Sun Ra's Application to NASA's Art Program

First page of Sun Ra’s application to NASA’s art program.

NASA’s Art Program, which began in the early 1960s, enlisted artists from various disciplines to document the early days of the space program in ways more interesting to the public than graphs and scientific reports.  Sun Ra was an American jazz composer, musician and poet known for his experimental music and  'cosmic' philosophy. He would seem to be a perfect fit for the program but when he applied in 1962 the inventor of space jazz was not considered. Yet Norman Rockwell, an American illustrator best known for his kitschy depictions of small town America, was part of the program. Go figure.




Read more: Open Culture

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