Adventures with the Coast Guard

I am involved with the Coast Guard Art Program and here is my latest press release about it.



Press Release

United States Coast Guard Accepts Ken Smith Painting into their Permanent Collection

WHO: Ken Smith, Historical Artist

WHAT: Air Station Savannah, an oil painting by Ken Smith has a new home at the United States Coast Guard Permanent Collection

WHEN: March 2009

WHERE: Coast Guard Art Program

AET 2 Taylor Andersen stands firmly, well grounded in spite of the fact that she is standing on the roof of a blaze orange Coast Guard helicopter. She looks directly at you with an unwavering gaze – strong, confident, and empowered in her homeland security duties – and captured forever in this moment by the vision and brushstrokes of artist and illustrator, Ken Smith.

Smith, who has been a participant in the Coast Guard Art Program (COGAP) for the past two years, chose to depict the service of female Coast Guard members in this year’s painting. Smith was one of only six COGAP artists who were chosen for official Coast Guard Artist deployment in 2008 – each being tasked to travel to various USCG bases to research their subject matter. It was this assignment that took him to St, Mary’s, Georgia and on to Air Station Savannah during the summer of 2008.

“The Coast Guard can be one of the most dangerous branches of all the Services, not only dealing with homeland security tasks, but often also at odds with weather and sea. I am privileged to be able to add my voice to the throng of Americans who appreciate their dedication and commitment. ” Smith says about being a part of COGAP.

Chosen by the Excellence Committee of the Salmagundi Club, a New York City artistic and cultural center for over 130 years, Ken Smith’s painting, Air Station Savannah, is now part of the United States Coast Guard Permanent Collection. Smith will be honored with a commendation at a formal acceptance ceremony at the Salmagundi Club in New York this summer.

The Coast Guard Art Program uses visual arts to communicate the history and the current life of this branch of military service. The collection, which includes over 1,800 works, is shown at galleries, museums, and Coast Guard bases, as well as at other U.S. government locations both at home and abroad. To learn more about the United States Coast Guard Art Program, visit http://www.uscg.mil/community/Art_Program.asp.

Smith currently is an Assistant Professor of Graphic Design at Radford University in Radford, VA. He holds a BFA from the University of Tennessee, an MA from Syracuse University and a MFA from the University of Hartford. He is also available for commissions and portraits. To see more of Smith’s work, visit www.kensmithhistoricalart.com.