Coast Guard art makes a splash in Glen Cove

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For the next three months, the North Shore Historical Museum in Glen Cove will be home to a series of works from the Coast Guard Art Program, a national project that utilizes fine art as a tool to educate audiences about the United States Coast Guard. Among the 10 artists that comprise this year’s exhibit, two hail from Glen Head.

Although residents Chuck Van Horn and Susanne Corbelletta are no strangers to having their works exhibited through COGAP, this is the first time their friends and neighbors will be able to see their Coast Guard paintings up close in a local museum.

The majority of COGAP’s works depict the missions of the Coast Guard, including search and rescue drills, boat patrols, buoy tending and training exercises. Artists from all over the nation submit paintings to be accepted into the program’s permanent collection — only 40 paintings are chosen each year. The submissions are unveiled annually at Manhattan’s elite Salmagundi Art Club, and are exhibited for a month in Federal Hall before travelling to museums nationwide.

Museum director Amy Driscoll said Van Horn reached out to her over a year ago to get the travelling exhibit a stop on the North Shore. “We were thrilled because it’s a win on so many fronts,” Driscoll said. “This is a waterfront community, so for that reason it’s a good fit, and the fact that we’re showcasing local artists makes it a slam dunk.”

Van Horn has lived in the hamlet for 35 years, and has a background in corporate illustration and design. He is also a Navy veteran. While stationed on a carrier vessel during tours in Vietnam and the Mediterranean, he filled his spare time in between 20-hour shifts making works of art. His service to his country coupled with his artistic background made him a perfect candidate for COGAP.

He first learned of the program back in 2008 when he was a member of the Salmagundi Club. “That’s how I got into it,” Van Horn said. He has submitted a painting for the program every year since. “The reason I entered was because I’m passionate about art, and it gave me an opportunity to give back to this country.”

Corbelletta, a Glen Cove High School graduate, learned to paint “from the best.” She took classes under Alma Stevenson, who ran the Stevenson Academy of Traditional Painting in Sea Cliff with her husband, a protégé of Norman Rockwell. Corbelletta learned of the program from a friend of her husband’s, who serves as a member of the Coast Guard Auxiliary.

“Every branch of the military has their own art program and there are artists for each branch that document the history, and it continues to this day,” she said. “Years ago there were no cameras, but there were always artists.”

Corbelletta said every time she sits at her easel to start one of these paintings, she tends to look beyond the canvas. “I think, ‘Where are they going to go?’ ‘Who’s going to see it?’ and it’s humbling to me,” she said.

Van Horn said the artists work from photos taken in action, and use their craft to illustrate those stories and events in stunningly accurate watercolor paintings. His 2018 submission depicts “the essence of the flood in Houston” after Hurricane Harvey swept through Texas last fall.

Corbelletta has even drawn inspiration from photos she’s taken while visiting local Coast Guard bases. The second painting she ever submitted for COGAP was inspired by a photo she took of a man overboard drill.

“I feel very proud that I can do this,” Corbelletta said. “I think of these people defending our shores, and it’s emotional for me. It’s a way to remember our servicemen and women, and it stands the test of time.”

The exhibit will be on view at the North Shore Historical Museum through Sept. 15. Info: (516) 801-1191.