Brooklyn artist Leendert van der Pool wins Coast Guard Art Program prize
Exhibit next travels to Federal Hall, which shares history with Coast Guard
Cobble Hill resident Leendert van der Pool is the winner of this year’s George Gray Award for Artistic Excellence, which is named for the co-founder of the Coast Guard Art program.
The Coast Guard Art Program (COGAP) makes use of fine art to educate diverse audiences about the work of the U.S. Coast Guard and the challenges it addresses in maintaining the nation’s security, both home and abroad, according to the printed program for the July 12 reception and Acceptance Ceremony, which was held at the Salmagundi Art Club in Manhattan and had the largest attendance ever — at standing-room capacity.
COGAP has a talented core of artists — professional and avocational — who donate their talent, time and works to the Coast Guard. Many of these works capture the Coast Guard in action — rescue missions, such as in the wake of Hurricane Harvey, ice rescues, aid to wildlife and endangered species, scientific research in the Arctic, drug interdictions and life aboard Coast Guard vessels.