2023 Coast Guard Art Program
About the Coast Guard Art Program
The Coast Guard Art Program (COGAP) uses fine art as an outreach tool for educating diverse audiences about the Coast Guard. Today, the Service addresses an abundance of challenges as it works to maintain the nation’s security at home and abroad and execute its statutory missions. COGAP art provides visual testimony to the unique contribution to the nation in its multifaceted roles as a military, humanitarian and as a law enforcement organization. Museums around the country exhibit art from the program. It is displayed in the offices of members of Congress, Cabinet secretaries, senior government officials and other military services and Coast Guard leadership and locations nationwide. The overseas State Department also display these works in its Art in Embassies program.
This year marks the 42nd anniversary of the COGAP. The collection holds over 2,000 works that capture the myriad missions the active-duty men and women of the Coast Guard perform daily. Including homeland security, search and rescue, marine environmental protection, drug interdiction, national defense and natural resource management. Paintings and drawings bring to life the work performed by the Coast Guard and vividly demonstrate the Service’s contributions to the country.
The 2023 collection is comprised of 38 works created by 25 artists. Among missions captured in these works are training exercises that help the Coast Guard be Semper Paratus, illegal migrant interdiction operations, protection of the marine environment and living marine resources, work on aids to navigation, canines in service to the Coast Guard, as well as daring search and rescue missions including the Service’s response to the devastation wrought by hurricanes. COGAP members, most of whom are professional artists, donate all the featured pieces.
Please enjoy this virtual exhibition of artwork from 2023.
2022 George Gray Award Recipient
Debris cleanup in Hawaii
Debra Keirce
Oil
20 x 16 inches
Broadlands, Virginia
Currents in the Pacific Ocean bring derelict fishing nets and gear to Hawaiian waters. These pose safety hazards to ships and cause extensive damage to the ecosystem by snagging on coral reefs and en-tangling wildlife. Here a crewmember from the Coast Guard Cutter WALNUT recovers fishnet from Lisianski Island and the Pearl and Hermes reefs. The WALNUT was joined by personnel from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to remove more than 57,000 pounds of marine debris.
Coast Guard Art Collection 202222
One Service: Many Missions
Pile Driving in portsmouth
Kristin Hosbein
Oil
20 x 16 inches
St. Joseph, Michigan
Crew of the Coast Guard Cutter KENNEBEC demonstrate pile driving aboard the cutter docked in Portsmouth, Va., its homeport. Pile driving is a construction method used to embed vertical columns or structures in place. At the same time, an MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter seen in the distance arrives to perform a search and rescue demonstration on the Elizabeth River. Normally the two events do not occur in tandem but were staged here for participants in an educational seminar on the Coast Guard and homeland security.
Coast Guard Art Collection 202317
One Service: Many Missions
Unmoored
Don Hatcher
Gouache
12 x 9 inches
Newport, Washington
When a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration weather buoy became loose from its mooring, the Coast Guard was called to help. Crew dispatched from Coast Guard Station Grays Harbor in Westport, Wash., intercepted the weather buoy on its wayward voyage and safely towed it inland.
Coast Guard Art Collection 202311
One Service: Many Missions
Ice diving in the ANTARCTIC
Stephen Roberson
Acrylic
16 x 20 inches
Arlington, Virginia
A crewmember of the Coast Guard Cutter POLAR STAR executes a scuba dive in the frigid waters off McMurdo Station in Antarctica. He was joined by divers from the U.S. Army and the Canadian Navy in determining if the aging cutter, a heavy icebreaker, required repairs. At 399-feet long, it is among the largest cutters operated by the Coast Guard and designed for open-water icebreaking. The cutter and crew were working in support of Operation Deep Freeze—the military’s contribution to the National Science Foundation-managed polar research program.
