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"In Flanders Fields"
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Professor Jing Williams has mastered the art of assigning her students projects that are a benefit to not only them, but also to the public.
Since the fall of 2016, Williams has asked students in her elementary social science methods class to express their feelings about veterans through art. Their work – in whatever form it took – had only one requirement. It must include an image of a poppy.
This year, the result was a project that benefited not only the students, but also the public. The artwork was displayed publicly at the Vermillion Public Library from Feb. 24 to March 3. Admission was a free will donation; the proceeds were donated to VFW Post 3061.
Williams is excited that the art show was able to be held this year after the idea had to be shelved for the past two years because of COVID-19. She is also incredibly proud of her students, who raised a bit more than $700 for the local VFW post.
Lauren Powers, one of those students from Woodstock, Minnesota, is pursuing a double major in elementary education and special education.
“This was part of her class,” she said of Williams’ assignment, “but there weren't any stipulations on it besides the fact that you had to include a poppy with it. We could create, essentially, anything that we wanted to.”
Powers said as Williams was explaining the assignment, “I knew exactly what I wanted to do and what I wanted to create and how I wanted to go about it.”
Her immediate idea was to honor her grandfather, Steve Austin, of Garretson.
“My grandpa was a veteran of the Vietnam War and he worked on tanks, he fixed them and he was very proud of his service,” Lauren said. “He passed away a year ago. When we got the due date for this, I realized that … a year ago, when we had his funeral was the due date for this assignment. I was like, ‘that’s really a coincidence.’”
Lauren talked with her mom to learn more about how serving the country in the military was important to her grandfather.
“He was very proud of his service and everything that he did, so I decided to incorporate all of what he wanted into this,” she said.
Lauren included with her art the words “Go Rest High On The Mountain.”
“At the time, it just felt right for this,” she said. Later, she learned that those words are from a song that was played at her grandfather’s funeral service.
Her artwork includes a soldier who is saluting, representing veterans’ pride in their service. Also included are drawings of a battlefield cross memorial and of a family receiving a folded flag – representing soldiers that didn’t return home to their families or returned home and later passed away.
Also featured are a sharpshooter medal and a drawing of a tank.
“My grandpa was very proud of his shooting capabilities and shared it with our family,” Lauren wrote in an interpretation that was part of the students’ assignment, “and my grandpa’s main job was repairing tanks.”
The final component of her drawing depicts a soldier returning home to his family.
She noted that her grandfather didn’t talk much about his time in Vietnam.
“But he was very proud and he made sure that he instilled that into us,” Lauren said.
She said this assignment has helped her realize that there are many ways that Americans can honor the country’s veterans.
“Not everybody goes about it in the same way,” Lauren said.
Talia DeWitte of Sioux Falls is also in Professor Williams’ class and is working on her double major in elementary education and special education.
“For me, it took a little more time to come up with an idea,” she said. “I don’t consider myself a super artistic person – that was always one of my sister’s things, so I took up other interests – and honestly, I was just overwhelmed with ideas.”
Talia found herself scouring the internet and looking at art drawn by past students in Williams’ class.
“There are just so many cool ideas out there, but I decided to paint … and that just seemed a little bit more natural, a skill that I was cut out to do, art-wise,” she said. “I’ve always loved the statue of Iwo Jima, so that is featured on my piece. I just think it’s one of the ultimate symbols of patriotism and sacrifice.”
Talia decided to focus on the bittersweet aspects of military service.
“I’m very thankful, but I do want to highlight that there are a lot of hardships that come with that,” she said. “I feature a lot of dark colors on my piece and the poppies that we were required to feature are the only pop of color on my piece.
“That was just my way of saying, ‘I see you and I appreciate you and I thank you for your service,’” Talia said.
She, too, has a grandfather who served in the military who also talks little about that part of his life.
“I wanted to create something that any veteran or community member could relate to,” Talia said. “That’s why I decided to create a more general piece instead of making it too personal.”
