With a brook sloshing beneath, the outdoor stage for a wood oven at the Touchstone Center for Crafts conjures more soothing vibes than the cold, pale confines of a psychiatrist's office.
Less than 100 feet away, a blackboard itinerary for the day's painting lesson outlines a method, but condones a student's choice to break the rules.
At 157 acres, the sprawling artists' retreat in southern Fayette County resembles a hippie commune where creative free spirits might be fond of the phrase, "Make Love, Not War."
But in the spring, the state's only residential craft school also will be a destination for injured war veterans to make art as part of a curriculum to aid their return to civilian life.
Touchstone has developed an art in therapy trauma program that will offer full scholarships for a five-day workshop in the veteran's pick of classes, which range from blacksmithing to sculpture to photography.
The program is open to veterans who have completed their medical and rehabilitation treatments after serving in the war zones in Iraq and Afghanistan.
With help from the county commissioners, Touchstone is forming partnerships with dozens of county social service groups to develop the program as an alternative to referring a veteran to a counselor.
In particular, the program's inventors hope the classes will help veterans who are experiencing post-traumatic stress disorder.
"It does build that self-esteem and gets people moving again," said Clinton Anderson, a veteran of the Vietnam War who works as the mental health program coordinator for Fayette County Mental Health and Mental Retardation Program.
Last month, the MH/MR agency invited a chaplain who served in Iraq to speak at a seminar on post-traumatic stress disorder. Many of the attendees were veterans.
"You need something to occupy yourself and get yourself back on track again," Anderson said.
More than 19,000 troops have been injured while serving in Iraq, while almost 800 have been wounded in Afghanistan.
Touchstone intends to invite six veterans to the Wharton Township campus in 2007, beginning with two in the spring.
Veterans groups and social service outlets will recommend the participants. Each class typically has between six and 10 students.
The program's partners are likely to contribute enough donations to cover tuition for next year, though Touchstone also will consider fundraising and grant options, said Susan Sparks, the center's director. Tuition and room and board for a week can cost as much as $800.
County officials also have pledged to help the program win accreditation through the federal Office of Vocational Rehabilitation.
The veterans initiative program was the idea of Agnes Dodds Kinard, a 93-year-old Plum, Allegheny County, resident who founded the center in 1972 as Pioneer Crafts Council.
Kinard said Americans are allowing veterans who are injured or affected by post-traumatic stress disorder to become hidden.
She says Touchstone's recruitment of an advisory group of therapy professionals and the tranquil ambience of the center could alleviate the depression some veterans feel.
Touchstone even has some patriotic flavor in its history.
Its blacksmithing studio is named for Hart Moore, who served as an Army corporal during the Spanish-American War and was chaplain for the Veterans of Foreign Wars for 20 years. Moore was the maternal grandfather of the late Robert E. Eberly Sr., a Fayette County philanthropist whose family foundation has supported the center since the 1970s.
"What a wonderful thing of Fayette County to do for a jewel in its backyard," said Kinard, a Touchstone board member.
Despite the horrors of a war zone, many veterans talk about a desire to return to service because of the camaraderie and accomplishments, according to Ken White, president of the Fayette County chapter of the Rolling Thunder veterans group.
"We have to recognize these guys, celebrate what they've done and thank them or it's going to be (like Vietnam) all over again," said White, a serviceman for 30 years.
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