Museum of Military Memorabilia Highlights Vets with Art

The Museum of Military Memorabilia at Naples Municipal Airport invites the public to view an 18-foot-long, five-foot-high, double-sided canvas that honors our veterans.

The tribute is titled “From Sea to Shining Sea” and was created by Marco Island artist Malenda Trick. The collage of images includes numerous Florida references such as World War II Buckingham Army Air Base in Lee County on one side. The other side focuses on a national scale, honoring American heroes from many places.

“We recently honored veterans on Veterans Day but this allows us to continue honoring veterans every day,” said Ted Soliday, executive director of the Naples Airport Authority, which provides space for the museum.

“From Sea to Shining Sea” will remain on display at the museum until mid-February.

Trick is a versatile artist who sold her first painting as a seventh-grader and enjoys painting in styles reminiscent of old world masters and impressionists. She also paints portraits, and her subjects have included George W. Bush, actor Fred Thompson and singer Amy Grant.

The museum is located in the Commercial Airline Terminal at the south end of the airport along North Road; admission and parking are free.

The Museum of Military Memorabilia, founded in 2006, has collected more than 11,000 pieces with the goals of honoring the veterans who have and are protecting the cause of freedom, preserving artifacts associated with military history, and creating a greater understanding of military conflicts among present and future generations. More than 22,000 people have visited the 900-square-foot museum during the past year. The museum opened at the airport in November 2011.

Naples Municipal Airport, a certificated air-carrier airport, is home to flight schools, air charter operators, car rental agencies and corporate aviation and nonaviation businesses as well as fire/rescue services, mosquito control, the Collier County Sheriff’s Aviation Unit and other community services.

During the 2013-2014 fiscal year, the airport accommodated 95,120 takeoffs and landings.

All funds used for the airport’s operation, maintenance and improvements are generated from activities at the airport or from federal and state grants; the airport receives no property tax dollars. The Florida Department of Transportation values the airport’s economic impact to the community at $283.5 million annually.

For more information or to subscribe for email updates about the airport, visit www.FlyNaples.com