The art exhibit was on display at the same time Russia was starting to attack Ukraine and begin a full-scale war with that country.
“To me, that just reinforced how important this project is and the message we’re trying to send,” Lauren said. “It is a huge deal for our veterans and I know a lot of people who are in the service right now or who may potentially enter the service soon. It’s a very concerning thing and so I think by doing this, it’s our way of saying ‘we see you, we thank you and we will keep on supporting you because this is huge.’”
“It’s very scary for me, because my mom has a cousin who is on active duty and he just called the family to tell them, ‘I’m leaving, I can’t tell you where I’m going and you won’t know until I come back.’” Talia said.
“It’s very scary,” she said. “My significant other is involved in ROTC, and he says there’s a very real chance they could be going out (to Europe) within the next few years.”
Other members of Williams’ class, through written interviews via email, talked about their art.
“I struggled with how I was going to incorporate the poppy into my artwork. I didn't know if I was going to use the flower given to us or if I was going to incorporate it another way,” said Jeclyn Lichty, a student from Huron who is majoring in elementary education with an endorsement in early childhood and a minor in teaching English as a new language.
She ultimately decided to create poppy stones, inspired by an art project that she does in her hometown.
“This idea came from something that I do in my hometown. We have random acts of kindness stones that are placed around town,” Jeclyn said. “When someone finds a stone, it has an inspirational, short message painted on it. That person can either keep the stone, give it to someone else, or leave it for someone else to find. These stones are placed randomly around town to remind people of kindness.
“My idea for this project was to paint stones that could be placed around town for either veterans to see or for others to be reminded about what a poppy symbolizes,” she said. “I painted the stones black, painted a red poppy on them and then wrote ‘thank you’ on each stone. I believe my art fulfilled the vision that I had for it.”
The experience, Jeclyn said, has helped her learn “the importance of the awareness of veterans and what they have done for our country. I have also learned that something small can make a big impact.”
“Personally, I enjoy artmaking, even if my pieces don't always turn out how I'd hope they would, so this project was exciting,” stated Eisley Sayler. “For me, the most challenging part of this experience was making something that I would be proud to present as a representation of my support of veterans. That's a big deal.”
Eisley drew inspiration from the words of the poem “In Flanders Fields.”
“From that description, I sketched a cross on a slight hill with poppies growing at its base. In the background were four other crosses and poppies around them similarly,” she stated. “I painted with a bright blue for the sky and green for grass, which maybe did not show so much the solemness of what happened in those fields, but the hope that came from the sacrifices made there.”
Although both of her grandfathers served in the military, she chose not to focus on their individual times of service, but rather create a painting that “was meant to remember all who have served or fallen in service to our country,” she stated. “I did a little research and noted that not all crosses in Flanders Fields necessarily mark an individual grave; the crosses represent the lives lost there.
“The main lessons that I have learned from this experience are that even beautiful new life (like poppies) can thrive in places that have seen horror and destruction,” Eisley said. “Although many have deep respect for veterans, I am not sure they are recognized nearly as often or as sincerely as they should be. Our country has benefited so profoundly from their service and sacrifice; there is no way that a single day every year is enough to account for what they have done. I hope that as a future teacher I can be a model to my students of respect, in word and action, to veterans in my community and our nation.”
Jade Havisto, who is majoring in elementary education, noted that she wanted to create art that was meaningful for her as well as relate to the topic In Flanders Fields.
“My painting has a serious meaning to it, but it goes off the idea that in those serious and hard times there is always a bright side to things,” Jade states. “In my painting, the bright side is looking at hard times through the eyes of a young girl and knowing that their loved ones that have passed away are in a better place now.”
She was inspired by her grandfather, who recently passed away.
