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Janaury Issue 2003
SC State Museum in Columbia, SC, Features Exhibition on WWII Battle for Guadalcanal
The drama and excitement of one of World War II's most heated campaigns is revealed in a new exhibit at the SC State Museum, on view through Mar. 2, 2003. Guadalcanal: U.S. Marines vs. Imperial Japan Aug. 1942 - Feb. 1943 incorporates both art and artifacts to tell the story of the grueling and deadly struggle for the island in the Solomon chain that was one of the southernmost Japanese strongholds for a possible invasion of Australia.
"Guadalcanal was the first island taken by US forces in the Pacific war," says Chief Curator of History Fritz Hamer. "It was the beginning of the gradual re-taking of the Pacific islands.
Oddly, says Hamer, Guadalcanal was taken fairly easily. The hard part was keeping it, as the Japanese launched a massive six-month assault to re-capture the strategic island.
The exhibit includes seven watercolors by Dwight C. Shepler, a navy artist commissioned to paint war scenes. He was an eyewitness to the campaign, and his work vividly portrays the heat of battle, including scenes such as fighter planes scrambling at Henderson Field to meet the enemy; the heavy cruiser Minneapolis limping into harbor with a destroyed bow; and marines loading much-needed supplies.
Ian Hamilton
Also featured are nine oil canvases from British artist Ian Hamilton, who painted many war scenes based on photographs and interviews with veterans. His work was seen last year in the museum's exhibit on the WWII battle of Midway.
War artifacts will include American and Japanese uniforms and weapons of the type that were used on Guadalcanal, such as the American Ml and the Japanese Arisaka rifle. Actual Guadalcanal items on loan from the Parris Island Museum in Beaufort, SC, will include an authentic Japanese landing force flag. Other items have been loaned by World World War II collectors Bruce Cotner and George Fendel.
For more information check our SC Institutional Gallery listings, call the museum at 803/898-4942 or on the web at (www.museum.state.sc.us).
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