Recently, Assemblyman Ed Ra (R,C,I-Franklin Square) celebrated the unveiling of a special community gallery at the Long Island Children’s Museum with some talented artists and their incredible, courageous subjects.

This September, Ra launched the Veterans Portrait Project. Local students from Notre Dame School interviewed area veterans and learned about their experiences of deployment, serving our county and coming home. They compiled biographies of the veterans and painted moving portraits.

This unique project culminated when the students, veterans and their families celebrated the opening of the community gallery at the Long Island Children’s Museum.

“This was a tremendous event. I want to thank the students for sharing their talent, and I want to thank the veterans for opening up and sharing their experiences. I hope that sharing their stories was as edifying for them as it was for the students,” said Ra.

Both the biographies and the portraits are on display. Ra hosted a reception following the gallery opening so that the veterans could reconnect with the students and meet their families.

“This is about preserving significant, American stories,” said Ra. “Art allows that to happen in a shared, universal language that will be understood for generations to come.”

The students’ work will be on display through the end of November.