“Red Tail Wing Rider,” from Tuskegee Airmen by artist Chris Hopkins.

“Red Tail Wing Rider,” from Tuskegee Airmen by artist Chris Hopkins.

Red Tails, Silver Wings exhibit soars at the Schack

EVERETT — The Tuskegee Airmen were the United States’ first African-American military pilots.

Red Tails, Silver Wings — the current exhibition at the Schack Art Center — honors these heroic World War II veterans, recognizes Black History Month (February) and celebrates the talents of Everett artist Chris Hopkins.

Some of Hopkins’ 70 narrative paintings of the famed airmen are permanently exhibited at the Pentagon. Most of the artwork has toured the country. And now more than 50 paintings and sketches hang in the main gallery at the Schack.

Hopkins, 63, describes himself as a visual narrator. The story of the Tuskegee Airmen is what’s important, he said.

The Tuskegee Airmen challenged racial discrimination in the military. At the beginning of World War II, the armed forces were still segregated and the Army Air Corps refused to train young black men as pilots. In response to a lawsuit, the Air Corps (forerunner to the Air Force) agreed to train pilots and crews at Tuskegee University in Alabama.

“The Jim Crow era gave way to the Tuskegee Airmen,” Hopkins said. “And they were a catalyst for the Civil Rights Movement.”

The artist began the series during his service to the Air Force Art Program.

“It was received much better than I anticipated,” he said. “I am proud of this body of work.”

Over the years, the series became a personal mission and passion. The project is a heartfelt tribute aimed at accurately portraying the battles over Europe and the stateside work of these first black fighter pilots, their support crews, their families, their predecessors and their legacy, Hopkins said.

In the 1980s, during the pre-digital age, Hopkins was based in Los Angeles, where he painted movie posters and covers for record albums, magazines and books. He was arguably one of the most sought-after illustrators in the county.

Born in Mount Vernon and raised in Medford, Oregon, Hopkins left LA to move back to the Northwest. He and his family landed in Everett in 1988.

Another series by Hopkins — Trail of Cedar, Stone & Canvas — was shown at the Schack in 2014. That series is a tribute to the Northwest Coast first nations and tribes, “who preserve history and enrich culture in contemporary times,” he said.

Hopkins, his wife and their son currently are completing a series of artworks detailing the plight of West Coast Japanese Americans during World War II.

“My wife’s parents were interned in the Minidoka camp in Idaho,” Hopkins said. “The series illustrates the worst and the best of humanity.”

In conjunction with the Red Tails, Silver Wings exhibit, Hopkins and his friend, author Guy E. Franklin, plan to talk about “Black Aviation during World War II” tonight at the Schack. Franklin is the author of “The Tuskegee Airmen: The Rest of The Story.”

“It should be a fun and informative evening,” Hopkins said.

In the loft gallery at the Schack see a complementary exhibit by retired Boeing designer Robert Parks, 90, of Shoreline.

Historic Aircraft Profiles includes dozens of Parks’ colorful and detailed drawings and paintings of planes.

Parks loved watching planes when he was a boy in Maryland. He served stateside in the Air Force during World War II, went to Duke University and worked at Boeing for 48 years.

“In between all this I flew in almost 50 different types of airplanes and performed as an air show clown in numerous air shows in the Northwest,” he said. “I also achieved some fame as an aviation artist and illustrated the book ‘Ernest K. Gann’s Flying Circus.’ One of my paintings resides in the Smithsonian Institution, though it might be in storage now, and there are many in corporate offices.”

Parks, who has participated in the Fresh Paint festival hosted by the Schack on the Everett waterfront, said he is honored to be involved in the current exhibition.

If you go

Red Tails, Silver Wings, through Feb. 25. Also, hear a lecture about the Tuskegee Airmen at 7 p.m. Jan. 6 at the Schack. Admission is $5. Sponsored by the City of Everett Cultural Arts Commission.

