Thursday, March 5
Restore KC: From Gotham City to Kansas: The Artist & The Full Circle Moment 30 Years Later
6:00 to 7:00 p.m. CST
Free to view on the Museum’s Facebook page
Click here to view
After eleven years of dedication, this virtual discussion marks the final chapter of a collection humanizing the deployment stories of Special Operations Forces (SOF) veterans.
While artist Mitchel Coffman’s journey was rooted in art school, his subjects’ paths led to prolific military careers—yet their shared foundation was laid 30 years ago as high school wrestling teammates and rivals. This conversation reunites the artist with three subjects of his final painting: his former teammate, Green Beret LTC Rory O’Connor (retired, working for Primordial Labs in Tampa), and his two former rivals, Army LTC Jon “Batman” Godwin (stationed at Ft. Leavenworth now at Ft. Jackson) and Air Force Col. Charlie Goetz (born in Kansas and now lives in D.C.)
Reconnecting for the first time in decades, this conversation bridges the gap between the studio and the battlefield to reveal the raw human soul behind the warrior archetype. This conversation offers a rare behind-the-scenes look at the closing of a decade-long creative mission and a powerful intersection of life stories for men whose paths diverged after the final whistle.
Ultimately, it is a tribute to the power of visual storytelling, closing the book on an 11-year journey with this meaningful final chapter.
About artist Mitchel Coffman:
Mitchel Coffman is an award-winning, New York City-based independent artist dedicated to the power of visual storytelling. Driven by the unfulfilled artistic aspirations of his father, an illustrator, Coffman transformed a legacy of “what-if” into a disciplined career. He earned both his B.F.A. and M.F.A. from the Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD), where he also helped establish the school’s men’s lacrosse program as a founding member.
Coffman’s technical foundation was forged through elite mentorship, from early work with animator Walter Storozuk to a pivotal graduate apprenticeship under master painter Jorge Alvarez. This unique lineage of influence—spanning the precision of animation to the depth of classical painting—defines his signature style.
Blending athletic perseverance with a deep respect for tradition, Coffman creates work that honors his roots while pushing the boundaries of contemporary practice.