Coast Guard Art Collection 202329
One Service: Many Missions
Joint defense operations
MK1 Jasen Newman
Charcoal, chalk and pastel
18 x 12 inches
Kodiak, Alaska
Two members of the Maritime Security Response Team West await extraction from the flight deck of the Coast Guard Cutter ALEX HALEY by a U.S. Air Force Combat rescue helicopter. The event took place during joint defense operations aimed at protecting the Nation from threats at sea and in air. As part of the Coast Guard’s national defense mission, the Service has command responsibility for the Maritime Defense Zone. The helicopter here depicted, a Jolly Green HH-60W, recalls a smaller version used during the Vietnam War for search and rescue operations.
Coast Guard Art Collection 202326
On Patrol
Mississippi river patrol
Karen Loew
Oil
24 x 20 inches
New York, New York
Crew of the Coast Guard Cutter SAWFISH patrol the waters of the Mississippi River. The 87-foot patrol cutter is homeported in Gulfport, Miss. Such patrols ensure a safe, secure, and environmentally sound waterways system. The SAWFISH’S many missions include search and rescue, law enforcement, fishery patrols, drug interdiction, illegal migrant interdiction, and homeland security.
Coast Guard Art Collection 202324
On Patrol
fishing patrol in the pacific
Leendert van der Pool
Oil
18 x 24 inches
Brooklyn, New York
Crew of the Coast Guard Cutter FREDERICK HATCH, homeported in Santa Rita, Guam, conducts fishing patrols off the island nation of Palau in the Pacific. The crew is look-ing for illegal, underreported and unregulated fishing activities. To ensure compliance with U.S. laws, crew will board vessels suspected of illegal activities. These patrols and boardings also strengthen relations with U.S. allies and partners in the region.
Coast Guard Art Collection 202335
Protecting Living Marine Resources and the Environment
Protecting the endangered
Debra Keirce
Oil
16 x 20 inches
Broadlands, Virginia
Hundreds of thousands of marine mammals and sea turtles die yearly from entanglement on fishing nets and gear. Spotted by crew from the Coast Guard Cutter MOHAWK the sea turtle here is rescued from a fishing net and then freed into the Atlantic Ocean. The Service’s mission of protecting living marine resources is critical to saving endangered marine life. The MOHAWK was on deployment in the U.S. Naval Forces Africa area of operations employed by U.S. Sixth Fleet to defend maritime interests of the U.S. and its allies and partners.
Coast Guard Art Collection 202320
Protecting Living Marine Resources and the Environment
Rescuing the Entangled
Don Hatcher
Gouache
14 x 11 inches
Newport, Washington
Crew from Coast Guard Station South Padre Island, Texas, free a dolphin ensnared in an illegal fishing net. Such rescues bare proof of the dire consequences illegal fishing gear has on marine life and ecosystems. The Service’s mission to protect living marine resources is critical to saving endangered marine life.
Coast Guard Art Collection 202309
Protecting Living Marine Resources and the Environment
Checking for environmental hazards
Amy DiGi
Oil
16 x 20 inches
Yorktown Heights, New York
Coast Guard Pacific Strike Team, members of the National Strike Force (NSF), assess vessels damaged by Hurricane Ian after it slammed into southwest Florida in 2022. The two members worked closely with interagency partners to identify and mitigate environmental hazards after the brutal storm. The NSF is a national asset comprised of highly trained Coast Guard professionals, who rapidly deploy with specialized equipment and incident management skills any time to any place for any hazard.
Coast Guard Art Collection 202304
Ice-breaking to Assist Maritime Traffic
cutter Willow breaks ice
Robert Blevins
Watercolor
13 x 20 inches
Elizabethton, Tennessee
The Coast Guard Cutter WILLOW, a 225-foot seagoing buoy tender, is homeport-ed in Charleston, S.C. While the cutter’s primary mission is servicing aids to navigation, other duties include maritime law enforcement, maritime environ-mental protection, and search and rescue. The WILLOW, also an icebreaker, has participated with other nations in the Arctic environment as here depicted, and patrolled the region.
