By Nancy Huddleston, Editor

No matter where and when they served in the military, there’s always a special bond between soldiers.

And that bond can be found in the art of David Noyes and Gene Piersa, two artists whose work is on display for the month of November at the Savage Art Studios & Gallery, 4735 W. 123rd St., in downtown.

Noyes is a photographer and his exhibit, “Through the Eyes of a Soldier,” is his personal journey during his deployment to the Baghdad area of Iraq. A 2005 graduate of Burnsville High School, Noyes served as an Army specialist with the 101st Airborne Division from 2006 to 2009. During that time, he spent a 14-month tour in Iraq and returned home to Burnsville after he was honorably discharged two months ago.

Noyes picked up a camera when he was home on leave from Iraq and was told by a friend who is a photographer that he had a good eye.

So armed with his Nikon D80, he went back to Iraq after his leave was over and began teaching himself how to take pictures – lots of them. In eight months time, he estimates he took 2,500 pictures and chose 41 of those for his show.

“I decided I wanted to document everything so that I could have it later to remember,” he said.

Part of David Noyes' photo exhibit is at Savage City Hall.

Noyes’ exhibit is dominated with photographs of buddies at work and at play, but also includes many of local people and two of him.

His favorite is one called “Bush and Fernadez,” which is a picture of two buddies with their arms over each other’s shoulders and smiling at the camera. “It shows the fellowship of Army soldiers, the camaraderie,” he said.

Noyes also wanted his display to be something positive – to show the side of the war that is rarely seen.

“I wanted to show the good things that me and my buddies were doing, the good times,” he said, “The outcome of a lot of things we did over there was more good than bad. We did a lot of rebuilding – the nation went from nothing to something; to having elections to making a choice instead of being told what to do.”

‘Hero’

Noyes’ photographs are complemented by “Hero,” a 10-foot tall sculpture on display in front of the art gallery.

Piersa, who now lives in Independence, served in the U.S. Marine Corps from 1962-1965, and said his sculpture is a “metallic work of art from the heart.”

His inspiration for the sculpture came from a photograph of the symbol of a fallen soldier – a helmet, boots, rifle and dog tags – which was on the cover of an American Legion magazine sitting on his kitchen table. The morning light hit the photo just right so that the symbols looked like black steel, which drew Piersa in for a closer look.

Along with the photograph was a quote from a father: “As long as I know my son died a hero, I’m OK with that.”

Piersa said the image and the quote created a powerful inspiration within him that propelled him to create a sculpture to honor the memory of fallen soldiers.

“I felt a strong, spiritual call to create the sculpture,” he said.

Gene Piersa's sculpture, "Hero" is on display outside the art gallery.

The sculpture weighs about 450 pounds and has been on display in numerous locations throughout the metro area. Each time it goes on display, it evokes strong memories for those who see it, which is Piersa’s inspiration for continuing to find places for the sculpture to be displayed.

“The sculpture contains human elements – the helmet, the rifle, the boots, the shoelaces of the boots tied by the soldier … and the dog tags,” he said. “They represent a person who is no longer with us. They made the ultimate sacrifice for us.”

At age 65, Piersa admits his military experience was much different than that of today’s soldiers. For one, his military service was during the Vietnam era. And he was lucky – he was never deployed to that war and served most his military career stateside.

“I was 17 years old and I wanted to go,” he said of his enlistment in the Marines.

So just three days after he turned 18, Piersa took off for boot camp aboard a bus. His mom, dad and six brothers and sisters saw him off with flags in their hands.

“I just wanted to go … to get out of there. I was 18 and young and I was embarrassed that they were there. I wish I could have gone slower and taken it in,” he said.

Now Piersa is glad to have his sculpture honor all military members and their service to their country. And he hopes that the heart element that he uses in all his sculptures shows the love that many people have for military members.

Fundraiser

In addition to honoring military members with art, there is also a fundraiser at the gallery for “The Soldier’s Angels,” a nonprofit group that supports deployed military members.

The group was started by Janae Larson, the daughter of SASG artist Pat Kness. The group supported David and his platoon during their deployment by remembering birthdays, packing and sending care packages and e-mailing back and forth on a regular basis.

All proceeds and donations will go directly to this group. (www.soldiersangels.com).

Jo Storey, director and owner of SASG said the show was inspired by a chance discussion with Noyes this summer and bringing Piersa’s sculpture in at the same time was a perfect fit.

“I think the show will move people and bring a new voice to what being a soldier really is,” she said.

The show is sponsored by the Savage Arts Council, kwermager photography, Ron Peters and the Savage Art Studios & Gallery.

Nancy Huddleston can be reached at editor@savagepacer.com.

If you go …

+ What: “Through the Eyes of a Soldier” and “Hero”

+ Where: Savage Art Studios & Gallery, 4735 W. 123rd St., downtown

+ When: Throughout the month of November. Gallery hours are Monday-Saturday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

+ Artists’ reception: Wednesday, Nov. 11 (Veterans Day) from 5 to 8 p.m.

+ Fund raiser: For “The Soldier’s Angels.” Donations will be accepted in support of this nonprofit group that supports deployed service members by connecting with them on a personal level.

 For more information: www.SavageArtStudios.com or call (952) 895-0375.