2019 Coast Guard Art Program
The Coast Guard Art Program (COGAP) uses fine art as an outreach tool for educating diverse audiences about the United States Coast Guard. Through displays at museums, libraries and patriotic events, Coast Guard art tells the story of the service’s missions, heroes and history to the public. Art is also displayed in offices of members of Congress, senior officials of the executive branch of government and other military services and at Coast Guard locations throughout the country.
Coast Guard artists—most of whom are professional artists—volunteer their time and talents to help COGAP fulfill its missions. Today, the collection comprises nearly 2,000 works which are primarily paintings. These capture the daily missions the 40,400 men and women on active duty in the Coast Guard perform, including homeland security, search and rescue, marine environmental protection, drug interdiction, military readiness and natural resource management. Other works depict sea and air assets.
The program—celebrating its 38th anniversary this year—is a partnership between the Coast Guard and the Salmagundi Club, a New York City artistic and cultural center for over 140 years
Please enjoy this virtual exhibition of artwork from 2019.
Kirk Larsen
Oil
12 x 16
Hicksville, N.Y.
The Coast Guard Cutter Escanaba arrives to the rescue of the Gloucester lobster boat, the Michael and Kristen. The small commercial vessel lost engines some 200 miles southeast of Nantucket. Crew from the cutter passes a line to the boat from which a tow line is fed and which is used to pull the boat to safety.
Coast Guard Art Collection 201919
James Consor
Oil
24 x 30 inches
New York, N.Y.
Crew aboard the Coast Guard Cutter Katherine Walker, a 175-foot buoy tender, repair the chain and buoy in a channel in Newark Bay. The cutter is homeported in Bayonne, N.J., and has a crew of 24. The service maintains the more than 50,000 buoys, lights and beacons that make up the visual component of aids to navigation.
Coast Guard Art Collection 201908
John T. Ward
Acrylic
16 x 30 inches
Saranac Lake, N.Y.
A crewmember aboard a 47-foot motor lifeboat from Coast Guard Station Cape Disappointment in Washington battles the spray of heavy seas as he navigates the surf boat. The station is one of only 20 Coast Guard surf stations. Crews undergo rigorous training to ensure that they are prepared to respond to distress calls and maritime emergencies during storms that create high and very turbulent seas.
Coast Guard Art Collection 201939
Dennis Boom
Oil
18 x 24 inches
Hillsboro, Ore.
A crewmember from Coast Guard Station Tillamook Bay studies for advancement aboard one of the station’s three motor lifeboats (MLB). The MLB is docked near Garibaldi, Ore., where the station was moved in the early 1980s. The station is one of 20 surf boat stations in the service and its members are responsible for protecting over 2,000 square miles of the Eastern Pacific Ocean.
Coast Guard Art Collection 201906
Robert Tandecki
Mixed media
11 x 14 inches
Sumner, Wash.
Since the United States purchased Alaska from Russia, the Coast Guard has been a leader in the exploration of the Arctic region. On the first cruises in Alaskan waters, vessels of the United States Revenue Cutter Service carried geologists and surveyors who helped chart the new unexplored territory. Today, the Coast Guard continues to carry scientific teams to the North Pole aboard the Cutter Healy. Here, polar bears stand watch as the Healy breaks ice. The cutter is the nation’s largest and most technologically advanced icebreaker as well as the service’s largest vessel. The Healy is homeported in Seattle, Washington.
Coast Guard Art Collection 201933
Kathleen Denis
Oil
18 x 24 inches
Tavernier, Fla.
When Hurricane Irma struck in the summer of 2017 it caused widespread devastation and was one of the costliest hurricanes on record in the Atlantic basin. Damages in the affected area were estimated at $64.76 billion. Here Coast Guard Sector Key West crew replaces day markers in Hawks Channel which were damaged by the unforgiving storm.
Coast Guard Art Collection 201911
Acacia Anglin
Gouache
12 x 16 inches
Port Angeles, Wash.
Coast Guard explosives detection agent Blasio, a German Shepard, hones his agility skills under the watchful eyes of his handler a Marine Law Enforcement Specialist (MLE). The handler and his canine partner form a tight bond. Normally, the two will work together for the duration of the canine’s career. There are 16 such teams in the service. Like their four-legged partners, MLE’s also undergo rigorous training which takes place during a nine week course at the Maritime Law Enforcement Academy in Charleston, S.C.
