Month: May 2026

“The Paladin” display in Weil im Schönbuch through May 2026

MAMF Overseas, Museum News, Museum of the American Military Family

Die neueste Ausstellung im Rathaus von Weil im Schönbuch ist das Ergebnis einer internationalen Zusammenarbeit zwischen kanadischen, deutschen und amerikanischen Künstlern. „The Paladin“ präsentiert Fotografien von Gemälden des kanadischen Künstlers Barry Smylie sowie kreative Beiträge von Ulrike Gotowicz und Circe Olson Woessner.

„The Paladin“ erzählt die Geschichte einer jungen Soldatin, die in der Ukraine im Einsatz ist. Herr Smylie steht seit mehreren Jahren mit ihr in Briefkontakt und hat drei Jahre ihres Lebens beim Militär in einer Serie von zwölf Gemälden dokumentiert. Mit seinen Kunstwerken möchte Smylie die Geschichte einer einzelnen Frau erzählen – wohl wissend, dass jeder Krieg noch viele, viele weitere unerzählte Geschichten birgt und dass es wichtig ist, nicht zu vergessen, dass die Situation in der Ukraine nach wie vor andauert.

Smylie erklärt:

„Das Land wurde durch den ständigen Krieg verwüstet … Der Hass hat sich verfestigt; der Wille zum Frieden wird immer wieder vereitelt … Angesichts der Realität von Leben und Tod unter Beschuss müssen wir uns daran erinnern, dass Soldaten echte Menschen sind.“

 

Acht der „Paladin“-Gemälde sind in der Ausstellung zu sehen, die noch bis Ende Mai während der regulären Öffnungszeiten des Rathauses zugänglich ist.

The latest exhibition at the Weil im Schönbuch Town Hall is the result of an international collaboration among Canadian, German, and American artists. “The Paladin” features photographs of paintings by Canadian artist Barry Smylie, as well as creative contributions from Ulrike Gotowicz and Circe Olson Woessner.

“The Paladin” tells the story of a young female soldier currently deployed in Ukraine. Mr. Smylie has been in correspondence with her for several years and has documented three years of her military life in a series of twelve paintings. Through his artwork, Smylie aims to tell the story of a single woman—fully aware that every war harbors many, many other untold stories, and that it is crucial not to forget that the situation in Ukraine remains ongoing.

Smylie explains:

“The country has been devastated by constant warfare… Hatred has become entrenched; the will for peace is repeatedly thwarted… Faced with the reality of life and death under fire, we must remind ourselves that soldiers are real human beings.”

 

Eight of the “Paladin” paintings are on display in the exhibition, which remains open to the public until the end of May during the Town Hall’s regular opening hours.

Learning & Leisure in “Little America” exhibit and discussion in Munich, Germany

Events, MAMF Overseas, Museum News

On Saturday, May 9, 2026, MAMF members met some former UMMC and military-connected folks and toured the Münchner Kindl brewery under construction at the site of the former AAFES gas station in the Perlacher Forst housing area. While no longer a military installation, the many current residents want to preserve the housing area as a protected historical entity, keeping the look and feel of “Little America” alive and well in Munich. A brew master is building a brewery on the site of the former gas station, and hopes to start his first batch of beer at the end of 2026. We were honored to be invited to tour the building and meet the architects and volunteers working very hard to preserve local history.

On Sunday, we were at Giesinger Bahnhof cultural center and met photographer Elvira Auer, who has preserved the former University of Maryland buildings through her photos, and some of the authors who have contributed stories to our latest anthology, Servus!

MAMF Director Circe and Historian Karin Pohl presented on historical and cultural topics, and then the other authors shared some of their writings. Laura Seidel made a short presentation about the 1960 plane crash which killed 52 people, including 12 University of Maryland students. A representative from St Paul’s church (into which the plane had crashed) attended the program on behalf of the parish.

One of the day’s highlights was when David Fanelli played recordings of his opera-singer mother and shared an original US Bicentennial poster. We’d like to thank the wonderful team at Giesinger Bahnhof who hosted us, provided support, and were a welcoming presence.

To read more about the history of McGraw Kaserne and the UMMC, some of the faculty and students, as well as the tragic plane crash in Munich, purchase a copy of Servus!

https://www.lulu.com/shop/circe-olson-woessner-and-karin-pohl/servus/paperback/product-65jn7dn.html?q=servus&page=1&pageSize=4

MAMF’s two big programs in the Stuttgart area

Events, Museum News, Museum of the American Military Family, Museum Press, News

 

 

 

 

 

In April, Month of the Military Child, MAMF’s exhibit, Dear America, what military-connected children want you to know was launched at Stuttgart High School. Created by high school senior Emily Wheeler, MAMF Student Liaison and Career Practicum student, Dear America was the centerpiece for a month-long celebration of military children. All Stuttgart area schools submitted artwork, essays, and other items to the exhibit. On April 15, the was a huge “Purple Up” event and all the students who contributed to the exhibit were invited.                                                                                                To see all more of Dear America, as well as MAMF’s other projects, click this link. 

In May, MAMF collaborated with Canadian artist Barry Smylie and German artist Ulrike Gotowicz to display The Paladin at the library on Patch Barracks and at the Weil im Schönbuch town hall. Both displays run through the end of May 2026.

The jpeg files for Paladin artwork was generously gifted by Smylie to the museum, and people interested in purchasing some of the pictures should contact MAMF at info@militayfamilymuseum.org.

To see all of the Paladin files, visit Smylie’s website at https://barrysmylie.com/galleries/2025/Palidin/pages/gallery2.html