“A Century in the Skies: Celebrating Powered Flight” is the first exhibit in the new gallery. On display through January 2004, “A Century” commemorates the 100th anniversary of the Wright Brothers’ first successful flight on Dec. 17, 1903. Items on display include original oil paintings and lithographic prints by aerospace artist William J. Reynolds, a model of the brothers’ plane, as well as a small fragment of the original canvas from the plane’s wing.

“William Reynolds’ art is what we’re featuring, but the whole exhibit relates to significant moments in flight,” said Cara-lin Getty, director of galleries at USC Sumter.

The exhibit also includes biographical information on Reynolds, a retired military pilot, flight instructor, and commercial pilot who now lives in Sumter. A self-taught artist, Reynolds has painted in many subject areas but is best known for his aviation subjects. His paintings hang in The Pentagon and the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum in Washington, DC; the Naval Air Museum in Pensacola, Florida; the Air University, Maxwell Air Force Base, Alabama; and many private collections.

USC Sumter has a gallery dedicated to the work of Reynolds: that gallery was formally dedicated in Oct. 1997 and is located on the second floor of the USC Sumter Administration Building.

The Umpteenth Gallery, located in a former church that has been recently acquired by USC Sumter and renovated for use as classroom and office space, is open 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.

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