CMP Commemorates Centennial with Original Work of Art

     Your plans for attending the National Matches this year undoubtedly have getting in lots of range time on top of the list.  The 2003 Matches, nevertheless, promise to offer several additional, unique experiences that will commemorate the 100^th anniversary of the National Matches and the Civilian Marksmanship Program.  This year’s matches will feature the 122^nd Army National Guard Band and Mr. Bill Blankenship, World and National Championship, who will be the speaker at the First Shot Ceremony, a U. S. Army Golden Knights parachute jumping exhibition on Garand Match day, August 9, and a Guns of the National Matches Exhibit that will be open throughout the matches.  In addition to these activities, there will also be an unveiling and display of an original oil painting that the CMP commissioned renowned Wyoming artist Jerry Antolik to create in commemoration of the Centennials.

     The oil on canvas painting is a collage of historic scenes from the National Matches.  Most prominent in the piece is one of the lighthouse towers at the entrance to Camp Perry that have become National Matches landmarks for shooters all over the nation.  The painting features Alice Bull firing her 1903 Springfield rifle in the kneeling position in the late 1930s.  Mrs. Bull was the first woman to earn the Distinguished Rifleman Badge and make the President’s 100.  Two scenes show soldiers firing the Krag rifle in 1903, in sitting and prone positions.  In the background, in front of CMP Headquarters in the old Arcade Building, an early military team is posing for a traditional National Matches team photo.  Also depicted is a moment every shooter at the National Matches dreams of, the presentation of the President’s Trophy.  Further in the background, behind the Headquarters building, the famous Camp Perry firing line appears.

     Jerry Antolik is a nationally known and award-winning artist from Wyoming, but he is no stranger to Ohio, having attended the Cooper School of Art in Ohio.  Best known for his life size paintings and murals, Antolik is most often associated with subject matter found in Wyoming.  His paintings have depicted stampeding horses, cowboys at work, moose, buffalo and other scenes of the wild.  Antolik’s works can be found in museums and private collections all over the United States.

     The Jerry Antolik Centennial painting commemorates “100 Years of Excellence in Marksmanship, from the NBPRP of 1903 to the CMP of 2003 and from 1903 National Matches at Sea Girt to the 2003 National Matches at Camp Perry” and will be unveiled on July 14^th, following the First Shot Ceremony.  It will then be placed on permanent display in the CMP lobby for all Camp Perry visitors to enjoy.  For National Match participants who wish to take something home to commemorate the Centennials, posters of the painting, suitable for framing, will be on sale at the CMP Store in Building 2500 for the $14.95 each plus tax.  Postcards showing the painting also will be available at the CMP Store for 3/$1.  These items, along with other CMP Centennial merchandise, are also available from the CMP EStore.  The full-color posters and postcards will make fine souvenirs of the National Matches as well as of the CMP and National Matches Centennials.