Description

The National Museum of the U.S. Air force is pleased to announce the opening of a temporary exhibit on loan from the National Museum of the Marine Corps. Sponsored by the Marine Corps Heritage Foundation, the traveling art exhibition Honor, Courage, Commitment: Marine Corps Art, 1975-2018 will be on display through Dec. 17 in the museum’s Cold War Gallery. The show includes 36 works by 15 combat artists, portraying Marine Corps service from the mid-1970s through the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. The exhibit is traveling to six American cities from early 2021 until mid-2023. The Marine Corps Combat Art Program relies on talented Marines and civilians to document the ongoing missions of the Corps. The guidance they get is simple: “Go to war and do art.” The 34 works on canvas and two sculptures speak to the experiences of the artists, most of whom were deployed around the globe. The show is divided among three themes: “Every Clime and Place,” which illustrates the nation’s global force in readiness—able to respond rapidly to any location; “No Better Friend, No worse Enemy,” which portrays Marines capable of fighting the enemy but also delivering aid to those in need; and “The Price,” which provides a glimpse of the sacrifices our men and women in uniform and their families make. “Marine Corps art is up close and personal. It is about the individual Marine—in combat, during training, or while delivering assistance during times of great need,” said Lin Ezell, Curator Emeritus of the Marine Corps. “This art helps us better appreciate those who wear the uniform of today’s military service members.” “The Marine Corps Heritage Foundation is pleased to sponsor this exhibition,” said Major General James W. Lukeman, USMC (ret.), who serves as President and CEO of MCHF. “Not everyone is able to travel to the National Museum of the Marine Corps to see its treasures. This program enables us to share Marine Corps history—and its art—more widely.”