Reclaimed: An Exhibition of Healing Through Art
Featured Artist: Naomi Czupryna
Reclaimed: An Exhibition of Healing Through Art
From Untamed Beast to Peaceful Warrior
Free admission. Open to the public.
After two deployments to Baghdad as an Army Platoon Leader and Company Commander, Naomi faced the anger, shame, and guilt that followed a bomb blast and lost soldiers.
Through painting, she found a path toward healing, transforming her inner “beast” from a source of fear into a powerful expression of resilience, recovery and confident warrior.
Presented by Heroes in Transition.
About the Artist
Naomi Czupryna is a mixed media artist, Army veteran, and storyteller. Born and raised in Dayton, Tennessee, she grew up a poor kid, a nerd, and often a quiet observer — roles that shaped the way she sees the world. After earning her business degree from Middle Tennessee State University, she commissioned into the Army and deployed twice to Baghdad as a Platoon Leader and Company Commander. One bomb — and the anger, shame, and guilt that followed — eventually led her to pick up a paintbrush, and she’s never looked back.
Her work has been shown locally on Cape Cod in juried exhibitions, including Cotuit Center for the Arts, with the Survivor’s Art Project at Kismet Gallery in Boston, and internationally at Thomson Gallery in Switzerland, Nicoleta Gallery in Berlin, and the Art Expo in Paris 2024. Naomi is a recent graduate of the Arts Foundation of Cape Cod Capacity-Building Program.
Artist Statement
For years I lived with an untamed “beast” inside me — protective, angry, and always on alert. Painting became the place where I learned to meet that part of myself with curiosity instead of fear. In this show, the beast often appears as a guardian to an inner child: the part of me that still finds wonder in the world, even after war and trauma. That duality has become a balm to my soul, a reminder that I can relax into my life and still carry the warrior within me.
You’ll also find confident women who hold my emotions and flowers that mark different stages of beauty and growth. At the core of my work is feeling, and I love building characters that let me express a little whimsy in my day. This exhibition reflects the healing and becoming that continue to shape my life.
Signup Type:
No signup. Free admission, open to the public.
Featured Artwork