“I painted a picture of a young girl in a field of poppy flowers being lifted into the sky floating up with a bouquet of poppies. My vision behind this painting is to express to others that although losing a loved one can be hard, whether that be through war or any other incident,” Jade said. “It is important to still see the bright side. My painting has bright happy colors and a young girl with a big smile. The art I created was more personal so when my grandma saw it, she was very touched, and I think that was my true goal in fulfilling my vision within my artwork.”
Natalie Miller, from Battle Creek, Nebraska, is majoring in elementary education with an endorsement in kindergarten. She drew inspiration from the poppy that had to be a part of the assignment.
“My own inspiration was different art experiences of my own. I love doing different art projects, so I was instantly excited about this,” she stated. “I wanted to do a glass mosaic piece that would be useful for both inside and outside. I think that personally I did a good job with carrying out my vision; I put my mind to it, and I did it.”
Natalie noted that her grandpa served in Vietnam in 1970, “and I know that he personally had PTSD after the war. There was a lot that he saw and went through. I think that a poppy represents what is lost, our soldiers and our experiences,” she said. “You really aren't the same after you go through that, so I called him and told him what I was doing. He was honored by what our class was doing for our local veterans.”
Devyn Kennedy of Sioux Falls is a third-year elementary education major with a reading minor.
“I feel that I’m a pretty artistic person once I have a vision, so the only challenging part was thinking of what the foundation of my project was going to be.” she said.
Devyn learned from her research that it is estimated that 11% of all homeless adults in the United States are veterans and on any given night there are over 40,000 homeless veterans sleeping in the cold.
“I came up with the idea of making a black and white tie blanket with three poppy flowers out of felt. I have many veterans in my life, but I wanted the poppy flowers to represent my grandpas and great uncle, who all fought in WWII,” she said.
Devyn noted that she made the blanket “to represent all the brave soldiers that fought hard for our country and freedoms, but are now fighting the struggles of homelessness and cold nights with no support or love to shield them. I was very much pleased with how my blanket turned out and I was proud of all the time and effort I put into it.”
Denielle Minor, from Jefferson and now living in Vermillion, is a junior majoring in elementary and special education.
“I had to put a lot of thought into the project but not necessarily because of her (Professor Williams) stipulations. More so because I wanted to showcase my appreciation for and love for our heroes,” Denielle stated. “I think the poppy flowers only added more significance to the piece.”
Her goal through her artwork is to showcase the strengths and bravery of all military heroes and the sacrifices they make every day for our freedom.
“I wanted to bring awareness to the everyday pressure soldiers feel to uphold their demeanor as an active member, as a returning civilian, and as a veteran. I did this by making my art piece a book where you see the cover but when you open it, it tells a more specific story,” she said.
When the book is opened, it contains a letter, a blue ribbon, and poppy flowers. Each aspect is meant to show the emotions of soldiers that are faced with the crushing thought of not making it home to their families.
“Soldiers experience profound emotions that go beyond what we can see because not all wounds are visible,” Denielle said. “While our soldiers are strong and brave, they are also human and feel the trepidation of their daily jobs and their devastating losses.”
She researched before creating her art to make sure all aspects of it are accurate.
“The letter is a real letter sent home from a soldier before going to war and, unfortunately, was the last letter. The blue ribbon is the symbol for post-traumatic stress disorder,” Denielle said. “The blue ribbon also represents the honor and outstanding quality of an individual. The poppy flowers symbolize remembrance for those who have sacrificed everything.”
She placed three poppy flowers on the letter to remember the fallen soldier who wrote his last letter home.
“I will never be able to come up with the words to thank our veterans, but I hope this project acts as a small token for my true appreciation for all who have served and who continue to serve,” Denielle said. “I plan on doing something similar in my classroom as an educator and have learned the importance and value of our veterans and their sacrifices.”
Readers who feel compelled to donate to the VFW Post 3061 may send their donations to VFW Post 3061, in care of Andy Howe, 45743 308th St., Wakonda, SD 57073.