Coast Guard Art Collection 202301
Ice-breaking to Assist Maritime Traffic
cutter capstan on the Delaware river
Charles Fawcett
Oil
14 x 18 inches
Bellevue, Washington
The Coast Guard Cutter CAPSTAN, a 65-foot harbor tug homeported in Philadelphia, Penn., breaks ice on the Delaware River. Its other duties include search and rescue, marine environmental protection, maritime law enforcement, aids to navigation and commercial fishing vessel safety.
Coast Guard Art Collection 202305
Saving Lives: Coast Guard to the Rescue
Search and rescue training in kodiak
Don Hatcher
Gouache
11 x 14 inches
Newport, Washington
Air Station Kodiak crewmembers conduct search and rescue training exercises off the coast of Kodiak. In order to be prepared for all emergencies crewmembers routinely complicate training exercises by performing them in extremely harsh conditions. Here a Jayhawk helicopter flies low over unforgiving terrain as the flight mechanic aids the rescue swimmer in his descent.
Coast Guard Art Collection 202313
Saving Lives: Coast Guard to the Rescue
Suited up for cold water
J.C. “Jim” Smith
Watercolor
18 x 14.5 inches
McMinnville, Oregon
An Aviation Survival Technician (AST)—better known as a rescue swimmer—stands suited in full cold weather gear on the tarmac of Coast Guard Air Station Cape Cod, Mass. Rescue swimmers undergo rigorous and highly demanding training before they qualify to be ASTs. They are also certified as emergency medical technicians. Additionally, they must learn and be proficient in helicopter operations and maintenance and rescue equipment.
Coast Guard Art Collection 202333
Saving Lives: Coast Guard to the Rescue
Rescue off kitty Hawk
John Ward
Acrylic
21 x 15.5 inches
Saranac Lake, New York
To a victim being rescued, the rescue basket with its cable are lifelines. Here an injured boater is being recovered to an MH-60 Dolphin helicopter deployed from Coast Guard Air Station Elizabeth City, N.C. The injured sailor will be taken to a nearby hospital for treatment. A rescue at sea is a highly orchestrated ballet requiring sophisticated flying and precisely synchronized communication among crewmembers.
Coast Guard Art Collection 202336
Saving Lives: Coast Guard to the Rescue
fist bump
Don Hatcher
Gouache
11 x 14 inches
Newport, Washington
Crewmembers of a Coast Guard Air Station Miami search and rescue team display the strong bond that such teams often develop as they work together on challenging and seemingly impossible rescue cases. Here a flight mechanic in the Dolphin helicopter’s cabin touches hands with the rescue swimmer as the swimmer is about to descend to aid an injured mariner.
Coast Guard Art Collection 202310
Saving Lives: Coast Guard to the Rescue
Rescue in california
Don Hatcher
Gouache
9 x 12 inches
Newport, Washington
An MH-65 Dolphin helicopter crew from Coast Guard Air Station San Francisco Forward Operating Base Point Mugu medevacs a distressed sailor from a commercial cargo ship located some 50 miles west of San Luis Obispo. The maritime response mission program—of which search and rescue is part—mitigates the consequences of marine casualties and disastrous events. The Coast Guard is the Nation’s premier maritime first responder.
Coast Guard Art Collection 202307
Saving Lives: Coast Guard to the Rescue
training for rescues
David Ray
Oil
18 x 24 inches
Wilmette, Illinois
A crewmember from Coast Guard Station Sturgeon Bay, Wis., throws a life ring in Lake Michigan while aboard a 45-foot response boat. The life ring was used as part of search and rescue training. The training ensures that members are ready for emergencies occurring at any time and which often involve split second decision making. The Coast Guard is recognized as the world leader in search and rescue. Daily, the Service conducts 42 search and rescue cases, saving 12 lives and over $114,000 in property.
