponsor the opening reception of From There to Here: Military Veterans Experiences , a veteran-curated exhibit of military veterans art and words which will be presented at the historic Salmagundi Club in Manhattan, New York on Wednesday, February 12th from 6:30-8:15 PM. Hosted in the Patron Gallery, the exhibition is part of the Salmagundi Club s continuous open dialogue with the military community. The reception will feature select poetry readings from NYC-area veterans, as well as a dance performance by Exit12, an outstanding NYC-based veteran dance company. 
Omar Columbus with his photograph New Yawk State of Mind from from “Figuratively Speaking”: An Exhibition of Portraiture & Figurative Art./caption Duggal s own Omar Columbus, a U.S. Air Force veteran and NYC-based photographer and poet, partnered with the Salmagundi Club to curate an exhibition intended to encourage a empathic conversation within and between the military and civilian communities. An active advocate and participant in veterans arts initiatives, Columbus assembled a wide collection of veteran art from both the local NYC-area and nationwide, from all branches of the U.S. Armed Forces, and their experiences ranging from World War II through the present conflicts. Omar is also in charge of Duggal Big Picture veteran’s initiatives including Operations Care Package, as well as Operation Goodness. Omar recently completed Operation Cookie Drop a company wide drive to collect Girl Scout cookies for our troops serving abroad. With each box of cookies sent, we get to share a taste of home with our servicemen and women on the front lines. Duggal Big Picture raised a whopping $1,192 or 238 boxes of Girl Scout Cookie goodness for our troops! SCNY s President Elizabeth Spencer shares, Many veterans and their family members want to tell their stories, but those conversations can be difficult to start. Often, art can be a starting place to communicate with others. This exhibit is a logical extension of our years-long successful sponsorship of the Coast Guard Art Program (COGAP). That program has involved many of our artist members in capturing the U.S. Coast Guard s service, activities and history. 
Paul Bouchard, “Missing Peace #10” (top)
Edward Santos, “Breaking Free” (middle left)
Thomas Morrissey, “From Both Sides” (middle right)
Cynthia DiDonato, “Night Rescue” (bottom)/caption The exhibit is open free of charge to the public from February 10 through February 21, 2020. The gallery hours are Monday through Friday 1 6 PM, Saturday and Sunday 1 5PM.
