Did you know that the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum has an art collection? Curator Carolyn Russo will present the history of space exploration seen in this collection from the late nineteenth century to the present. She will introduce Étienne Léopold Trouvelot’s late 1800s astronomical observations, Chesley Bonestell’s “scientific” space art illustrations for Collier’s, Norman Rockwell’s paintings for Look magazine at NASA, and the work of other artists including Robert Rauschenberg and Alma Thomas. She will also consider works from these artists and others as agents of public persuasion, documentation, and reflection of a national space program.


LLI Coordinator: Mike Ahern