PORT TOWNSEND — An emergency helicopter will land at the Northwest Maritime Center on Friday afternoon to highlight the opening of an exhibit of Coast Guard artists.

A Coast Guard helicopter search-and-rescue demonstration will begin at 1 p.m. at the center at 431 Water St. in Port Townsend.

The demonstration is in connection with the opening of an exhibit of 30 paintings by 24 artists in the Coast Guard Art Program.

Coast Guard Cmdr. Tony Hahn from Air Station/Sector Field Office Port Angeles will offer his comments and narrate the search-and-rescue demonstration.

As part of the demonstration, a Coast Guard MH-65C Dolphin helicopter will drop a 30-pound training aid into the water in front of the maritime center dock.

A rescue swimmer will be deployed from the hovering helicopter and simulate preparing a mock “survivor” for pickup, and both will be hoisted into the helicopter.

Coast Guard artists — most of whom are professionals — donate their work to the collection, which consists of more than 1,700 works showing the missions performed by the service’s force of 42,400 active duty members.

The program was created in the early 1980s. It is co-sponsored by the Salmagundi Club, a New York City art and cultural center.

The exhibition is free and open to the public.

For more information, visit www.uscg.mil/art or www.nwmaritime.org.