The 2026 Veteran Art Triennial, titled Resisting the Long Wars, spreads across four Chicago exhibitions. Organizers describe the work as artists’ creative defiance of war and militarism, made by communities affected by war.

The shows

Creative Rebellion is the featured exhibition, at the Chicago Cultural Center from Oct. 2, 2026 to Mar. 7, 2027. It works in fiber, metal, mixed media, paper and wood. Two works are named in the listing: Gregory Rick’s painting From Manila to Baghdad (2023) and Dress Blues (2025), a sculpture by Navy veteran Charlie Reynolds.

Shifting Horizons is at Hyde Park Art Center from Oct. 24. It considers land, migration and decolonization, and draws on thinkers including Frantz Fanon and Harsha Walia to ask how borders shape lived experience. Its curators are Aaron Hughes, Mohamed Mehdi, Meranda Roberts and Amber Zora.

Freedom Fighters is also at the Cultural Center, and War Abolition is at Walls Turned Sideways, opening Oct. 29 and running to Feb. 25, 2027.

Summit weekend
Each exhibition holds a reception during the Veteran Art Summit: Shifting Horizons on Nov. 6, War Abolition on Nov. 7, and Creative Rebellion and Freedom Fighters on Nov. 8.

Why it matters
Most veteran arts coverage this year has centered on recovery and wellness. This is a different frame. The Triennial is presented through Handwork 2026, organized by Craft in America, with partners that include the Smithsonian American Art Museum, PBS and the American Craft Council. That puts veteran art in a national craft and museum conversation, not only a VA program calendar.

References

• Handwork 2026, “Creative Rebellion: Resisting the Long War, the 2026 Veteran Art Triennial.” https://www.handwork2026.org/event/creative-rebellion-resisting-the-long-war-the-2026-veteran-art-triennial/
• Chicago Gallery News, “Veteran Art Triennial: Resisting the Long Wars, Shifting Horizons.” https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/events/veteran-art-triennial-resisting-the-long-wars-shifting-horizons