The USAF Art Program of the United States Air Force

United States Air Force

The United States Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the American uniformed services. Initially part of the United States Army, the USAF was formed as a separate branch of the military on September 18, 1947 under the National Security Act of...

 was begun in 1950, with the transfer of ~800 works of art from the United States Army

United States Army

The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...

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History

The program expanded to offer artist the opportunity to travel with the Air Force to locations around the world to witness military facilities and exercises for the purpose of recording these events in the form of paintings. Artists were selected from the various professional groups around the nation, such as the "Societies of Illustrators" in New York, Los Angeles, and San Francisco.

Headquarters

The Society has its headquarters and museum located in New York City. Today, there are nearly 9,000 works in the Air Force Art Program and the Society of Illustrators has been joined by other organizations* and independent artists to continue documenting Air Force personnel, equipment, locations and activities. While they accord the artist all courtesies and privileges as an equivalent grade of GS15/rank or Colonel, the artist’s income and opportunities are suspended during the assignment and creation of the work. Additionally, all work is donated to the Air Force without any permissible tax deductions.

Artists of the Air Force Art Program where actually caught in the fighting of Hue, Vietnam, during the Tet Offensive.

Every eighteen months, a tuxedo banquet was held in Washington DC, for the participating artists of that period. Hosted by the Secretary of the Air Force.

The Program lost considerable funding during the Clinton administration military cutbacks in the 1990s.

See also

• United States Army Art Program
  United States Army Art Program
  The U.S. Army Art Program or United States Army Combat Art Program is a program created by the United States Army to create artwork for museums and other programs sponsored by the US Army...
  
  
• American official war artists
  American official war artists
  American official war artists have been part of the American military since 1917. Artists are unlike the objective camera lens which records only a single instant and no more. The war artist captures instantaneous action and conflates earlier moments of the same scene within one compelling...