T
he Coast Guard Art Program (CoGAP) uses fine art as an out1 reach tool for educating the public about the US Coast G uard. Through public exhibitions, Coast Guard art tells the story of the service's missions, heroes, and history. CoGAP artists are professional artists who volunteer their time and donate their works to help further this mission. Today, the collection comprises more than 1,700 works which trace the Coast Guard's history, from its beginnings as the Revenue C utter Service to its participation in World War II, Vietnam, D esert Storm, and the Iraq War. Paintings and drawings also capture the daily work of the 41,000 men and women serving in the Coast Guard as they perform their duties, including homeland security, search and rescue, marine environmental protection, drug interdiction, military readiness, maintenance of aids to navigation, and natural resource management. In the last three years, CoGAP has organized over 120 exhibitions, displays and loans involving over a thousand paintings throughour the country. Selections from the collection have been chosen by the US State D epartment for its prestigious Art in Embassies Program. CoGAP was founded in the early 198 0s by George Gray, an active artist for over seven decades. A muralist and illustrator, he specialized in historical and military themes. Mr. Gray served as CoGAP's chairman and tireless champion for more than twenty years. Artists wishing to become members submit samples of their work to the membership chair of the program's co-sponsor, the Salmagundi C lub in New York C ity, which selects those of highest artistic merit. CoGAP artists submit works for potential acceptance into the permanent Coast Guard collection in January of each year. These submissions are juried by both the Salmagundi Club and the Coast Guard. For more information on CoGAP, contact: Mary Ann Bader, Coordinator, Coast G uard Art Program, Community Relations Branch (CG-09223), Office of Public Affairs, 2100 2nd St., SW, Washington, DC 20593; e-mail: Mary.A.Bader@uscg.mil.
Linda Norton is a member of the Coast Guard A rt Program with four watercolors accepted into their permanent collection. As a CoGAP artist, she can apply to sail aboard US Coast Guard vessels when security and schedules allow it. In these two paintings, she depicts crew members aboard the USCG training barque Eagle. (left) "Cadet Carla," (above right:) "Cadet Aloft. " SEA HISTORY 119, SUMMER 2007