A new awareness campaign debuted February 25th in the State Capitol Rotunda and honors Women Veterans. More than 29,000 Women Veterans call Minnesota home, but they often feel unnoticed, unappreciated… invisible. They decided to change that last fall by launching the beginning of “I Am Not Invisible,” an awareness campaign designed to honor our Women Veterans and educate the public about some of the unique challenges Women Veterans face when they come back from their service. Now they have unveiled the campaign to the public, with a portrait exhibit featuring 33 of Minnesota’s Women Veterans and a multimedia PSA campaign. 

“I Am Not Invisible” is a collaborative project led by Ars Bellum (Arts of War), which provides evidence-based art therapy programs for Veterans with PTSD in small groups around the state. They are joined by the Women Veterans Initiative, the Minnesota VFW Charitable Association, the Minnesota Department of Veterans Affairs, and 23rd Veteran - a Duluth-based nonprofit that provides 14 week transition programs for Veterans to live more happy and successful lives in the civilian world. 

The campaign gained traction as soon as it was announced last October. Almost twice as many Veterans turned out for the portrait session as the organizers expected, which made the exhibit bigger. Requests to show the exhibit started coming in from all over the state. A tour is now planned to bring the exhibit to the rest of Minnesota over the next few months. Minnesotans do have a deep respect and appreciation for our Veterans – men and women. Now we have an opportunity to bring out that support and connect with Women Veterans to give them the practical help and recognition they deserve.

Photos from the event >>