Coast Guard Art Collection 202327
A Rescue Against all Odds
Against all odds: Oregon rescue
Kirk Larsen
Oil
10 x 10 inches
Hicksville, New York
Students of the Advanced Helicopter Rescue School (AHRS) in Astoria, Ore., and crew in training from the National Motor Lifeboat School (NMLS) at Station Cape Disappointment in Washington respond to a nearly impossible rescue. While dangerous weather and high seas prevented NMLS crew from a boat-to-boat rescue, the AHRS team in an MH-60 helicopter flew above the site where the mariner and vessel struggled in the violent sea. A rescue swimmer, lowered by cable from the helicopter, reached the water just as a massive wave submerged the mariner and boat. Yet the Coast Guard swimmer continued, ultimately reaching and saving the sailor while the boat itself was swallowed by the sea. Both Coast Guard rescue swimmer and mariner were hoisted to safety aboard the helicopter. This was the first time ever the rescue swimmer saved a life. Three hours later, he and his classmates graduated from the AHRS.
Here two Coast Guard motor lifeboats—one on the left and the other on the right—are shown when they were deployed to rescue the distressed mariner and vessel pictured in the middle of the painting. The attempt was made at the treacherous mouth of the Columbia River, known as “The Graveyard of the Pacific.”
Coast Guard Art Collection 202322
A Rescue Against all Odds
Against all odds: Oregon rescue
Kirk Larsen
Three Watercolor Sketches
6 x 8 inches each
Hicksville, New York
Panels from left to right depict the onslaught of a massive wave which capsized the commercial vessel and ejected the distressed mariner into the sea. Coast Guard motor lifeboats were unable to rescue either. The sailor, however, was saved by a Coast Guard rescue swimmer dispatched to the scene aboard a helicopter.
Coast Guard Art Collection 202322
Canines in the Service
canine explosive detection team
Frank Gaffney
Oil
16 x 20 inches
Mountlake Terrace, Washington
A Coast Guard canine assigned to the Canine Explosive Detection Team in Seattle, is lowered using roping techniques from a moving ferry to a waiting Coast Guard response boat. Canines and their handlers undergo extensive and continuous training. The Coast Guard employs 16 canine explosive detection teams located across the country at Maritime Safety and Security Teams and Maritime Security Response Teams. The canine teams often work alongside local law enforcement agencies during many national security events.
Coast Guard Art Collection 202306
Canines in the Service
a canine trains to be “semper paratus”
Debra Keirce
Oil
16 x 20 inches
Broadlands, Virginia
Coast Guard canine Kelly and her handler, a Maritime Enforcement Specialist, practice hoist evolution training from an MH-65D Dolphin helicopter at Coast Guard Air Station San Francisco. Both are attached to the Coast Guard Maritime Safety and Security Team in Los Angeles/Long Beach. This training helps dog and handler to be proficient working in and around air assets, a skill critical in law enforcement missions.
Coast Guard Art Collection 202319
Canines in the Service
Hoist training with canine
Tom Hedderich
Watercolor
12 x 18 inches
Westtown, New York
Canine Feco and his handler, both members of the Maritime Safety and Security Team in San Francisco, prepare to train. They await a hoist line to be dropped from a Dolphin helicopter. The training will allow the ca-nine and his handler to acclimate working in and around air assets and in marine environments. The handler and his canine partner form a tight bond as normally the two will work in tandem for the duration of the canine’s career and live together.
Coast Guard Art Collection 202314
Coast Guard Responds to Natural Disasters
Rescue in honduras
J.C. “Jim” Smith
Watercolor
14.5 x 18 inches
McMinnville, Oregon
A Coast Guard Helicopter Interdiction Tactical Squadron (HITRON) MH-65 Dolphin aircrew deployed aboard the Coast Guard Cutter SENECA medevacs a Honduran citizen near Puerto Lempira, Honduras. The Service was working to assist in distributing relief aid in areas in the country affected by Hurricane Eta. The deadly hurricane, which struck in 2020, devastated regions throughout Central America.
