Coast Guard Art Exhibition Opens at Coos History Museum, March 22

Coos History Museum release.  Fifteen works of art by 11 United States Coast Guard artists – more than half of whom are from the West – will be on view at the Coos History Museum from July 12 through September 16, 2018. The 15 works depict the missions of the U.S. Coast Guard, including search and rescue cases, buoy tending operations and surf boat patrols.  Many of the works depict events occurring in the West and Northwestern parts of this country. Western artists whose work will be on view are Dennis Boom, Hillsboro, OR; Frank Gaffney, Mountlake Terrace, WA; Louis Gadal, Los Angeles, CA; MK2 Jasen Newman, Port Angeles, WA; Robert Tandecki, Albuquerque, NM; Peter DeWeerdt, Tucson, AZ; and Pete Michels, Stevenson Ranch, CA.  The four others are Karen Loew, New York, NY; Susanne Corbeletta, Glen Head, NY; Ken Smith, Pulaski, VA; and John Ward, Saranac Lake, NY. This marks the 37th anniversary of the Coast Guard Art Program – known as COGAP.  The program utilizes fine art as an outreach tool for educating diverse audiences about the United State Coast Guard.  Today, more than ever, the service addresses an abundance of challenges as it works to maintain the nation’s security at home and abroad and execute its 11 statutory missions such as drug interdiction, marine safety and maritime law enforcement.  COGAP art provides visual testimony to the unique contribution the Coast Guard makes to the nation in its multifaceted role as a military, humanitarian and law enforcement organization. COGAP members give their works for free to the collection, which today contains nearly 2,000 pieces depicting the missions performed by the Coast Guard’s approximately 40,000 active duty members.  Since the program’s inception, it has been sponsored by the Salmagundi Club, a noted New York city cultural and art Center. The Coos History Museum will waive admission to veterans and their spouse/partner now through December 31, 2018.  The free admission program was created through generous financial support from the Coquille Tribal Community Fund and the Mr. and Mrs. Michael L. Keiser Foundation. Veterans will need to provide their branch of service and ZIP Code upon admission. To learn more about COGAP and the Coos History Museum, please visit the websites:
https://www.uscg.mil/Community/Art-Program/  and https://cooshistory.org.