TAMPA, Fla. — U.S. Military veterans and their families star in a new photography exhibition at USF Tampa's Contemporary Art Museum.
Opening today, "Breaking Barriers: Through Our Lens" pairs professional artists with amateur photographers in order to give voice and creative outlets to men and women who sometimes struggle to express themselves.
The photos are both colorful and bleak, whimsical and moving.
"One of my fellow veterans stated it the best: This program gave him a voice when sometimes he didn't have the words," said Augie Collazo Jr., a Navy and Marine veteran and one of the stars of the show. "It gives us the ability to say what we want, say what we mean."
The free workshops, which focused on both technical and narrative elements, were taught by professional artists Selina Roman and Christian Cortes.
Sixteen military veterans and their families participated in the program, in which the amateur photographers used the cameras on their phones.
"Breaking Barriers: Through Our Lens" is free to the public. For more on the USF Contemporary Art Museum, go here.
