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Student artwork to be exhibited at museum

  • Published
  • By Sarah Swan
  • National Museum of the U.S. Air Force
DAYTON, Ohio --  More than 115 pieces of art created by local students from schools across the Miami Valley will be on display at the National Museum of the U.S Air Force during the 32nd Annual Student Aviation Art Competition and Exhibition. The exhibit will be open from March 29 through April 26.

Student artists from both private and public schools in Clark, Greene, Miami, Montgomery and Warren counties created artwork based on the theme "The Global Positioning System (GPS)." Most people have used GPS receiving devices, either in their car or on their cell phone, to determine their location. Many know the GPS system is a satellite-based navigation system that became fully operational in 1995. Some even know that the 32 GPS satellites orbiting the Earth form what scientists refer to as a "constellation."  However, most people don't know that the U.S. Air Force is the agency charged by the Department of Defense with the responsibility of launching all GPS satellites, tracking them, maintaining them, improving them and making orbital corrections to them.

Students were encouraged to express themselves artistically, while at the same time celebrating the 20th anniversary of the fully-operational GPS system and the total involvement of the U.S. Air Force. Student artists were even asked to research older navigational systems of the 1960s and 1970s to build their knowledge base before creating their own artistic interpretations.

Student artwork on display was judged in seven grade-based categories: K-1, 2-3, 4-6, 7-9, 10-12 and special needs grades K-6 and 7-12.

The exhibit may be viewed from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily in the museum's Cold War Gallery, adjacent to the OSI Exhibit and the WB-50 aircraft.

The National Museum of the U.S. Air Force, located at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base near Dayton, Ohio, is the world's largest military aviation museum. With free admission and parking, the museum features more than 360 aerospace vehicles and missiles and thousands of artifacts amid more than 17 acres of indoor exhibit space. Each year about one million visitors from around the world come to the museum. For more information, visit www.nationalmuseum.af.mil.


NOTE TO PUBLIC: For more information, please contact the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force at (937) 255-3286.

NOTE TO MEDIA: For more information, please contact Sarah Swan at the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force Public Affairs Division at (937) 255-1283.