News Release, "In Flanders Fields Art Exhibit Benefits Both Students & Veterans," The Plain Talk, March 20, 2022.
Since the fall of 2016, Williams has asked students in her elementary social science methods class to express their feelings about veterans through art. Their work – in whatever form it took – had only one requirement. It must include an image of a poppy.
This year, the result was a project that benefited not only the students, but also the public. The artwork was displayed publicly at the Vermillion Public Library from Feb. 24 to March 3. Admission was a free will donation; the proceeds were donated to VFW Post 3061.
Williams is excited that the art show was able to be held this year after the idea had to be shelved for the past two years because of COVID-19. She is also incredibly proud of her students, who raised a bit more than $700 for the local VFW post.
Lauren Powers, one of those students from Woodstock, Minnesota, is pursuing a double major in elementary education and special education.
“This was part of her class,” she said of Williams’ assignment, “but there weren't any stipulations on it besides the fact that you had to include a poppy with it. We could create, essentially, anything that we wanted to.”
Powers said as Williams was explaining the assignment, “I knew exactly what I wanted to do and what I wanted to create and how I wanted to go about it.”
Her immediate idea was to honor her grandfather, Steve Austin, of Garretson.
“My grandpa was a veteran of the Vietnam War and he worked on tanks, he fixed them and he was very proud of his service,” Lauren said. “He passed away a year ago. When we got the due date for this, I realized that … a year ago, when we had his funeral was the due date for this assignment. I was like, ‘that’s really a coincidence.’”
Lauren talked with her mom to learn more about how serving the country in the military was important to her grandfather.
“He was very proud of his service and everything that he did, so I decided to incorporate all of what he wanted into this,” she said.
Lauren included with her art the words “Go Rest High On The Mountain.”
“At the time, it just felt right for this,” she said. Later, she learned that those words are from a song that was played at her grandfather’s funeral service.
Her artwork includes a soldier who is saluting, representing veterans’ pride in their service. Also included are drawings of a battlefield cross memorial and of a family receiving a folded flag – representing soldiers that didn’t return home to their families or returned home and later passed away.
Also featured are a sharpshooter medal and a drawing of a tank.
“My grandpa was very proud of his shooting capabilities and shared it with our family,” Lauren wrote in an interpretation that was part of the students’ assignment, “and my grandpa’s main job was repairing tanks.”
The final component of her drawing depicts a soldier returning home to his family.
She noted that her grandfather didn’t talk much about his time in Vietnam.
“But he was very proud and he made sure that he instilled that into us,” Lauren said.
She said this assignment has helped her realize that there are many ways that Americans can honor the country’s veterans.
“Not everybody goes about it in the same way,” Lauren said.
Talia DeWitte of Sioux Falls is also in Professor Williams’ class and is working on her double major in elementary education and special education.
“For me, it took a little more time to come up with an idea,” she said. “I don’t consider myself a super artistic person – that was always one of my sister’s things, so I took up other interests – and honestly, I was just overwhelmed with ideas.”
Talia found herself scouring the internet and looking at art drawn by past students in Williams’ class.
“There are just so many cool ideas out there, but I decided to paint … and that just seemed a little bit more natural, a skill that I was cut out to do, art-wise,” she said. “I’ve always loved the statue of Iwo Jima, so that is featured on my piece. I just think it’s one of the ultimate symbols of patriotism and sacrifice.”
Talia decided to focus on the bittersweet aspects of military service.
“I’m very thankful, but I do want to highlight that there are a lot of hardships that come with that,” she said. “I feature a lot of dark colors on my piece and the poppies that we were required to feature are the only pop of color on my piece.
“That was just my way of saying, ‘I see you and I appreciate you and I thank you for your service,’” Talia said.
She, too, has a grandfather who served in the military who also talks little about that part of his life.
“I wanted to create something that any veteran or community member could relate to,” Talia said. “That’s why I decided to create a more general piece instead of making it too personal.”
