Art

Museum Monday: Chinese baskets at SFO Airport

Art, ,

A new exhibition from the SFO Museum at San Francisco International Airport (SFO) celebrates the artistry of Chinese basketry and containers, many of which feature hand-painted motifs and auspicious symbols.

Portland Craft: Chinese Woven Baskets and Containers is on view post-security in SFO’s Harvey Milk Terminal 1 from April 19, 2025­, to June 7, 2026.

Here are some notes about the craft of Chinese basketry from the exhibit curators.

Baskets range in size, form, and usage—from sewing baskets and hat containers to food-carrying baskets and storage containers for grain, clothing, and other domestic items.

Betrothal or gift baskets, some of the most ornate Chinese baskets, are filled with food and gifts and given to the bride-to-be by the groom and his family.

Still made today in several southeasteHrn provinces, many of these specimens are now intended for the tourist or international market.

However, the SFO Museum exhibition features baskets from the 19th to early 20th century. Included are some baskets that not woven at all but are crafted from wood and laquered to mimic the form of a basket.

Here’s a sampling. All images courtesy SFO Museum.

Turn travel into poetry at San Diego Int’l Airport

Art,

 

Passengers traveling through San Diego International Airport (SAN) may have their travel tales turned into poetry.

Now through April 29, the airport’s Spring 2025 Performing Arts Resident, Poets Underground, will be onsite in the terminals at their luggage-inspired stage called The Great Poetic Baggage Exchange.

The artists will be inviting and enticing travelers to engage in conversations and mural paintings around five travel-inspired themes: Adventure, Baggage, Connection, Checkpoint and Rise.

The stories and images gathered at SAN will help the arts residents create poems and other artworks that will be then be featured in three airport performances on May 2, 6, and 8.

Could be fun!

Fresh art at San Diego Int’l Airport

Art,

(Artist: Guillermo Arias)

Mirror, Mirror exhibition at San Diego Int’l Airport

Mirror Mirror, the newest temporary exhibition on display at San Diego International Airport (SAN), features more than 100 works by 16 contemporary artists from the region, all exploring the fascinating interplay between light, color, and space. 

(Artist: Sophia Allison)

SAN’s Mirror, Mirror exhibition draws on the legacy of the California artists who were part of the 1960s Southern California Light and Space movement.

According to exhibition notes, artists were inspired by the unique quality of Southern California’s light “revolutionized minimalism” by using then-new light-interactive materials such as resin, plastics and neon.

The light-interactive materials were handy, thanks to the local aerospace manufacturing and industrial design industries.

Look for the Mirror, Mirror exhibit at San Diego International Airport in both the pre- and post-security areas of Terminal 2 throughout 2025.

(Artist – May-ling Martinez)

(Artist: Wendell Kling)

Travel tidbits from airports near you

Art, ,

Houston Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH) has a cool new art car on display in Terminal A.

It’s called the “Karmadillo” – for obvious reasons – and is being referred to as the “most Texas ride ever.”

Agree?

SEA Airport’s N Concourse celebrates a concession milestone

When it officially opened at the end of 2021, the remodeled and expanded N Concourse at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA) boasted 8 new and 12 remodeled gates, fresh new art and a long list of cool new shops and restaurants.

Due to the pandemic, it’s taken a while for all the contracted tenants to open their spaces.

Now they have. And this week SEA took the time to celebreate with lion dancers, ribbon cuttings and a visit from Jett the SEA Otter, the airport’s new mascot.

If you’re headed to SEA sometime soon, here are eight of the most recent openings:

Sky Gamerz is a gaming lounge serving up retro Atra-era video games that can be played for free, along with a full food and drink menu .

Tender Loving Empire was born in Portland and is a welcome Seattle gift shop addition that supports hundreds of artists, makers, musicians, and small businesses.

CHALO Seattle offers fun travel gear with really great graphics.

Show Pony is a locally-owned boutique featuring clothing, jewelry, accessories, and gifts from independent small designers, many local to the Pacific Northwest.

Other new venues include a branch of P.F. Chang’s, Lil Woody’s Burgers & Shakes, Embarque Whiskey Grill and Village Pub .

And check out what’s on deck for the Great Hall at Denver Internaitonal Airport

Orlando Int’l Airport ready for National Public Sleeping Day

Art, , ,

Have you ever fallen asleep in an airport or on an airplane?

If so, you will appreciate and want to mark National Public Sleeping Day, which takes place each year on February 28th.

The unofficial national holiday celebrates and encourages taking a nap in public places, including airports and on airplanes, a skill most travelers have down pat.

The holiday gets special attention at Orlando International Airport (MCO), which is home to Duane Hanson’s hyperrealistic sculpture commonly referred to as The Sleeping Man, but officially titled “The Traveler.”

The sculpture has been part of the airport’s art collection since 1985 and now sits in a display case on Level 3 of MCO’s Main Terminal. According to the airport, when the sculpture was first installed, “the model who posed for the piece – a neighbor of Hanson’s – was in attendance, sitting next to the finished sculpture. When the model abruptly stood up and walked away, it caused quite a stir among the staff and visitors.”

In 2024, “The Traveler” underwent a refresh from a local conservator who was able to complete the job “without waking him up from his almost 40-year slumber.”

This year, in honor of National Public Sleeping Day – February 28 – Orlando International Airport is hosting a look-alike contest inspired by “The Traveler” sculpture.

To enter, all you need to do is dress up as the sleeping man and show up by the sculpture at MCO airport between 11 am and noon on Friday, February 28th. The prize: an MCO Icons pin for your collection.

Snooze and you lose. Or, in this case, win.