About the Cover Artist: Within by Christopher Stowe, MGySgt, US Marine Corps (Retired)

Christopher Stowe is a retired Marine bomb disposal technician who received treatment for traumatic brain injury (TBI) at the National Intrepid Center of Excellence (NICoE). Chris partook in clinical art therapy as part of NICoE’s 4-week intensive outpatient program, during which he engaged in mask-making using a paper maché template to express and process his thoughts, feelings, and past experiences. After retirement, Chris created a glass-blowing program for fellow veterans. For the Creative Forces® exhibit organized by the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), Chris used the same paper maché template he was given in art therapy at the NICoE to create an open-face mold in sand for hot glass casting. Using a team of other veterans, he poured 2100-degree molten glass into the mold and then placed it into a kiln to be annealed over a 48-hour period to prevent cracking. Then, the mask was ground and polished (“cold worked”) before he adhered an image of his own brain’s MRI tractography captured at the NICoE to the back of the glass mask.

Chris states the mask is “representational of the progression from my original paper maché mask I made in 2013. I wanted a way to show people my interpretation of the invisible wounds of war, and glass provides an unparalleled optical quality to be able to view ‘inside the mind.’ The hot glass casting process is a methodical and contemplative process for me, and it allows my creativity to help process emotions and thoughts that I previously had no positive outlet for.” Since retiring, Chris also has earned his MFA in creative writing.