Special Events
Fall Luncheon
wednesday, September 24
The Friends of the Arts Center will be hosting their annual Fall Luncheon on Wednesday, September 24. They invite you and your friends to enjoy a lovely entrée, dessert, and live entertainment.
Tickets are $30 and are available at Kottke’s and the Arts Center. You may also purchase tickets online, with an additional $1 fee.
Owatonna Arts Center to Host Valuable Event on Suicide Prevention for People in the Community Living with PTSD
Authors of Veterans in Crisis to Lead a Presentation on Saturday, Oct. 18
When you hear someone bring up PTSD or Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, it’s natural to associate it with America’s most recent conflicts, the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. However, the trauma of war dates back to ancient times.
While in therapy for the trauma he suffered in the Vietnam War, Col. Wayne Quist of Lake City took on the task of researching the history of PTSD, and that’s not all. He has also researched how the ailment has affected people in Southern Minnesota, including his Uncle Joe, a World War II Veteran who was a ward of the Owatonna Orphanage. During and after the War, Joe suffered from severe PTSD.
On Saturday, October 18, 2025, Col. Quist and Dr. Steve Lansing, co-founders of Veterans Empowered Inc., will appear at the Owatonna Art Center for a special event during which they will share Joe’s story, which is told in the second of three books they have co-authored about PTSD. Joe’s Story, Untreated Trauma in a Decorated World War II Veteran, (released on Veterans Day in 2024), is a case study of a World War II veteran from General George Patton’s army during the Battle of the Bulge.
Col. Quist and Dr. Lansing will also share anecdotes from the latest book in the series, Veterans in Crisis Volume Three: PTSD, Jesse James and the Church that Jesse Built. The book officially releases during Jesse James Days in Northfield, Minnesota, in early September. It features the first PTSD analysis of Jesse James and the gang members who attempted to rob the Northfield Bank on September 7, 1876.
The first book in the series (released on Memorial Day 2024) is titled Veterans in Crisis: Treating the Unique Needs of Those Who Served. It illustrates the effects that war has had on soldiers from the beginning of time, well before the Bible—even before the written word—all the way through the wars of the 20th and 21st centuries, including the ongoing Ukraine and Gaza wars and the potential for nuclear war in our time.
“Though much has been published on PTSD, much of it is clinical and technical. Veterans in Crisis is unique in its approach and scope because the books are written in the language of young soldiers with PTSD, many of them high school dropouts with just a GED certificate,” said Dr. Lansing.
Veterans in Crisis isn’t just applicable to U.S. servicemen and women. Dr. Lansing points out the book series is also extremely helpful for first responders and their families, as well as for people from other countries, particularly those who have fled from traumatic situations, including warfare.
Veterans Empowered, Inc. is raising funds through grants and donations to support its clinic in Rochester where Dr. Lansing provides free PTSD therapy. He also gives the Veterans in Crisis books away for free to disabled veterans and their families, and to first responders.
Learn more online at www.vetsempowered.org
About the Authors
Steve Lansing, PhD, LICSW, is a Licensed Mental Health Professional, in Rochester, Minnesota with military experience. He served on active duty in the U.S. Air Force from 1966 to 1972. He was in Vietnam from 1968 to 1970.
After retiring from the service in 1972, he took advantage of the G.I. Bill to earn his PhD degree as a licensed mental health therapist specializing in trauma and PTSD with a focus on veterans and other victims of severe trauma. Dr. Lansing now has more than 50 years of clinical experience.
He was trained and is certified as an approved provider by the architects of Cognitive Processing Therapy with over 50 hours of clinical training and ongoing education and clinical work with dozens of individuals suffering from complex trauma. In his work with veterans, Steve is the mental health specialist for the 3rd Judicial District Veterans Treatment Court, and he consults with several veterans' organizations and is involved with local PTSD support groups.
Steve and his wife Ann, who is also a certified mental health specialist, are certified in Cognitive Behavior Conjoint Therapy, a process of working with intimate relationships where one of the parties suffers from PTSD. Steve has advanced degrees in psychology, social work, and pastoral counseling with additional training in crisis and trauma treatment. He is also a member of the SE Minnesota Mental Health Crisis Team. Steve is the founder of the dual recovery program, EmPower CTC, Rochester, Minnesota, and is President and Executive Director of Veterans Empowered, Inc., in Rochester.
B. Wayne Quist, Colonel USAF Retired, corporal USMCR, served in Vietnam from 1964 to 1968 and in the Middle East from 1968 to 1989. He has advanced degrees in management, history, international relations and psychology and is a published author on war trauma, history, and international relations. He is also in long term PTSD recovery under Dr. Lansing’s care.
Wayne also serves as the Secretary/Treasurer for Veterans Empowered, Inc., a Rochester, Minnesota-based nonprofit B. Wayne Quist is the author of publications in the fields of national security, political science and history, and spoke at the 2004 Nobel Peace Prize Forum. After 9/11, he was a popular speaker on the ideology of Al Qaeda and ISIS, writing and co- authoring several books and articles.
He has a B.A. from St. Olaf College in Northfield, Minnesota, where he grew up, and advanced degrees from University of Southern California and The National War College in Washington, D.C. Wayne served as a private and corporal in the Marine Corps Reserve and entered the Air Force through ROTC after graduation from St. Olaf. He retired as a full Colonel with 3,500 flying hours, serving in Vietnam, Europe, the Middle East, and The Pentagon in Washington, D.C.
About Veterans Empowered, Inc.
Veterans Empowered, Inc., is a Minnesota 501(c)3 nonprofit corporation, established to educate and inform veterans, first responders, care providers and the general public about post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) Learn more on the company’s website: www.vetsempowered.org
Mick Sterling Presents: Elton John with Strings
October 25, 2025
7:00-10:00 PM Concert
Save the date for this fundraiser concert to be held at the OAC in conjunction with our 50th Anniversary celebration. Ticket price is $50 per person. The event will have a cash bar of beer, wine, soda, and water; snacks to be provided.
Reservations for tables of (4) or (8) and any questions can be directed to OAC Board Member, Jane Middlestadt at 507.475.0138 or email: janem5775@gmail.com. Payment (cash or check made out to the OAC) must accompany the reservation.
pastimes fine arts and crafts sale
Pastimes Fine Arts and Crafts Sale is an Owatonna Arts Center tradition with an ever-changing cast of artists and craftspersons and quality handcrafted goods. The event encourages inner growth development in an expressive way for they participants, buyers, and organization.
Thursday, November 6, 2025 – 4-7 pm
Friday, November 7, 2025 – 9 am-7 pm
Saturday, November 8, 2025 – 9 am-3 pm
Artists and craft persons - please review the guidelines and complete the application:
Pastimes guidelines and application Word document
Pastimes guidelines and application PDF
A listing of concerts is available on our music concerts page and the classes page offers descriptions and link to registration.
