Temporary Exhibits

"Full Metal Modine" Exhibit

"Full Metal Modine," is a photographic exhibition of images captured by the actor Matthew Moline during the filming of "Full Metal Jacket." This temporary exhibition is a glimpse into the making of a war film that is often said to transcend time while also giving the viewer an inside look at the brilliance of the film's director, Stanley Kubrick. The exhibition includes dozens of images captured during the filming of the movie and printed on metal. Modine, who played war correspondent Pvt Joker in the movie, captured the black-and-white images on a Rolleiflex camera given to him by a friend.

Modine made the images available to the Museum for display and the Marine Corps Heritage Foundation graciously paid to have them printed on metal and framed. This exhibition is a rare opportunity to see film making and the Corps through a different lens.

This temporary exhibit will be on display at the National Museum of the Marine Corps March 2, 2024 through September 2025.

Photo by The Marine Corps Heritage Foundation

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"Go to War...Do Art" Exhibit

A new exhibit in the National Museum of the Marine Corps’ Combat Art Gallery celebrates the 80th anniversary of Marine Corps combat art. The exhibition titled “Go to War…Do Art” 80 years of the Marine Corps Combat Art Program features 80 works on paper by 29 combat artists. This exhibit introduces the combat artists who answered the call, taking their brushes and pens into harm’s way. They went to war. They did art.

​This exhibit is open through August 9, 2024.

Photo by The National Museum of the Marine Corps

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"They Came in Peace" Exhibit

"They Came in Peace," a new temporary exhibit at the National Museum of the Marine Corps which tells the stories of the Marines who conducted peacekeeping operations in Beirut, Lebanon, from 1982 to 1984 and the 22d Marine Amphibious Unit (MAU) that landed on Grenada in 1983 as part of Operation Urgent Fury. The exhibit honors the 241 soldiers, sailors and Marines from the 24th MAU who lost their lives in the October 23, 1983 bombing of the Marine barracks at Beirut International Airport as part of the Museum's commemoration of the fortieth anniversary of this tragic event. A memorial wall with the names of the fallen service members and a multi-media presentation incorporating contemporary footage of the bombing and interviews with surviving Marine veterans and next of kin of the fallen shows visitors the cost borne by the Marines of the 24th MAU and the impact the bombing has had to this day.

Photo by The National Museum of the Marine Corps

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USMC Communication Directorate

A photographic exhibit is on the Museum's second deck corridor. This exhibit, curated by staff from the Marine Corps Communication directorate (CD), is a collection of more than 30 images in support of recent Marine Corps operations. These photographs—taken by both Marines and sailors—include images of Marine Corps training and exercises in support of Force Design 2030, which continues the legacy and builds on the foundation cemented by generations of Marines.

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New to the Collection: Preserving the Past

The National Museum of the Marine Corps (NMMC) collection includes more than 60,000 artifacts ranging from early uniform buttons to a 70-ton main battle tank. At any point in time, approximately 10 percent of the collection is on exhibit in the NMMC; the remainder is either on loan to other museums or Marine Corps units, undergoing conservation, or professionally stored for future exhibit or study by researchers. The NMMC acquires artifacts through various means; for example, donation, transfer, or purchase, but all acquisitions are guided by the NMMC Collections Rationale and selected by the curators based on their provenance, condition, and overall significance to the Marine Corps and NMMC’s permanent collection.

The artifacts in this case were recently added to the NMMC collection and illustrate the variety of objects that the NMMC collects, preserves, and maintains in perpetuity.

If you have artifacts that you wish to donate to the Museum, please see our Artifact Donation page.

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 Battles Won—Marine Corps Recruiting Command Sculptures by Kris Kuksi

​Sculptor Kris Kuksi (1973–present) creates elaborate, unique compositions from found materials. “The mentality of a Marine is selflessness, camaraderie, brotherhood, and kinship—all working together and fighting to the death for your fellow man,” Kuksi said at the opening ceremony.

The three sculptures represent various battles throughout the history of the Marine Corps. Each sculpture features a core sculpture that is surrounded by many small figures, which, when viewed in its totality, forms an iconic image that reflects the Marine Corps’ core values, traditions, and victories. The first sculpture--At Their Core—evokes challenges faced on the battlefield. The second--A Nation’s Call—represents the Nation and the battles this Country and the Marine Corps have faced and won. The third sculpture--Waged in Will—is reminiscent of the transformation that occurs during Marine Corps training; winning the battle within one’s self and emerging as a quality citizen who betters the Nation. The emotions captured in the sculpted faces of these iconic pieces reflect the struggles they have lived through—be it on the battlefield, during humanitarian relief missions, or personal challenges endured—to become an United States Marine.

The sculptures are on exhibit on the Museum’s second deck, next to the Combat Art Gallery.