Coast Guard Art Collection 201902
Dick Kramer
30 x 20 inches
Pencil
Leesburg, Va.
A member of the Tactual Law Enforcement Team (TACLET) at Air Station Miami stands as he pensively stands watch. The missions of these highly-trained service members include law enforcement, national and international security, and training foreign military and police forces. The Coast Guard introduced the concept of TACLETs over 30 years ago. Today, two units are deployed: one on the East Coast and the other on the West Coast in San Diego.
Coast Guard Art Collection 201918
Acacia Anglin
Gouache
12 x 16 inches
Port Angeles, Wash.
Coast Guard service members from Cutter Joshua Appleby and a commercial crew work together to safely return a beached pilot whale to waters 140 miles west of Clearwater, Fla. The 725-pound female whale, nicknamed “Gale” by the Coast Guard crew, is a member of the dolphin family and is second only to the killer whale in size. The Joshua Apply is a 175-foot Keeper Class Coastal Buoy Tender homeported at Sector St. Petersburg.
Coast Guard Art Collection 201903
Dino Sistilli
Oil
18 x 24 inches
West Deptford, N.J.
Hurricane Maria, a category five storm, devastated much of Puerto Rico in September 2017. It was one of the worst natural disasters on record and the strongest to hit Puerto Rico in more than 80 years. Nearly 3,000 lives were claimed by the storm whose economic impact is estimated at least $43 billion. The federal government responded with a massive aid effort and reconstruction continues to this day. Shown here are Coast Guard personnel delivering food and water to residents of San Sebastian.
Coast Guard Art Collection 201931
Daven Anderson
Watercolor
18 x 14 inches
St. Louis, Mo.
Coast Guard service members from St. Louis perform maintenance on aids to navigation in the Upper Mississippi and Missouri Rivers. The crew reclaim lost channel markers, while moving or replacing others and installing batteries in lighted markers. The service maintains the more than 50,000 buoys, lights and beacons that make up the visual component of aids to navigation.
Coast Guard Collection 201901
MK2 Jasen Newman
Oil
18 x 12 inches
Port Angeles, Wash.
A Maritime Security Response Team (MSRT) member lowers into a large boat from the Coast Guard Cutter Active. The MSRT serves here as part of the Joint Inter-Agency Task Force-South which detects and monitors illicit trafficking. Despite over fifty years of service, the Active is one of the most effective Coast Guard assets operating in the Eastern Pacific.
Coast Guard Art Collection 201922
Tom Hedderich
Watercolor
11.5 x 18 inches
Westtown, N.Y.
A Coast Guard petty officer is kissed by his canine partner Strike while undergoing hoist training. The two partners are from the Canine Explosive Detection Team, a part of the Maritime Safety and Security Team stationed at Kings Bay, Ga. Canine service members remain with their human partners for the duration of their careers.
Coast Guard Art Collection 201917
Louis Stephen Gadal
Watercolor
14 x 20
Los Angeles, Calif.
Crew on small boat from the Coast Guard Cutter Swordfish inspects a recreational boat in the Puget Sound. The 87-foot Cutter Swordfish is a patrol boat homeported in Port Angeles, Wash. It performs many missions including maritime law enforcement, search and rescue, and protecting living marine resources.
Coast Guard Art Collection 201915
Ron Weil
14 x 18 inches
Oregon City, Ore.
Coast Guard marine inspectors examine all vessels, foreign and domestic, entering American ports to ensure the safety, security and adherence to regulations required by Congress. Here a highly trained marine inspection team in the engine room of a visiting ship checks the condition of its equipment and ensures safety protocols are observed.
Coast Guard Art Collection 201940
Emily Waldman
Watercolor and ink
10 x 12 inches
Pittsford, N.Y.
A Coast Guard lieutenant looks pensively at the horizon while on the bridge of the Cutter Mackinaw. The service maintains its heavy icebreaking capability on the Great Lakes to assist in keeping channels and harbors navigable during winter to meet the shipping needs of industry. The cutter is the Coast Guard’s only heavy icebreaker on the Great Lakes and was designed to provide multi-mission capabilities with state of the art systems.
