WASHINGTON -- The Smithsonians National Air and Space Museum has partnered with the National Museum of the Marine Corps to celebrate the centennial anniversary of Marine Corps aviation.
With the beginning of 2012 it is time to switch our sites to the Marine Corps and its own proud tradition of flight, said Jack Daily the director of the Smithsonians National Air and Space Museum.
To celebrate this historic event, the two museums are displaying 91 works of art from the Marine Corps Combat Art Program.
The art program began in 1942 to keep Americans informed about what their Marines were doing at home and overseas, and now has more than 8,000 pieces.
The art on display includes scenes from as early as World War I to Operation Enduring Freedom.
The exhibit also provides human and historical context, such as uniforms and memorabilia from aviation and the combat artists materials used to capture the moments in aviation history.
You can come to this wonderful museum and see art work that features Marines from Vietnam and even from the early days of aviation, said Staff Sgt. Kristopher Battles, a combat artist with the National Museum of the Marine Corps. This is a wonderful place to tell the Marine Corps story.
The Smithsonians National Air and Space Museum will be opening the year-long exhibition Jan. 14, 2012, coinciding with the national observance of the centennial.