Meadows Museum to hold Air Force art exhibit

by Carla Pampe
Air Force Global Strike Command Public Affairs

9/12/2013 - BARKSDALE AIR FORCE BASE, La. -- The Meadows Museum of Art, Centenary College of Louisiana, will hold an art exhibit, "Air Force Art of the Atomic Age, Sept. 13-29 at the museum on the Centenary campus.

The exhibit, being held in cooperation with Air Force Global Strike Command, will feature 12 pieces of artwork from the Air Force Art Program which highlight the command and its Strategic Air Command heritage.

"It has been a long tradition of the military to capture the experiences of its military members through paintings," AFGSC Command Historian Yancy Mailes, said. "The Air Force Art Program began in 1950 with small of collection of art and since that time has expanded to include thousands of pieces.

Mailes said when the command was activated 2009, the Air Force Art Program sponsored several artists to capture the spirit of the Command's bomber mission by translating observations to canvas. Two of those paintings will be on exhibit, "Global Strike Force" and "We Keep 'Em Flying."

Lane Callaway, AFGSC History Office, has been working closely with the museum to set up the exhibit.

"This collaboration with Meadows Museum of Art on the Centenary College campus goes towards supporting the AFGSC commander in strengthening ties with the local community," Callaway said. "It also showcases how talented artists have captured on canvas their impressions of the Air Force at a specific time and circumstance."

In addition to the artwork, there will be a number of other displays.

"The selection is a good mix of art showing Air Force people, aircraft and missiles -- all related to the very essence of Air Force Global Strike Command," Callaway said. "In addition, the art exhibit is rounded out by numerous scale models of aircraft, missiles and a helicopter as well as some aviator flight items and Air Force picture books."

There will also be a commander's coin collection on display, and vintage news reels being shown in the museum's audiovisual room. On the Air Force's 66th birthday, Sept. 18, AFGSC Command Historian Yancy Mailes will give a lecture at 5:30 p.m. on the Air Force during the atomic age, which will focus on the social aspects of being associated with Strategic Air Command. The talk will focus on housing, social programs and improvements in quality of life to support the growing atomic mission of the early SAC era.

Admission to the exhibit is free and open to the public. For more information, contact the Meadows Museum of Art, Centenary College of Louisiana, (318) 869-5169. The museum is open noon-4 p.m. Tuesdays and Wednesdays, noon-5 p.m. Thursdays, noon-4 p.m. Fridays and 1-4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. For information on the Air Force Art Program, visit http://www.afapo.hq.af.mil/Presentation/main/Index.cfm