Coast Guard Art Collection 202331
Coast Guard Responds to Natural Disasters
All that’s left
Kathleen Denis
Acrylic
18 x 18 inches
Palm Beach Shores, Florida
Coast Guard Shallow Water Response Team crew and members of the North Carolina National Guard rescue a dog and its owners from high flood waters caused by Hurricane Florence when the hurricane struck North Carolina in 2018. Coast Guard search and rescue operations supported state and local emergency centers.
Coast Guard Art Collection 202303
Coast Guard Responds to Natural Disasters
Rescuing all in need
J.C. “Jim” Smith
Watercolor
14.5 x 18 inches
McMinnville, Oregon
Coast Guard Shallow Water Response Team members rescued beagles and their stranded owners when Hurricane Florence hit parts of North Carolina in 2018. The powerful hurricane caused an estimated $24.23 billion in catastrophic damage and flooding. The deadly storm, affecting primarily the Carolinas, resulted in some 54 deaths. Since Hurricane Katrina slammed into New Orleans in 2005, the Coast Guard has been active in rescuing beloved pets as well as their owners from natural disasters.
Coast Guard Art Collection 202332
Coast Guard Responds to Natural Disasters
Survival technician responds to Hurricane ian
Maria Bennett Hock
Oil
16 x 12 inches
Cary, North Carolina
An Aviation Survival Technician—better known as a rescue swimmer—searches for survivors in Fort Myers, Fla., after the state was hammered by Hurricane Ian in 2022. It was the third costliest weather disaster on record and the deadliest hurricane to strike Florida in nearly 90 years. The devastating storm caused damage across western Cuba and the southeast United States.
Coast Guard Art Collection 202316
Illegal Migrant Interdiction
desperation
MST2 Thomas Unger
Coffee
14 x 20.5 inches
Key West, Florida
A crewmember deployed on the Coast Guard Cutter CHARLES SEXTON distributes personal floatation devices to Cuban migrants on an unseaworthy vessel during an illegal migrant interdiction. The Coast Guard is tasked with enforcing immigration law at sea. Between October 2021 and the following year, the Coast Guard interdicted over 10,000 Cuban migrants at sea.
Coast Guard Art Collection 202334
Illegal Migrant Interdiction
Act of Compassion
Maria Bennett Hock
Oil
14 x 11 inches
Cary, North Carolina
A Coast Guard crewmember of the Cutter CAMPBELL cradles a small child in her arms after the child was rescued in the Windward Passage off the Haitian coast. Some 209 Haitian migrants were rescued and then repatriated to Haiti.
Coast Guard Art Collection 202315
Illegal Migrant Interdiction
Haitian migrant rescued
Don Hatcher
Gouache
11 x 14 inches
Newport, Washington
A crewmember aboard the Coast Guard Cutter JOSEPH DOYLE reaches out to rescue a Haitian man from the water at Isla Monito, Puerto Rico. The man was among 26 other Haitians who were rescued after being left stranded, following an illegal voyage in the Mona Passage, a shipping route connecting the Atlantic Ocean to the Caribbean Sea. The cutter, homeported in San Juan, also aids in illegal drug interdiction operations.
Coast Guard Art Collection 202312
Illegal Migrant Interdiction
Hard Aground
Daniel Coolbirth Jones
Oil
20 x 24 inches
Arroyo Grande, California
Nearly 220 Haitian men, women and children sought safety in the water as their severely overloaded and crowded wooden vessel ran aground near the coast of Key Largo, Fla. Multiple agencies responded to the emergency and Coast Guard small boats assisted in transferring the Haitian migrants to a waiting cutter. Despite a few injuries, most migrants were repatriated to Haiti.
