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Arts & Culture

First Person: Art Is Helping San Diego Veterans Returning From War

Daniel Lopez is pictured in front of the piece he helped to create for the Timken Museum of Art.
Brooke Ruth
Daniel Lopez is pictured in front of the piece he helped to create for the Timken Museum of Art.

First Person: Art Is Helping San Diego Veterans Returning From War
First Person: Art Is Helping San Diego Veterans Returning From War GUEST:Daniel Lopez, Marine Corps veteran

KPBS Midday Edition's First Person series tells the stories of average and not-so-average San Diegans in their own words. Their experiences, both universal and deeply personal, offer a unique lens into the news of the day.

Two Marine Corps veterans who work with Combat Arts San Diego created a piece for the Timken Museum of Art.

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The piece, a large clock with moving parts, was built by Daniel Lopez and Christopher Tomlin, both Marine Corps veterans. The clock was commissioned for the Timken's gala on Saturday, which is raising money for the museum's outreach programs. One of those programs teaches art to veterans returning from wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Lopez helps teach art to fellow veterans as part of the program through Combat Arts San Diego. He said creating art gives him and other veterans another way to transition back to civilian life.

"You’ve got something on your mind, put it on a canvas," he said. "You want to distract yourself from something, build something."

As part of our ongoing First Person series, we speak to Daniel Lopez about the piece, art and his experience teaching art to fellow veterans.

The piece is pictured while on display at the Timken Museum of Art.
Elizabeth Washburn
The piece is pictured while on display at the Timken Museum of Art.

Corrected: April 19, 2024 at 10:19 PM PDT
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