Coast Guard Art Program : inaugural exhibition
Exhibit
Date
Location
Sponsor
Exhibition Hours
Saturday – Sunday | 1:00 PM – 5:00 PM
Admission
Open to the public
Free to attend
This year marks the 44th anniversary of the Coast Guard Art Program. Today, the collection holds some 2,300 works that capture the myriad missions the active-duty men and women of the Coast Guard perform daily, including homeland security and national defense, search and rescue, marine environmental protection, migrant interdiction, and natural resource management. Paintings and drawings bring to life the work performed by the Coast Guard and vividly demonstrate the Service’s contributions to the country. All works are generously donated by COGAP members, most of whom are professional artists.
About Coast Guard Art Program
The Coast Guard Art Program (COGAP) uses 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 executes its statutory missions. COGAP art provides visual testimony to the unique contribution the Service makes to the nation in its multifaceted roles as a military, humanitarian and law enforcement organization. Art from the program is exhibited at museums around the country. It is displayed in the offices of members of Congress, cabinet secretaries, senior government officials and other military services and Coast Guard locations nationwide. It has also been displayed by the State Department overseas in its Art in Embassies program.
2024 George Gray award recipient for artistic excellence
Ken Stetz
oil
15 x 24 inches
Collegeville, PA
About the artwork
Coast Guard Cutters ANGELA MCSHAN and SENECA conduct joint search and rescue drills. Crewmembers aboard the ANGELA MCSHAN brace against heavy rolls as the SENECA makes its approach during a simulated disabled vessel drill. The cutter ANGELA MCSHAN stands dead in the water during the drill, simulating the challenging rescues these cutters are called to address.
About the artist
The New Jersey born artist has had a lifelong interest in art. After graduating from the Harry Lundeberg School of Seamanship and working aboard a U.S. flag container ship, he pursued a career in art.
He studied pictorial illustration, receiving a degree at the Spectrum Institute for the Advertising Arts, and oil painting in the studio of noted American artist Frank E. Zuccarelli. After a highly accomplished career in graphic design and illustration, the artist turned his attention to fine art, drawing and painting marine subjects from the New Jersey Shore and other coastal areas. His paintings have won awards in juried shows including best painting in watercolor.
His work was also chosen for publication in a noted book on art. The artist is a signature member of the American Society of Marine Artists and has exhibited his work in its national exhibitions. He is also an art instructor and conducts demonstrations and workshops. . Upon learning that he had won the prestigious George Gray Award, Mr. Stetz remarked: “I am honored to receive such a distinguished award and am proud of my association with the U.S. Coast Guard through COGAP.”