NASA Art Program

The NASA Fine Art Program began in 1962, when NASA administrator James Webb encouraged artists to help tell the story of space exploration. Famous artists like Norman Rockwell, Robert Rauschenberg, and Andy Warhol were asked to create artwork showing the history of space travel from an artist’s point of view. The program’s first director was James Dean.

Artists of all kinds, working in different styles and mediums, were chosen so they could reach many different kinds of people. NASA let these artists see things most people never get to see, like astronauts getting ready in their suits, rocket launches, and important news events. This gave the artists a close-up view of the excitement of space exploration.

All the artwork—from early sketches to finished pieces—was given to NASA to be used in museums and exhibitions. Today, the collection includes more than 2,500 pieces created by over 350 artists. Though the program is still going, it is now much smaller than it once was.

How the program began

James Webb, who led NASA from 1961 to 1968, started the art program. He believed art could show the feelings and importance of NASA's work. James Dean, an artist who worked at NASA, became the leader of the program. He worked with Hereward Lester Cooke, a curator at the National Gallery of Art. Cooke studied art programs from the air force and decided the NASA program needed three key rules: only use artists who were asked to join, keep all the drawings artists made, and give artists ideas about NASA's work but let them create freely.

Major events

Project Mercury

Artists first got to watch a space mission during the last Mercury launch, when astronaut Gordon Cooper flew on Faith 7. Artists like Robert McCall, Mitchell Jamieson, Peter Hurd, John McCoy, Lamar Dodd, Paul Calle, and Robert Shore were chosen to create art about this mission. They each received $800 and were allowed to make whatever they liked. The artwork they made helped the program continue.

Apollo 11 mission

In July 1969, the program had its biggest moment. This event drew lots of public interest, so more artists joined in. Artists visited places like Mission Control at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston and NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida to watch the mission. Not long after, the director of the National Art Gallery asked to use the art made during the mission.

Artists involved

Many talented artists were chosen to capture the excitement of space exploration through their work. Some of these artists include Anderson and Laurie, who created music performances, and Rauschenberg, Robert, known for his piece Hot Shot, which shows the journey of a space shuttle. Famous names like Rockwell, Norman, and Warhol, Andy also contributed amazing artworks to remember NASA's missions.

First group of commissioned artists

The very first artists NASA asked to create special pieces included Calle, Paul, who designed a stamp for the first Moon landing, and Jamieson, Mitchell, who painted First Steps. This group helped begin a wonderful tradition of art at NASA.

Personnel

The NASA Art Program had important people who helped it run. Bertram Ulrich worked as the curator. Robert Schulman was the director from 1975 to 1994. James Dean was the first director when the program started in 1962 and stayed until 1974.

Selected bibliography

Here are some books about the NASA Art Program:

• Visions of Flight: a retrospective from the NASA Art Collection; Schulman, Robert; National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Washington D.C; 1988
• Artistry of Space: the NASA art program; James Dean, Robert Schulman, Bertram Ulrich; Artrain USA, Ann Arbor, MI; 1999
• NASA & the Exploration of Space : with works from the NASA art collection; Roger D Launius, Bertram Ulrich; Stewart, Tabori & Chang; New York, NY; 1998