Logo for CAVARTS featuring two stylized human figures and the text "CAVARTS" and "Challenge America Veteran Arts Community" in blue.

Created by Veterans, for Veterans, the Challenge America Veteran Arts Community (CAVARTS) is the result of a rich collaboration between Challenge America and The HeartStrings Foundation. CAVARTS represents the culmination of a five year commitment to build an inclusive community that brings together Veterans of various backgrounds who support one another as they connect, learn, and grow through the arts.

In addition to Challenge America programming opportunities, further virtual programming and content are offered through the support of our Community Partner organizations, including Guitars 4 Vets, The Writer’s Garret, Veteran podcasters, and Tandy Leather.

Discover a creative community of Veterans driven by a shared passion for the Arts 🎭

Join CAVARTS today

About CAVARTS

With more than 10,100 Veteran members, CAVARTS is a safe and supportive community where Veterans can leverage their creativity and the power of the arts to foster renewed purpose and meaningful connection. Through creative arts workshops, meaningful curated content, and community partnerships, CAVARTS empowers current and former service members to to express their stories through art, uplift fellow artists, and expand their creative practice.

Within this safe and supportive community, Veterans use the arts as a pathway to renewed purpose and belonging. Through life’s highs and lows, CAVARTS stands together - offering encouragement in times of hardship, celebrating achievements, honoring shared experiences, and connecting through a shared passion for the arts.

Support CAVARTS

Artist: Gary "KOG" Walker, U.S. Air Force Veteran

Painting depicting three silhouetted figures holding flags in front of a blue curtain. The flags represent various branches of the U.S. military, including the Navy, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard, among others.

Artist: Stephanie Meckler, U.S. Navy Veteran

A soldier in camouflage uniform with the American flag in the background, opening his jacket with a confident expression.

Artist: John Katerberg, U.S. Army Veteran

CAVARTS Workshops & Events

CAVARTS offers a wide range of creative arts experiences, including leathercraft, songwriting, creative writing, podcasting, therapeutic music and visual arts workshops, concerts featuring Challenge America Songwriters, and follow-up opportunities for Music Therapy Retreat participants who wish to continue their guitar journey and creative development. In addition to Challenge America programming opportunities, further virtual programming and content are offered through the support of our Community Partner organizations, including Guitars 4 Vets, The Writer’s Garret, Veteran podcasters, and Tandy Leather.

Impact

  • Icon representing a network of connected users or people on a blue background.

    10,100+ Members

  • Illustration of a jigsaw puzzle with twelve pieces, each featuring a diverse cartoon portrait of a smiling person with different hairstyles and skin tones, set against a dark blue background.

    32 Countries

  • Outline map of the United States with state boundaries, no labels or colors.

    Every U.S. State

  • An easel with a canvas displaying abstract red and blue brushstrokes, with three paintbrushes in a blue container and two small jars of paint on a white surface against a dark blue background.

    162 Workshops & Events in 2025

  • "I appreciate that there is a place that I can hang out once in a while with like minded people."

    —CAVARTS Member

  • "So much to see and share here, as you will see. No borders!"

    —CAVARTS Member

  • "Music has been my saving grace. I find comfort and happiness when I am playing my guitar with others. I hope to meet people that are close to my location to just simply jam out once in a while."

    —CAVARTS Member

  • "CAVARTS is a safe place to express myself."

    —CAVARTS Member

  • "CAVARTS gives me something to look forward to for a creative side I don't explore enough. It helps me get motivated to do other things on my own."

    —CAVARTS Member

  • "The CAVARTS postings, pictures, craft work of all kinds is very up lifting for me. I can relate to a lot of the comments and stories members share and they help keep me focused."

    —CAVARTS Member

  • "CAVARTS gives me an outlet in which I can do something creative at the same time I am learning something new."

    —CAVARTS Member

  • "CAVARTS helps me connect with other Veterans, along with learning something new to battle isolation and anger through arts."

    —CAVARTS Member

  • "CAVARTS has provided me a safe place to engage my mind with other Veterans and active duty military personnel that endure some of the same challenges I face in life. Together, we support each other as we go about our daily lives, which is very encouraging, to say the least."

    —CAVARTS Member

  • "CAVARTS has helped me live a fuller more meaningful life. Living in a rural community brings many challenges in itself, and CAVARTS fulfills many things lacking in a rural setting."

    —CAVARTS Member

  • "CAVARTS has helped me with learning to play the guitar and heal from the daily stress of taking care of my mom with dementia."

    —CAVARTS Member

  • "I have always wanted to play the guitar and having the Guitars4Vets page within the Cavarts community is so helpful and encouraging in keeping myself and all vets within the G4V page to play and practice, daily."

    —CAVARTS Member

  • "CAVARTS gives me a sense of belonging to a group. I can share my art work with other artists."

    —CAVARTS Member

  • "CAVARTS is a source of growth and a way to become a better person."

    —CAVARTS Member

  • "I now look forward to reading and interacting in the chat section in CAVARTS to not only talk about things in my head, but to get positive feedback from other Veterans and staff from CAVARTS."

    —CAVARTS Member

  • "CAVARTS is a community of Veterans that know what it feels like to return to the civilian world and the struggles associated with returning."

    —CAVARTS Member

  • "CAVARTS gives us an outlet to expand our own creativity through the different art mediums, including playing the guitar."

    —CAVARTS Member

  • "CAVARTS is free, easy to access, and full of different ways to find your niche."

    —CAVARTS Member

  • "CAVARTS reminds me that people do care about me and that this is another format to learn to live with PTSD."

    —CAVARTS Member

  • "I like the positivity the members give each other. Members are also willing to help others thru encouragement and advice."

    —CAVARTS Member

  • "The staff they truly cares about those they serve. It shows in everything they do!"