The art exhibit was on display at the same time Russia was starting to attack Ukraine and begin a full-scale war with that country.
“To me, that just reinforced how important this project is and the message we’re trying to send,” Lauren said. “It is a huge deal for our veterans and I know a lot of people who are in the service right now or who may potentially enter the service soon. It’s a very concerning thing and so I think by doing this, it’s our way of saying ‘we see you, we thank you and we will keep on supporting you because this is huge.’”
“It’s very scary for me, because my mom has a cousin who is on active duty and he just called the family to tell them, ‘I’m leaving, I can’t tell you where I’m going and you won’t know until I come back.’” Talia said.
“It’s very scary,” she said. “My significant other is involved in ROTC, and he says there’s a very real chance they could be going out (to Europe) within the next few years.”
Other members of Williams’ class, through written interviews via email, talked about their art.
“I struggled with how I was going to incorporate the poppy into my artwork. I didn't know if I was going to use the flower given to us or if I was going to incorporate it another way,” said Jeclyn Lichty, a student from Huron who is majoring in elementary education with an endorsement in early childhood and a minor in teaching English as a new language.
She ultimately decided to create poppy stones, inspired by an art project that she does in her hometown.
“This idea came from something that I do in my hometown. We have random acts of kindness stones that are placed around town,” Jeclyn said. “When someone finds a stone, it has an inspirational, short message painted on it. That person can either keep the stone, give it to someone else, or leave it for someone else to find. These stones are placed randomly around town to remind people of kindness.
“My idea for this project was to paint stones that could be placed around town for either veterans to see or for others to be reminded about what a poppy symbolizes,” she said. “I painted the stones black, painted a red poppy on them and then wrote ‘thank you’ on each stone. I believe my art fulfilled the vision that I had for it.”
The experience, Jeclyn said, has helped her learn “the importance of the awareness of veterans and what they have done for our country. I have also learned that something small can make a big impact.”
“Personally, I enjoy artmaking, even if my pieces don't always turn out how I'd hope they would, so this project was exciting,” stated Eisley Sayler. “For me, the most challenging part of this experience was making something that I would be proud to present as a representation of my support of veterans. That's a big deal.”
Eisley drew inspiration from the words of the poem “In Flanders Fields.”
“From that description, I sketched a cross on a slight hill with poppies growing at its base. In the background were four other crosses and poppies around them similarly,” she stated. “I painted with a bright blue for the sky and green for grass, which maybe did not show so much the solemness of what happened in those fields, but the hope that came from the sacrifices made there.”
Although both of her grandfathers served in the military, she chose not to focus on their individual times of service, but rather create a painting that “was meant to remember all who have served or fallen in service to our country,” she stated. “I did a little research and noted that not all crosses in Flanders Fields necessarily mark an individual grave; the crosses represent the lives lost there.
“The main lessons that I have learned from this experience are that even beautiful new life (like poppies) can thrive in places that have seen horror and destruction,” Eisley said. “Although many have deep respect for veterans, I am not sure they are recognized nearly as often or as sincerely as they should be. Our country has benefited so profoundly from their service and sacrifice; there is no way that a single day every year is enough to account for what they have done. I hope that as a future teacher I can be a model to my students of respect, in word and action, to veterans in my community and our nation.”
Jade Havisto, who is majoring in elementary education, noted that she wanted to create art that was meaningful for her as well as relate to the topic In Flanders Fields.
“My painting has a serious meaning to it, but it goes off the idea that in those serious and hard times there is always a bright side to things,” Jade states. “In my painting, the bright side is looking at hard times through the eyes of a young girl and knowing that their loved ones that have passed away are in a better place now.”
She was inspired by her grandfather, who recently passed away.
“I painted a picture of a young girl in a field of poppy flowers being lifted into the sky floating up with a bouquet of poppies. My vision behind this painting is to express to others that although losing a loved one can be hard, whether that be through war or any other incident,” Jade said. “It is important to still see the bright side. My painting has bright happy colors and a young girl with a big smile. The art I created was more personal so when my grandma saw it, she was very touched, and I think that was my true goal in fulfilling my vision within my artwork.”
