Exhibit Coincides With Marine Aviation Centennial Celebration

A temporary exhibition at the National Air and Space Museum (NASM) is set to open for a year-long run on Jan. 14. Presented in partnership with the National Museum of the Marine Corps, "Fly Marines! The Centennial of Marine Corps Aviation: 1912-2012" observes the 100th anniversary of the birth of Marine Aviation.

"Air Scouts Out"

The Marine Corps Art Program was started in 1942. Its stated mission is to keep Americans informed about what “their Marines” were doing at home and overseas. Managed by the National Museum of the Marine Corps, the collection has grown to include more than 350 artists and more than 5,500 works of art. The strength of the collection rests on the authentic and unvarnished focus these works have on people under the most trying of circumstances—war.

"Fly Marines!" presents a broad selection of works from this collection that document the history of Marine aviation. The exhibition also includes several works and artifacts from the collections of the National Air and Space Museum. It opens Jan. 14 and closes Jan. 6, 2013. (Image credit: Lt. Col. Albert Michael Leahy, USMCR)

FMI: www.usmcmuseum.org/exhibits_combatart.asp, www.nasm.si.edu