    —CAVARTS Member

  • "I feel safe here, and I love the way I am treated here."

    —CAVARTS Member

  • "The CAVARTS community is a group I can relate to. We are all Veterans and we have talents that can be showcased here."

    —CAVARTS Member

  • "I recommend CAVARTS to others because it is such a great place to connect with fellow Veterans while encouraging us to express ourselves creatively."

    —CAVARTS Member

  • "No better place to be....hands down!

    —CAVARTS Member

  • "CAVARTS inspired me to take a chance on experiencing something positive and to express, learn and voice my thoughts."

    —CAVARTS Member

  • "The CAVARTS Writer’s Garret Workshops tune into the power of our authentic voices as a means of encouraging creative self-expression and healthy communication with others."

    —CAVARTS Member

  • "Everything I've signed up for has been a positive, enriching experience, allowing a welcome outlet for me creatively, including the ability to share it with others, inviting non-judgmental feedback for growth."

    —CAVARTS Member

  • "CAVARTS has provided real life insights for me, a structure which includes receiving enlightenment to opportunities, or story lines, angles suggested either by workshop facilitators or other Veterans."

    —CAVARTS Member

Artist: Sariah A Gaunt, U.S. Army Veteran

A mural featuring diverse American workers and heroes, including healthcare professionals, first responders, military personnel on horseback, and patriotic symbols like the American flag, the Statue of Liberty, and the Liberty Bell.

Artist: Jason Turner, U.S. Army Veteran

A night scene of fireworks over a lake with a house, trees, and people enjoying the celebration.

Artist: Don Engler, U.S. Army Veteran

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CAVARTS Spotlight

Featuring interview-style stories and artwork from members of the CAVARTS Community.

Challenge America . Challenge America .

March, 2026 CAVARTS Spotlight Feature #1: Anthony Malherek

U.S. Air Force Veteran Anthony combines his love of the outdoors with photography and music, often bringing his camera along on fly-fishing trips across mid-Missouri. His photograph Bennett Bridge, taken at Bennett Springs State Park, captures one of his favorite fishing spots and reflects his long-standing fascination with bridges and natural landscapes.

Photography offers him a way to focus, slow down, and support his mental health through careful attention to detail. Through CAVARTS, he enjoys sharing his work, trying new creative challenges, and encouraging fellow Veterans to step outside their comfort zones.

Read More
Challenge America . Challenge America .

February, 2026 CAVARTS Spotlight Feature #2: William Dawson

Navy Veteran and re-emerging artist, William uses art as a form of self-therapy and personal rediscovery. Their stoneware piece, Vessel in Garden, reflects themes of vulnerability and resilience—something fragile placed within a space meant for growth.

Time in the studio provides a way to explore the subconscious and reconnect with creativity. Through CAVARTS, they hope to build community with fellow Veteran artists and encourage others with one simple message: perseverance.

Read More
Challenge America . Challenge America .

February, 2026 CAVARTS Spotlight Feature #1: Melinda Russell

A medically retired Army Chaplain who also served in the Coast Guard, this Montana-based Veteran has found healing and purpose through writing and music. Married for over 29 years with two grown children, she draws deep inspiration from her late service dog, Willow, whose companionship changed her life.

Her free-form poem The Amazing Life of a Service Dog honors Willow after her battle with brain cancer and reflects the profound bond they shared. Through writing, she transforms personal pain into connection, using creativity as a powerful outlet for healing and hope.

Read More
Challenge America . Challenge America .

January, 2026 CAVARTS Spotlight Feature #2: Peter Danchise

Army Veteran Peter served with the 199th Infantry in Vietnam from 1969–1970, spending ten months walking point before later being assigned to Fort Collins, Colorado.

Today, he navigates the daily challenges of PTSD, depression, and anxiety, and has found painting to be a powerful outlet for healing. Through acrylic abstract works like Global Warming, he uses art as a calm space to process emotions and reflect on issues that affect us all. Inspired by nature and constant exploration, he credits art with helping him cope and move forward. 🎨

Read More

CAVARTS Community Partners

By working closely with our community, we create more pathways to support Veterans. Our Community Partners provide donated materials for workshops, facilitate workshops, meaningful programming, competitions, and collaborative events that strengthen connections and foster shared experiences.

Our CAVARTS Community Partners include:

A logo with a red guitar pick shape forming a heart, connected to a red guitar headstock, with black cursive text saying 'HeartStrings'.
Logo for Guitars 4 Vets with a stylized guitar and arrow, black background, white text.
Tandy Leather logo with the words 'Tandy Leather' in stylized font, established in 1919.
A logo with a blue background, featuring a dark blue ink blot with a yellow fountain pen nib inside it, and the text 'The Writer's Garret' written in blue cursive font.
A fierce eagle with a face mask of the American flag, surrounded by the words 'H OMEFRONT STREET' in red, stylized text.
A shield-like emblem featuring a rocket with the words "Mission in Flight" on it, the logo of Oscar Mike Radio, and military symbols.
A circular emblem with an American flag background featuring red and white stripes and blue stars. The emblem contains five blue stars labeled with words: 'Loyalty', 'Motivation', 'Mindset', 'Leadership', and 'Family'. Below the emblem, the text read
Stylized text reading 'UNMUTE' with a music note replacing the letter 'U'.
Faber-Castell logo with a green background, featuring a knight on horseback at the top, and white text stating "Faber-Castell since 1761."
Colorful graphic of the word "Art" with each letter in a different color and font style, and the words "Path with Art" written in black next to it.
Black and white text reading 'SKETCHBOX' with exaggerated, irregular letter shapes.
A logo with the text 'VCAP' above a shield design featuring a camouflage pattern on the left side and a check mark on the right side, with elements in red, white, blue, and beige.