– In honor of Veterans Day, Bereskin Gallery & Art Academy offers a slideshow tour of four European countries and locations familiar to World War II veterans. Landscape photographer Barry Sharp returns to the Quad Cities for a special presentation that contrasts historical and contemporary photos. The presentation is Friday, November 9 at 4:30 p.m. with a reception following at 5:30 p.m. at Bereskin Gallery, 2967 State Street, Bettendorf. The event is free.
Areas included in this 60-minute presentation are the Invasion of Normandy (Operation Overlord), assault on Pointe du Hoc by American Rangers, American Cemeteries Normandy and Luxembourg, La Cambe German Cemetery, E-Company at Bastogne, Place Tocca, Pegasus Bridge, Atlantic Wall, Dachau Concentration Camp, and Hitler’s Eagle’s Nest.
A Bettendorf native, Sharp retired as director of the Iowa City Veterans Affairs Medical Center. He is a Vietnam-era veteran and lives in Solon, Iowa. He continues to support others by volunteering annually for the National Disabled Veterans Winter Sports Clinic in Colorado.
Sharp’s photography frequently focuses on the contrast between sky, earth and sometimes water. His private photos from a European tour illustrate the natural beauty found even in such eventful places as former battlefields.
This event kicks off a season of giving by artists represented in the Bereskin Gallery including Sharp. The National Alliance on Mental Illness Greater Mississippi Valley, NAMI, will benefit as it offers service member families a no-cost education program. The program is designed to teach family members how to support a veteran living with PTSD, traumatic brain injury and other mental health conditions.