Historic Aircraft Profiles, through Feb. 4.

Schack Art Center, 2921 Hoyt Ave., Everett; schack.org; 425-259-5050.

Both exhibits are free during regular hours, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and noon to 5 p.m. Sunday.

Talk to us

> Give us your news tips.

> Send us a letter to the editor.

> More Herald contact information.

More in Life

Brandon Hailey of Cytrus, center, plays the saxophone during a headlining show at Madam Lou’s on Friday, Dec. 29, 2023 in Seattle, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Lynnwood-based funk octet Cytrus has the juice

Resilience and brotherhood take center stage with ‘friends-first’ band.

FILE - In this April 11, 2014 file photo, Neko Case performs at the Coachella Music and Arts Festival in Indio, Calif. Fire investigators are looking for the cause of a fire on Monday, Sept. 18, 2017, that heavily damaged Case’s 225-year-old Vermont home. There were no injuries, though a barn was destroyed. It took firefighters two hours to extinguish the blaze. (Photo by Scott Roth/Invision/AP, File)
Music, theater and more: What’s happening in Snohomish County

Singer-songwriter Neko Case, an indie music icon from Tacoma, performs Sunday in Edmonds.

Dominic Arizona Bonuccelli
Tangier’s market boasts piles of fruits, veggies, and olives, countless varieties of bread, and nonperishables, like clothing and electronics.
Rick Steves on the cultural kaleidoscope of Tangier in Morocco

Walking through the city, I think to myself, “How could anyone be in southern Spain — so close — and not hop over to experience this wonderland?”

chris elliott.
Vrbo promised to cover her rental bill in Hawaii, so why won’t it?

When Cheryl Mander’s Vrbo rental in Hawaii is uninhabitable, the rental platform agrees to cover her new accommodations. But then it backs out. What happened?

The Moonlight Swing Orchestra will play classic sounds of the Big Band Era on April 21 in Everett. (submitted photo)
Music, theater and more: What’s happening in Snohomish County

Relive the Big Band Era at the Port Gardner Music Society’s final concert of the season in Everett.

2024 Honda Ridgeline TrailSport AWD (Honda)
2024 Honda Ridgeline TrailSport AWD

Honda cedes big boy pickup trucks to the likes of Ford, Dodge… Continue reading

Would you want to give something as elaborate as this a name as mundane as “bread box”? A French Provincial piece practically demands the French name panetiere.
A panetiere isn’t your modern bread box. It’s a treasure of French culture

This elaborately carved French antique may be old, but it’s still capable of keeping its leavened contents perfectly fresh.

(Judy Newton / Great Plant Picks)
Great Plant Pick: Mouse plant

What: Arisarum proboscideum, also known as mouse plant, is an herbaceous woodland… Continue reading

Bright green Japanese maple leaves are illuminated by spring sunlight. (Getty Images)
Confessions of a ‘plantophile’: I’m a bit of a junky for Japanese maples

In fact, my addiction to these glorious, all-season specimens seems to be contagious. Fortunately, there’s no known cure.

2024 Hyundai IONIQ 6 Limited (Hyundai)
2024 Hyundai IONIQ 6 Limited

The 2024 Hyundai IONIQ 6 Limited is a sporty, all-electric, all-wheel drive sedan that will quickly win your heart.

The 2024 Dodge Hornet R/T hybrid’s face has the twin red lines signifying the brand’s focus on performance. (Dodge)
2024 Hornet R/T is first electrified performance vehicle from Dodge

The all-new compact SUV travels 32 miles on pure electric power, and up to 360 miles in hybrid mode.

Don’t blow a bundle on glass supposedly made by the Henry William Stiegel

Why? Faked signatures, reused molds and imitated styles can make it unclear who actually made any given piece of glass.

Support local journalism

If you value local news, make a gift now to support the trusted journalism you get in The Daily Herald. Donations processed in this system are not tax deductible.