Coast Guard Art Collection 201937
Charles Van Horn
Watercolor
28 x 20 inches
Glen Head, N.Y.
When a fire occurred after the explosion of a fuel tank near San Juan, the Coast Guard Cutter Matinicus provided assistance while establishing a security and safety zone. Fortunately, there were no injuries. After several days, the fire was under control. The cutter, a 110-foot patrol boat, is homeported in San Juan.
Coast Guard Art Collection 201936
C.R. “Bob” Bryant
16 x 20 inches
Cape Neddick, Maine
A Coast Guard small harbor tug conducts icebreaking on the Kennebec River. Coast Guard icebreakers, in cooperation with the Canadian Coast Guard, keep Great Lakes and Northeastern U.S. waterways open for commercial traffic, assist vessels transiting ice-filled waterways and prevent ice-related flooding.
Coast Guard Art Collection 201907
Amy DiGi
Oil
16 x 20 inches
Yonkers, N.Y.
Crew from the Coast Guard Cutter Penobscot Bay conducts ice rescue operations on the Hudson River. Communication between the crew and the service member deployed to rescue is critical and hand signals are often employed in pulling a victim to safety. Homeported in Bayonne, N.J., this Bay-class icebreaking tug is responsible for ice-covered waterways in New York City and the Hudson Valley as well as throughout coastal New England.
Coast Guard Art Collection 201912
Jim Stagner
Watercolor
14.5 x 22 inches
Johnson City, Tenn.
Hurricane Florence, a powerful storm that whipped parts of the Carolinas, caused catastrophic damage, most of which was from flooding. More than 50 people lost their lives in the storm that totaled some $24 billion in damages. T he Coast Guard quickly arrived on scene. Here crewmembers in a shallow water boat, along with local authorities, rescue imperiled North Carolinians.
Coast Guard Art Collection 201932
Frank Gaffney
Oil
20 x 16 inches
Mountlake Terrace, Wash.
A Coast Guard aircrew, local fire and rescue medics and the victim’s father transport an injured hiker to a MH-65 Dolphin helicopter which landed below a cliff on a tidal pool in Whale Cove, Ore. The hiker needed Coast Guard assistance when local rescuers were unable to transport him to a nearby hospital.
Coast Guard Art Collection 201916
LT Rebecca Rebar
Acrylic
28 x 20 inches
Kodiak, Alaska
A Damage Controlman aboard the Cutter Spar in Juneau, Alaska, competes in the Buoy Tender Roundup Olympics by heating a shackle during the heat and beat competition. The Buoy Tender Olympics blends competition and camaraderie with the day-to-day work crews are required to perform.
Coast Guard Art Collection 201923
Robert Selby
4 x 2 feet
Colton, N.Y.
The crew depicted in the center panel is aboard the small boat of Fast Response Cutter Joseph Tezanos as the crew transfers illegal migrants to the Dominican Navy off the coast of the Dominican Republic. On the left, a male service member stands watch as the cutter exits San Juan harbor. On the right, a female service member stands watch as the cutter approaches Mona Island.
Coast Guard Art Collection 201924
Del-Bourree Bach
Acrylic
12 x 16 inches
Mystic, Conn.
Hundreds of thousands of marine mammals and sea turtles die yearly from entanglement on fishing nets and gear. But this turtle was a lucky one: Spotted by crew from the Coast Guard Cutter Harriet Lane, it was cut from nets and then gently released into waters off the Puerto Rican shore. The service’s mission protecting living marine resources is critical to saving endangered marine life.
Coast Guard Art Collection 201904
James Consor
Oil
24 x 30 inches
New York, N.Y.
A Coast Guard welder aboard the Cutter Katherine Walker repairs a chain cable from an anchor to a channel buoy marker from Newark Bay. Safety tie-downs normally secured on aboard by the buoy have been temporarily removed to facilitate repairs. The cutter is homeported in Bayonne, N.J.
Coast Guard Art Collection 201909
MST3 Thomas Unger
Coffee
16 x 20 inches
Morehead City, N.C.
