ATHENS – Described as “more of a history show than … an art show,” Athens State University is hosting “Vietnam: Then & Now,” an art exhibition featuring the powerful work of Vietnam veterans David Wright and Chuck Creasy.
The exhibition opens Monday and runs to Nov. 30 at Athens State’s Nazaretian Alumni Welcome Center.
The unique collection pairs Wright’s black-and-white wartime sketches and photographs with Creasy’s vibrant watercolors of modern-day Vietnam, painted after his return visit in 2018. Together, their works create a striking contrast between a war-torn past and a flourishing present.
“My sketches are black-and-white,” Wright said. “Chuck’s paintings are vibrant, full-color paintings of Vietnam today, so you have a real dichotomy of art that says then and now.”
There will be a public reception to meet the artists Nov. 6 from 1-3 p.m.
Though Wright and Creasy did not meet until after their service, their friendship grew through shared experiences and the decision to bring their art together. First exhibited in 2021, “Vietnam: Then & Now” invites viewers to witness two perspectives separated by decades yet connected through memory, history, and art.
“This is more of a history show than it is an art show,” Wright said. “What you’re looking at there is a record of what I did while I was over there, the people I met. And Chuck, what he did when he went back. So, you got 2018 and 1965 and the difference between them.”
Wright was born in Kentucky and raised in Tennessee. He is a nationally recognized artist and historian whose work focuses on the American frontier and Civil War. Drafted into the Army in 1964, Wright spent a year in Vietnam, where he captured soldiers, civilians, and landscapes through quick sketches and photography. His work has since been featured in museums, books, documentaries, and even a large-scale mural at Cumberland Gap National Historic Park. In 2022, Wright received the Booth Western Art Museum American Artist of Excellence Award.
A Tennessee native and a watercolorist, Creasy served as an Army officer in Vietnam before building a successful career in advertising. In 2018, Creasy returned to Vietnam with his children, where he was moved by the resilience and vibrancy of the country. His watercolors reflect the beauty of modern Vietnam and the personal journey of healing and reflection.
Creasy has studied with renowned artists such as John Pike and Norman Rockwell, and his paintings have earned recognition throughout the Southeast.
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