At the center, a portrait of Tuskegee Airman Lt. Robert W. Deiz — adapted from the 1943 U.S. Treasury “Keep Us Flying! Buy War Bonds” poster painted by Betsy Graves Reyneau — faces an eagle painted by the artist’s Italian grandmother, bridging histories and generations. A Jewish woman living under Italy’s 1938 Racial Laws, the grandmother spent much of the war in hiding under an assumed name; meanwhile, the Tuskegee Airmen’s 332nd Fighter Group flew bomber-escort missions from Italian bases with the U.S. Fifteenth Air Force.

An airy, sky-lit palette evokes flight, while a necklace of aquamarine, Murano glass, and freshwater pearls cuts across the composition — an elegant nod to a “glass ceiling” not yet shattered.

Historically grounded yet contemporary, Towards the Second Victory (Keep Us Flying) unites Tuskegee Airmen history, WWII aviation, and personal family memory, pairing remembrance with awareness of the work still ahead.

Materials: Aquamarine, hemimorphite, Murano glass, freshwater pearls, altered war bonds poster, original painting, dollhouse miniature frames, acrylic paint, paper

Framing: Archival museum glass in a deep silver custom frame by Chevy Chase Art Gallery, Washington, DC.