The “Proud to Be An American” art exhibit lead the charge with a variety of vibrant, patriotic works from local artists, helping to raise $1,000 for the Wounded Warriors Project.

The exhibit is on display in The Gallery on the Lower Bucks campus from Sept. 8 through Nov. 20.

“I’m pleased to report that between the artist entrance fees, a raffle held at the reception on Sept. 12 and a donation from the Lower Bucks campus arm of the Veterans Club, we were able to donate $1000.00 to the Wounded Warriors Project to assist our veterans who have proudly and heroically served our country,” said James Sell, Executive Director of Lower Bucks campus.

The Wounded Warrior Project is a nonprofit organization that helps wounded U.S. military veterans and their families.

Receiving an unprecedented 90+ entries for the first exhibition of the 14-15 academic year, James Sell showed great exuberance for the opening of “Proud to Be An American”.

“We had to extend the gallery walls down another hallway to accommodate the amount of art we have received for Proud To Be An American,” said Sell.

Sell and his colleagues felt the greatest challenge for this exhibit would be getting enough “diverse interpretation of the [patriotic] theme,” from the local artists.

“Our fears were relieved as the artists really have outdone themselves with the pieces we received – making it a truly unique and remarkable visual experience,” explained Sell.

The myriad of artistic endeavors, which fill the walls of The Gallery, captured moments of victory, loss, patriotic duty, as well as the darker side of modern warfare.

Looking at a piece made from World War II newspaper clippings and vintage photographs of heroes standing with their wives and girlfriends after the end of the war filled one’s chest with pride.

“You really get a patriotic feel when you look at these paintings” said Alfredo Ramos, 20, Lower Bucks nursing major.

Not all of the pieces were celebrations of victory, however. Some paid homage to fallen heroes. One photo, a navy sailor presenting flowers to a mother at her fallen son’s funeral, demonstrated the compassion and brotherhood between the military personnel.

“It makes you feel proud as an American, but also a little sad,” said Andrew Movsovich, 20, music major.

Other pieces captured the pride and heroism of local veterans whose tours of duty ranged from the Korean War to Desert Storm while others capture a darker side to America’s modern conflicts.

Towards the end of the exhibit, many modern pieces of art presented the countless conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan, displaying quotes such as “I never want to return” and “I’m afraid to go home, because they may force me back.”

One of the many artists whose work is on display is local representational artist, Gloria Young Smith. Starting in the medical field, Smith worked at Mercy Hospital in Rockville Center, N.Y. where she dedicated more than 10 years in the field, afterwards beginning freelance work with her art.

Smith has contributed many works towards the art community and teaches art to others who are equally motivated. She also continues to expand in her craft and it is clear how greatly the talent is transferred from brush to canvas on the display.

“In addition to individual artists, we have a lot of participation from artists groups such as the Artists of Bristol on the Delaware, Artsbridge, Artists of Yardley and the New Hope Art League.

So we get folks coming from all over lower Bucks County and beyond,” said Sell.

There were no works of art submitted for this exhibit by Bucks students according to Sell but some have in the past and he encourages students to contribute to future exhibits.

“The entrance fee is $10.00 and all art prospectuses are available on our web site. We’d love to see more student participation,” said Sell.