A Coast Guard Marine Science Technician (MST) signals the crew of a foreign-flagged vessel to seal a mask leaking air. The crew is performing a fire drill during a Port State Control (PSC) exam to test the crew’s proficiency in fighting shipboard fires. PSC officers verify that foreign-flagged vessels operating in U.S. waters comply with applicable international conventions, U.S. laws, and U.S. regulations. The goal of the PSC program is to identify and eliminate substandard ships from U.S. waters.
Coast Guard Art Collection 201934
Karen Loew
Oil
24 x 18 inches
New York, N.Y.
Crew aboard a small boat is lowered from the Coast Guard National Security Cutter (NSC) Bertholf during a counterdrug patrol in the Eastern Pacific Ocean. The Coast Guard is the lead federal agency for drug interdiction on the high seas. NSCs—among the largest cutters in the service—are 418 feet long and have three small boats which can be lowered from the side or stern.
Coast Guard Art Collection 201920
Amy DiGi
Oil
18 x 18 inches
Yonkers, N.Y.
Crew from the Coast Guard Cutter Penobscot Bay assists a loaded tug moving a barge through ice on the Hudson River in support of Operation Reliable Energy for Northeast Winters. This program run by the Coast Guard ensures communities there have supplies and resources needed throughout the cold season. The cutter is homeported in Bayonne, N.J.
Coast Guard Art Collection 201913
Mike Mazer
Watercolor
16 x 20 inches
Mattapoisett, Mass.
Crew aboard the Coast Guard Cutter Ida Lewis, a 175-foot Keeper Class Coastal Cutter, repairs a buoy in the Cape Cod Canal in Buzzards Bay, Mass. The cutter, homeported in Newport, R.I., also conducts search and rescue, domestic icebreaking and coastal security missions.
Coast Guard Art Collection 201921
James Dyekman
Watercolor
20 x 16 inches
Chesapeake City, Md.
A Coast Guard singer and band members are shown as they perform in myriad venues around the country. The Band educates young and old about the Coast Guard. Its home is at the Coast Guard Academy in New London, Conn.
Coast Guard Art Collection 201914
Susanne Corbelletta
Oil
20 x 30 inches
Glen Head, N.Y.
Coast Guard Air Station Kodiak welcomes the first HC-130J Super Hercules. Five more of the planes are planned for this year. These will replace the HC-130H model planes. The new plane boasts advanced engines and propellers. They provide a 20 percent increase in speed and altitude, and a 40 percent increase in range. The new aircraft also features state-of-the-art avionics, including all-glass cockpit displays and improved navigation equipment, a feature that will aid in Alaska’s unforgiving weather and terrain.
Coast Guard Art Collection 201910
James Wall
Watercolor
12 x 15 inches
Bloomington, Ill.
Crew from the Cutter Spar works on buoy maintenance. Here the Damage Controlman cuts buoy moorings while a second crew member sorts the chain. The service maintains the more than 50,000 buoys, lights and beacons that make up the visual component of aids to navigation.
Coast Guard Art Collection 201938
Leendert van der Pool
Oil
18 x 24 inches
Brooklyn, N.Y.
Coast Guard Cutter Bertholf crewmembers prepare to launch a 33-foot small boat from the stern of the cutter during a counterdrug patrol in the Eastern Pacific Ocean. National Security Cutters, among the largest vessels in the service, are 418 feet long and have three small boats which can be launched from the stern or lowered down the side of the cutter by davit cranes.
Coast Guard Art Collection 201935
Robert Selby
Colton, N.Y.
In 2018, COGAP artist Robert Selby visited Sector San Juan where he deployed abroad the Joseph Tezanos from May 5 to May 17. During his stay on board, the artist created a sketchbook of some 36 drawings which captured life aboard the ship and the important work being done by the officers and crew. These were mounted and framed on six panels. Shown here is the first of the six panels.
Coast Guard Art Collection 201925 through 201930
Dennis Boom
Oil
15 x 30 inches
Hillsboro, Ore.
A motor lifeboat (MLB) crew from Coast Guard Station Fort Macon, N.C., conducts high speed training. The crew is trained to respond to distress calls and maritime emergencies during storms that create exceedingly high, turbulent seas with surf often over 15 feet in height. Surfmen are among the service’s most proficient small boat operators.
Coast Guard Art Collection 201905