The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), in partnership with Mid-America Arts Alliance, has awarded funding to forty-eight organizations conducting community-based arts projects aimed at addressing the experiences, challenges, and strengths of military communities.
Among these 2025 Creative Forces® Community Engagement grant recipients is Gage Williams, Professor in the University of Utah Department of Theatre, who received $10,000 to benefit his project "Women War Nurses: A Community of Healing."
"Women War Nurses: A Community of Healing" is a theatre-based project addressing the physical and emotional toll on women veteran nurses, particularly those in combat zones. While combat stories are commonly told, the experiences of these nurses are often overlooked. This initiative, supported by the NEA and Department of Defense, will use structured workshops led by theatre professionals and a licensed therapist to help Utah-based veteran nurses develop and perform a staged reading of their narratives.
The goals include promoting healing through creative expression, building a supportive community, increasing emotional resilience, and raising public awareness of women veterans' contributions. The final product will be a public performance at the University of Utah and possibly other venues.
"I am deeply grateful to the NEA and the University of Utah for their generous support of this project," Williams said. "The arts serve as a powerful means of expressing the human experience, and theatre, in particular, holds up a mirror that allows us to see ourselves through the stories it tells. The courageous experiences of these veterans will resonate deeply with all of us. My team and I are committed to honoring their service by creating a meaningful work that supports healing, resilience, and connection for veterans and their families."