Artwork copyright Mike Mandel. Photo courtesy of the artist.

Artwork copyright Mike Mandel. Photo courtesy of the artist.

Artwork copyright Mike Mandel. Photo courtesy of the artist (detail).

Artwork copyright Mike Mandel. Photo courtesy of the artist (detail).

Washington Veterans Home, 2006

Mike Mandel
American (born 1950)

Location: Washington Veterans Home, Retsil

About the Artwork

Artist Mike Mandel's tile mural represents the Washington Veterans Home motto "Serving those who served." It is made of thousands of 1-inch square tiles. and it shows imagery of resident Glen Morrison and his dog tags, the building's architecture, and artifacts from its archives. Mandel wanted this artwork to honor the residents and their lived experiences.

In designing this artwork, Mandel visited the Washington Veterans Home in Retsil, on the Kitsap Peninsula in southern Puget Sound. He met several veterans who shared their memories of serving in the armed forces and how it was an important time in their lives. He asked them "What would be a symbol that brings everyone here together?" and the immediate answer was: "These dog tags!" We see Glen Morrison posing with his dog tags -- incredibly, he served in World War II, Korea, and Vietnam. His face humanizes the mural and is a direct connection to the veterans' lived experiences.

Mandel also looked through the Veterans Home archives. The torn flag in the mural is based on an actual flag in the archives that had flown on a former resident's ship, the USS Impulse, a small corvette warship in the U.S. Navy from 1942-45 during World War II. The flag was so fragile and faded that it was translucent. The stars on the left side of the mural came from a cap in the archives, owned by Iben Fetterly who lived at the Veterans Home in Retsil with his wife in the 1980s. The stars have numbers in their centers, probably referring to VFW (Veterans of Foreign Wars) chapters. Each star represents and recognizes an individual who contributed a portion of their lives in the service of our country.

This artwork was acquired for the State Art Collection in partnership with Department of Veterans Affairs.

About the Artist

Mandel received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Philosophy from the California State University Northridge in 1972. He received his Master of Fine Arts degree from the San Francisco Art Institute in 1974.