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.
We totally need to go back, my husband couldn’t go with us! Thanks for the reminder – it’s a great winter activity!
Shannan, the fact that you are finding ART in places you’d not have thought of is a perfect example of how we (humans) find ways of expressing ourselves via some form of ART in many aspects of our lives. Check out: http://summerfair.org/Blog/Continuing%20the%20conversation
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