Philadelphia: Combat captured on canvas

Civilians can catch a glimpse of the everyday lives of American soldiers, from deployment to camp life and the battlefield, in a new exhibit in Philadelphia.

“Art of the American Soldier” at the National Constitution Center, which runs through Jan. 10, 2011, displays more than 200 works of art created by American soldiers on active duty from World War I through recent and current conflicts, as in Iraq and Afghanistan. The exhibit was created by the center in partnership with the U.S. Army Center of Military History and the National Museum of the United States Army.

The art is drawn from the Army’s rarely seen collection of more than 15,000 paintings and sketches created by more than 1,300 American soldiers. David Eisner, president and chief executive of the National Constitution Center, described the collection as a unique opportunity for people to see “firsthand expressions of the realities of war.”

Veterans from all branches of the armed forces can submit artwork that reflects their time of service to an online gallery that the center created.

“Art of the American Soldier” is free with regular admission to the museum: $12 for adults, $11 for seniors (65 and up) and $8 for children age 4 to 12; active and retired military and children under 4 get in free.

Besides the new exhibit, the National Constitution Center offers interactive exhibits on the U.S. Constitution and statues of every delegate to the 1787 Constitutional Convention in Signers’ Hall.

Info: National Constitution Center, Independence Mall, (215) 409-6700.