Now that I am working in the arts, I feel like I am starting to notice art more and more everywhere I go. Not the obvious places… but in places where you wouldn’t expect to find it.
Take yesterday for example.
Yesterday I had the opportunity to tour the National Museum of the US Air Force in Dayton, Ohio with my son’s Boy Scout troop. While I thought I would just be seeing airplanes and learning about the roles they played throughout history, I was pleasantly surprised by all the art I found. From paintings on planes to custom bomber jackets to graffiti walls & comic strips, I discovered that art was, and is, a part of the US Air Force.
Plane art representing various Bombardment Wings. I just loved the display of Bomb Wing art. I found it interesting that it ran the gamut from tame cartoon characters to menacing warriors.
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From what I have read, air plane nose art emerged during WWII and could range from cartoon character inspired drawings to busty pinup girls to intimidating animals.
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During our trip, we signed up to tour the Presidential Hanger. I expected the planes to be pretty straight forward, much like you see in the movies. Imagine my surprise when I saw that both Eisenhower & Truman had art on their planes.
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Clothing was also often times personalized. I just loved the collection of Bomber Jackets on display. You can just imagine the thought and care that went into personalizing each one of them.
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Not only was cartooning a part of the Air Force news paper, but soldiers also got involved, as seen on these graffiti walls brought back from a base over seas. The cartoonist featured above was Technical Sargent John H. “Jake” Schuffert. From what I read, he spent 40+ years creating these cartoons for the Airlift Times, the official newspaper of the Air Force for Airlift personnel.