Natalie Miller, from Battle Creek, Nebraska, is majoring in elementary education with an endorsement in kindergarten. She drew inspiration from the poppy that had to be a part of the assignment.
“My own inspiration was different art experiences of my own. I love doing different art projects, so I was instantly excited about this,” she stated. “I wanted to do a glass mosaic piece that would be useful for both inside and outside. I think that personally I did a good job with carrying out my vision; I put my mind to it, and I did it.”
Natalie noted that her grandpa served in Vietnam in 1970, “and I know that he personally had PTSD after the war. There was a lot that he saw and went through. I think that a poppy represents what is lost, our soldiers and our experiences,” she said. “You really aren't the same after you go through that, so I called him and told him what I was doing. He was honored by what our class was doing for our local veterans.”
Devyn Kennedy of Sioux Falls is a third-year elementary education major with a reading minor.
“I feel that I’m a pretty artistic person once I have a vision, so the only challenging part was thinking of what the foundation of my project was going to be.” she said.
Devyn learned from her research that it is estimated that 11% of all homeless adults in the United States are veterans and on any given night there are over 40,000 homeless veterans sleeping in the cold.
“I came up with the idea of making a black and white tie blanket with three poppy flowers out of felt. I have many veterans in my life, but I wanted the poppy flowers to represent my grandpas and great uncle, who all fought in WWII,” she said.
Devyn noted that she made the blanket “to represent all the brave soldiers that fought hard for our country and freedoms, but are now fighting the struggles of homelessness and cold nights with no support or love to shield them. I was very much pleased with how my blanket turned out and I was proud of all the time and effort I put into it.”
Denielle Minor, from Jefferson and now living in Vermillion, is a junior majoring in elementary and special education.
“I had to put a lot of thought into the project but not necessarily because of her (Professor Williams) stipulations. More so because I wanted to showcase my appreciation for and love for our heroes,” Denielle stated. “I think the poppy flowers only added more significance to the piece.”
Her goal through her artwork is to showcase the strengths and bravery of all military heroes and the sacrifices they make every day for our freedom.
“I wanted to bring awareness to the everyday pressure soldiers feel to uphold their demeanor as an active member, as a returning civilian, and as a veteran. I did this by making my art piece a book where you see the cover but when you open it, it tells a more specific story,” she said.
When the book is opened, it contains a letter, a blue ribbon, and poppy flowers. Each aspect is meant to show the emotions of soldiers that are faced with the crushing thought of not making it home to their families.
“Soldiers experience profound emotions that go beyond what we can see because not all wounds are visible,” Denielle said. “While our soldiers are strong and brave, they are also human and feel the trepidation of their daily jobs and their devastating losses.”
She researched before creating her art to make sure all aspects of it are accurate.
“The letter is a real letter sent home from a soldier before going to war and, unfortunately, was the last letter. The blue ribbon is the symbol for post-traumatic stress disorder,” Denielle said. “The blue ribbon also represents the honor and outstanding quality of an individual. The poppy flowers symbolize remembrance for those who have sacrificed everything.”
She placed three poppy flowers on the letter to remember the fallen soldier who wrote his last letter home.
“I will never be able to come up with the words to thank our veterans, but I hope this project acts as a small token for my true appreciation for all who have served and who continue to serve,” Denielle said. “I plan on doing something similar in my classroom as an educator and have learned the importance and value of our veterans and their sacrifices.”
Readers who feel compelled to donate to the VFW Post 3061 may send their donations to VFW Post 3061, in care of Andy Howe, 45743 308th St., Wakonda, SD 57073.
News Release, "In Flanders Fields Art Exhibit Benefits Both Students & Veterans," The Plain Talk, March 20, 2022.