NASA | ART: 50 Years of Exploration
Wednesday, July 14 at 11:53 AM
Tallahassee, FL—Secretary of State Dawn K. Roberts is pleased to announce the opening of a new Smithsonian traveling exhibit at the Museum of Florida History titled NASA | ART: 50 Years of Exploration. The exhibit will open on July 23 and extend through October 10, 2010.
“We are thrilled that the Museum will be able to showcase this extraordinary exhibit about a critical part of Florida’s history,” said Secretary Roberts. “It brings science, art, and history together in a unique way for us to learn from and enjoy.”
NASA | ART features 73 works of art, drawn from the collections of NASA and the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum including framed photographs, drawings, paintings, sculpture, audio art, mixed media, text and graphic panels. These works of art range from illustrative to abstract and highlight well-known artists who have contributed to the exhibit including Robert Rauschenberg, Annie Leibovitz, Andy Warhol, Jamie Wyeth and others.
The artistic objects featured in the exhibit date from the inception of the NASA Art Program in 1962, when NASA administrator James E. Webb asked a group of artists to illustrate, interpret and clarify the space agency’s missions and projects. Since then, painters, musicians and conceptual artists have been with NASA every step of the way. Established soon after the inception of the U.S. space program in 1958, NASA’s art program was created to provide a unique way to communicate the accomplishments, setbacks, and sheer excitement of space exploration to the public.
The Museum will also feature additional exhibits that explore the space program in Florida. The Heritage Gallery on the first floor will highlight The Space Program in Florida with 39 historical photographs and text panels arranged into six categories. These images show the early years in Florida as NASA was developing. The photographs were selected from the State Archives’ Florida Photographic Collection, and to see more photos, go to www.floridamemory.com. The Curator’s Choice exhibit in the Museum, NASA in Florida, will include NASA-related items from the Museum’s collection, as well as two samples of moon rocks from the collection.
NASA | ART: 50 Years of Exploration was organized by the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration in cooperation with the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum.
The Museum of Florida History is located in the R. A. Gray Building at 500 South Bronough Street, in Tallahassee, Florida. Museum hours are Monday through Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.; Saturday 10:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.; Sunday and holidays noon to 4:30 p.m. The Museum also features Florida’s History Shop and Fat Sandwich café. Admission to the Museum and covered parking are free. For more information, contact 850.245.6400 or go online to www.museumoffloridahistory.com.
