NASA Art by the Smithsonian: Fifty years

William Atkins
Wednesday, 21 May 2008 03:01

Science - Space

Numerous works by leading U.S. artists will be featured in the Smithsonian Institution’s traveling art exhibition for the 50th anniversary of the founding of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).


Featured artists include Norman Rockwell, Andy Warhol, Annie Leibovitz, and Doug and Mike Starn.

In one example, the piece “When Thoughts Turned Inward, by Henry Caselli, shows the mental preparation that an astronaut must take before being launched into space.

In another, Chakaia Booker’s piece called “Remembering Columbia” shows the image of the space shuttle Columbia and its crew in the remains of a tire retrieved from an earlier Columbia mission.

In a third example, American pop artist Andy Warhol shows Apollo 11 astronaut Buzz Aldrin in a “Moonwalk” silkscreen.

The title of the art exhibition is “NASA | Art 50 Years of Exploration.” It consists of nearly 50 years of artwork by numerous artists. Artists were commissioned by NASA beginning in 1962 when NASA administrator James Webb initiated the NASA Art Program.

Webb wanted various artists to interpret the important events, both accomplishments and defeats, by the space agency.

The forty to sixty pieces of artwork were selected from the collection held by NASA and the National Air and Space Museum. The selected works (pdf file), both illustrative and abstract, include photographs, audio art, text and graphic panels, labels, paper, sculptures, and drawings.

Bert Ulrich, the curator for the program, states, “Through the NASA Art Program, artists have been given an inside glimpse into the missions and programs which make up the space agency. Through their imaginations, artists have shared an entirely new interpretation of the NASA story with the public.” [NASA: “NASA's 50th Anniversary Inspires Smithsonian Traveling Art Exhibit."

To see a sneak preview of some of the art work, along with locations of some of the museums on the tour, please read on.