The Rural We: Michael King
The retired U.S. Army Sergeant Major is an artist and the case manager of the newly opened Pittsfield Veterans Outreach Center.
You may know Lenox Dale, Mass. resident Michael King as a former United States Army Sergeant Major who works with other local veterans. Or you may know him as an artist and leatherworker, having seen his pieces in exhibits at The Berkshire Museum, The Whitney Center for the Arts, First Fridays Artswalk and other venues. Most recently, King won First Place in the Sculpture and Combat Experience categories at last year’s National Veterans Creative Arts Competition, and is the case manager at the newly opened Pittsfield Veterans Outreach Center.
I was born and raised in Rochester, New York. After high school I went right into the Army at the lowest level, a Private. I didn’t think I’d be doing it for longer than five years, but I ended up there for 21 years. I was deployed to Iraq two times, first as a platoon sergeant responsible for 44 people, the second time as a first sergeant responsible for 170 people." I ended my career as a Sergeant Major, the highest enlisted rank in the Army.
After I retired, I moved to the Berkshires, where my wife was living. When I visited Lenox for the first time, I fell in love with it and decided that was going to be my home after I retired. I retired on March 1, 2015 and took a year off to figure out what direction I wanted to go in with my life.
When I was in the Army, I earned a Master of Arts Degree in Leadership Studies. When I got out, I was able to take some classes at BCC with the GI bill. I’d had no formal training in art, but I’d always been interested in it. After a couple of semesters, I learned about the art program at Lesley University in Cambridge, Mass. I had no idea what I was getting into, but it opened my eyes to the many facets of the art world; making art commercially, making art to address social issues. Trying to create a dialogue about challenging issues is what I enjoy the most.
I always had used the creative process when I was in the Army. Being a leader is not an easy thing — you don’t get breaks, you’re always alert, always planning and evaluating risks. Whenever I had a few minutes of time to decompress, I used art as a cathartic process.
My interest in leatherwork evolved from making knives. I started making sheathes for them, and that evolved into committing to make three pieces for the 10x10 RAP Party in 2016. The third number called that night was a woman who screamed, jumped up and pulled one of my pieces off the wall. It’s hard to compare that feeling of excitement when someone runs after something you put a lot of time and effort into.
My most recent exhibit, America, We Have A Problem, was a way to look at the pervasive prescribing of controlled substances. I don’t think you can walk into a residence today and not find medication there, whether prescription or over the counter. Most medications are developed to help people but the pharmaceutical business is still a business, and the process is flawed somewhere. Meds are there to help curb an issue, but I don’t think drugs are the solution to any problem.
My goal is not to influence people’s opinions, but to get them talking about the issues. When it’s out there, I relinquish control of what I thought that work meant. People come in and make their own interpretations.
I'm now the Case Manager at the Pittsfield Veterans Outreach Center office. It opened on March 4 and I haven’t gone a day without someone walking through the door or calling here. We’re a grant-funded chapter of the non-profit organization Bilingual Veterans Outreach Centers of Massachusetts. Our goal is to not turn anyone away. From helping surviving spouses to someone just coming in to have a chat, this is a safe space for veterans.
