New York City— Artwork by eight professional artists and Coast Guard Art Program (COGAP) members from the Greater New York area is currently on display at Federal Hall National Memorial through September 8, 2015.
These original paintings depict the missions of the Coast Guard, New York City’s maritime guardians and the largest active duty military force in the New York City area. Along with the works of the local artists are those of 16 other artists from around the country.
The area artists are: James Consor of Manhattan; Susanne Corbelletta of Glen Head, N.Y.; Tom Hedderich of Westtown, N.Y.; Karen Loew of Manhattan; Mara Sfara of Farmington, Conn.; Lieut. Ken Sauerbrunn of Jersey City, N.J.; Leendert van der Pool of Brooklyn; and Marty Walsh of Middle Village, N.Y.
Their works vividly bring to life the myriad missions performed by the Coast Guard. Subjects portrayed, to name but a few, include daring search and rescue cases, national defense patrols and maritime environmental protection.
The exhibition celebrates the 225th anniversary of the service. Federal Hall is located on the exact site where Alexander Hamilton had offices when he was Secretary of the Treasury. While secretary, Hamilton established the Revenue Cutter Service, considered the forerunner of today’s Coast Guard. Metro area artists’ work will be hung along with 19 additional pieces from other COGAP members.
COGAP, which began in 1981, utilizes fine art as an outreach tool for educating diverse audiences about the 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 marine environmental protection. 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—many of whom are professional artists—donate their works to the collection, which today contains nearly 2,000 pieces depicting the missions performed by the Coast Guard’s approximately 42,400 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.
Federal Hall National Memorial at 26 Wall Street is located diagonally across from the New York Stock Exchange. It is open Monday through Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. and admission is free.
To learn more about COGAP and Federal Hall, visit www.uscg.mil/art and www.nps.gov/feha.
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Editor’s Note: Interaction, interviews with 1 or more of the local artists can be arranged for media, on site at Federal Hall. Advance notice is required to synch with artists’ calendars.
Editor’s Note: High resolution images of the 2015 collection can be seen and downloaded at https://www.dvidshub.net/search/?q=Coast+Guard+Art+Program+2015+Collecti... Click on any image and the gallery showing all works in the 2015 collection will appear on the right.