Coast Guard Art Collection 202318
Aids to Navigation: A Vital Mission
Maintaining aids to navigation
Elizabeth Whelan
Oil
12 x 16 inches
Edgartown, Massachussetts
The hazardous, demanding, and essential work of maintaining buoys and other navigational aids is never-ending. Here select crewmembers on the Coast Guard Cutter IDA LEWIS, homeported in Newport, R.I., undergo training with the Coast Guard Buoy Deck Training Team deployed from Yorktown, Va.
Coast Guard Art Collection 202338
Aids to Navigation: A Vital Mission
wet work
Stephen Roberson
Acrylic
16 x 20 inches
Arlington, Virginia
A crewmember aboard the Coast Guard Cutter HENRY BLAKE performs the grueling, physically demanding and often unheralded work necessary in maintaining aids to navigation. The cutter, homeported in Everett, Wash., is responsible for some 235 aids to navigation along the coast of Washington and in the Puget Sound area.
Coast Guard Art Collection 202328
Aids to Navigation: A Vital Mission
The welder
Susanne Corbelletta
Oil
16 x 24 inches
Southport, North Carolina
A crewmember of the Coast Guard Cutter KATHERINE WALKER, a 175-foot buoy tender homeported in Bayonne, N.J., uses a torch to cut the chain during a buoy maintenance procedure as the cutter transits New York Harbor.
Coast Guard Art Collection 202302
Aids to Navigation: A Vital Mission
Unhooked
Debra Keirce
Oil
12 x 16 inches
Broadlands, Virginia
Crewmembers aboard the Cutter JAMES RANKIN unhook a buoy from chains of the cutter’s crane. The cutter is homeported at Coast Guard Yard in Curtis Bay, Md. Its crew exchanged summer buoys for seasonal winter buoys in the Chesapeake Bay area. The work of servicing aids to navigation such as buoys is part of the Marine Transportation System. On an average day, the Coast Guard services 45 buoys and fixed aids to navigation.
Coast Guard Art Collection 202321
Night Watch
Night Watch
CDR Ken Sauerbrunn
Acrylic
18 x 24 inches
Kodiak, Alaska
The quartermaster of the watch—the officer in charge of watch-to-watch navigation and related duties—plots the Coast Guard Cutter ALEX HALEY’S position in the Bering Sea. Red lights preserve night vision, allowing watch standers to better analyze operational tasks, weather and vessel traffic. The Coast Guard’s continuous presence in the Bering Sea provides search and rescue coverage for Alaska’s commercial fishing fleets and helps deter illegal fishing. It also enforces U.S. sovereignty in the strategically critical region.
Coast Guard Art Collection 202330
Regulare Maintenance Ensures Safety
looking forward
Leon Wescoat, III
Oil
16 x 20 inches
Absecon, New Jersey
Coast Guard Cutter FORWARD, while in drydock in Norfolk, Va., undergoes maintenance. The cutter, homeported in Portsmouth, Va., will be equipped with new propellers and repainted among other needed maintenance work. The cutter’s primary missions are defense operations, law enforcement and search and rescue.
Coast Guard Art Collection 2023~
Morale Booster
Culinary specialist on the MUNRO
Don Hatcher
Gouache
11 x 14 inches
Newport, Washington
A Culinary Specialist prepares lunch and soup for the crew aboard the Coast Guard Cutter MUNRO. These petty officers are integral to the morale of the crew as meals are often a highlight of the day during long, routine deployments.
Coast Guard Art Collection 202308
Giving to the Community
Visiting Larsen Bay
Priscilla Messner-Patterson
Transparent Watercolor
9 x 12 inches
Post Falls, Idaho
Since the mid-1970s when a Coast Guard pilot realized that children in the remote villages of Kodiak Island had very limited opportunities to experience Santa and receive gifts, the annual Santa to the Villages has become a major event for the residents. The program, a week of festivities, is supported by the Spouses’ Association of Kodiak, whose members raise funds and facilitate this outreach program. Santa and elves travel by helicopter to many locations on the island, bringing goodwill and gifts to children and families.
Coast Guard Art Collection 202325
