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.

Dec. 19, 2009 – March 7, 2010

Opening Celebration: Dec. 18, 5 - 8 p.m.

VISIT OUR NEW NASA | ART WEBSITE!

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration's historic triumphs and pioneering legacy are well known to millions, but the inspiring rocket launches, moon landings and planetary explorations also have had an impact on the imaginations of America’s leading artists.

To commemorate NASA’s 50th anniversary, the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service (SITES) has organized a national tour of NASA | ART: 50 Years of Exploration, featuring 73 works from the collections of NASA and the National Air and Space Museum. Ranging from the illustrative to the abstract, these rarely seen works communicate the accomplishments, setbacks, and sheer excitement of space exploration from its inception to the present.

NASA | ART will be at the Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center Dec. 19, 2009 - March 7, 2010, with an opening celebration on Friday, Dec. 18.

The exhibition is organized by SITES and NASA in cooperation with the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum.

“There was a lot of public excitement about the space program in the 1960s. Although cameras photographed every nut and bolt of the launches, every second of activity, something was missing—the emotional impact, the electricity that you felt. We felt an artist could add something not evident in the photos.”
— James Dean, Founding director of the NASA Art Program and co-curator of NASA | ART

“Scientists, astronauts, and artists have one important quality in common. All share the inclination to explore, whether by means of scientific investigation, a mission to the moon, or a paint brush. These works of art provide a historical legacy for the public to behold. After all, art is often an important byproduct of any great era of history, including the space age.”
— Bert Ulrich, exhibition cocurator

NASA | ART features nearly five decades of creations by artists as diverse as Annie Leibovitz, Nam June Paik, Norman Rockwell, Andy Warhol and William Wegman. The exhibition includes drawings, photographs, sculpture and other art forms and media, offering unparalleled insight into the private and personal moments, triumphant victories and tragic accidents that form the storied history of NASA.

For example, in Henry Caselli’s When Thoughts Turned Inward, the artist captures the serene, almost spiritual moment before takeoff, when an astronaut must prepare mentally for a mission. In Chakaia Booker’s Remembering Columbia, the tragedy and pain of the lost Space Shuttle Columbia and its crew are transformed in the twisting tire remnants preserved from one of the shuttle’s earlier missions. And Andy Warhol melds Buzz Aldrin’s historic steps on the lunar surface with the unbridled exuberance and flashiness of the 1960s in his neon-highlighted Moonwalk silkscreen. 

The works 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 elucidate the space agency’s missions and projects. Since then, painters, musicians and conceptual artists have been with NASA every step of the way, strolling along launch pads, training in flight simulators, talking with engineers and technicians and visiting with astronauts before and after their flights.

A companion book complements the national traveling exhibition: “NASA | ART 50 Years of Exploration” published in 2008 by Harry N. Abrams.

NASA was established by Congress in 1958 “to provide for research into the problems of flight within and outside the Earth’s atmosphere, and for other purposes.” The agency is headquartered in Washington, D.C., with 10 field centers and other facilities across the nation. NASA’s mission is to pioneer the future in space exploration, scientific discovery and aeronautics research. nasa.gov

The National Air and Space Museum, composed of the flagship building on the National Mall in Washington and the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, Va., is home to the world’s finest collection of flight artifacts. From aircraft and space vehicles to engines, art and models, the wide array of the museum’s holdings tells the story of the history and technology of air and space exploration. The museum is also a key resource for research into the history, science and technology of aviation and space flight. nasm.si.edu

SITES has been sharing the wealth of Smithsonian collections and research programs with millions of people outside Washington, D.C., for more than 50 years. SITES connects Americans to their shared cultural heritage through a wide range of exhibitions about art, science and history, which are shown wherever people live, work and play. Exhibition descriptions and tour schedules are available at sites.si.edu.