When we’re not exploring airports, we’re checking out museums.
And this week we’re in Charlotte, N.C. to check out both museums and the art and amenities at Charlotte-Douglas International Airport (CLT).
Here are some snaps from museums we’ve visited during our residency so far.
Bechtler Museum of Modern Art
(Peach Mask 4 (Love) by Jiha Moon)
The Firebird, by Niki de Saint Phalle (up top) out in front of the Charlotte’s Bechtler Museum of Modern Art makes it clear this museum isn’t shy about being bold.
Inside, we toured an exhibit of more than 100 works by David McGee in an exhibit titled The Griot and the Nightengale and a variety of work by Jiha Moon and others in Collection, Reframed, the museum’s annual summer exhibition in which contemporary artists (in this case, Moon) and creative visionaries engage with the museum’s permanent collection.
Spotted at the Mint Museum
We loved pretty much everything on view at the Mint Museum Uptown.
Charlotte Museum of History
Our favorite exhibit at the Charlotte Museum of History turned out to be this traveling exhibition from the Smithsonian Institution.
¡Pleibol! In the Barrios and the Big Leagues is a bilingual exhibition about American baseball — and the role Latino/a communities have played in the development of the game.
We love that the museum blends the touring show with the local story of the Charlotte Knights.
Sullenberger Aviation Museum
The Sullenberger Aviation Museum, on the grounds of Charlotte Douglas International Airport, documents the aviation history of North and South Carolina with updated and expanded exhibits.
The museum also houses the A320 from US Airways Flight 1549, better known as the “Miracle on the Hudson,” and offers an corresponding exhibit that includes a film, a wide array of artifacts and more.
During the add-on “Miracle on the Hudson Experience,” visitors get an informative, interactive, small-group tour of the Miracle on the Hudson section of the museum. The tour includes a hands-on session with some objects and personal effects that were recovered after the incident, such as these cans of juice and pop that flight attendants didn’t get a chance to serve to passengers.
We’ll be writing a full article on the Miracle on the Hudson Experience, so stay tuned for more on this tour and the museum.
Discovery Place Science
We tend to think of science centers as just for kids. But a sure sign that Charlotte’s Discovery Place Science museum is way more than that is that so many adults we met in town told us how much they love going to this place on their own.
During our visit we did see plenty of families enjoying the exhibits, the aquarium, the labs, the rainforest, the demonstrations and the hands on activities. But that didn’t keep us from joining in and discovering new things about the world too.
