By Sara Fowler 
 
U.S. Army veteran Paula Zielke from Kansas said she was “completely shocked” when she found out her fiber arts pattern bag secured her a spot to the 2026 National Veterans Creative Arts Festival for the first time. 

“I quilt all the time, but this is the first bag I’ve ever made,” she said. “It’s an honor to be here.” 

Veterans from across the country have had a week of workshops, performances, and more, celebrating the veterans’ achievements and the positive influence of the arts on mental and emotional health. 

For Zielke to have her art on display in a public setting — “something that gives me such peace and happiness to have it out” — was an amazing experience. 


“I never really considered what I do as art,” she said of the items she’s previously made for friends and family. “Somebody at the VA said, ‘don’t you do some quilting?’ I said, yes and they said, ‘we are going to have an art show, so put something in.’”

Being around fellow veterans again during the Festival has been a very uplifting experience. 

“The camaraderie you feel with the military, the veterans — it feels good again,” she said. “If I say, ‘I’m checking out at the net,’ they know what I’m talking about.”

Zielke said she’s already thinking of next year to submit art again in hopes of returning to the Festival.

“Something different, but yes, I’m excited,” she said. 

Since 2000, the American Legion Auxiliary has co-presented the National Veterans Creative Arts Festival, alongside the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. See more stories and videos from the Festival throughout the week on American Legion Auxiliary National Headquarters' Facebook page.