Airport art

We met Tampa Int’l Airport’s giant flamingo

The Stuck at The Airport arts team is a big fan of big art at airports.

And Tampa International Airport’s (TPA) giant flamingo doesn’t disappoint.

The sculpture is 21 feet tall and lives in TPA’s main terminal. The creation of artist Matthew Mazzota, the sculpture is officially titled “Home.” But thanks to a naming contest hosted by the airport last year, the big bird is now better known as Phoebe.

We finally got to meet Phoebe in person and have to say we are just wowed.

The flamingo isn’t the only newish big work of art at TPA Airport. And far from the only appealing artwork in TPA’s impressive public art collection.

Aaron Stephan’s “Paths Rising,” in the Main Terminal walkway to SkyConnect Station, is composed of over 600 ladders set inside a light well and positioned to imply a portal to what lies beyond.

(Courtesy TPA Airport)

Fresh art at O’Hare Int’l Airport

If you’re traveling through Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport (ORD) over the holidays and are passing through Terminal 5 (T5) you’re in for an art-filled treat.

The installation of a $3.5 million public art commission featuring work by more than 20 Chicago artists is nearly complete and it’s pretty darn impressive.

Here is a selection of the works you’ll be able to see.

Above is a part of the piece titled a murmuration by Jina Valentinewhich consists of 600 wall-mounted convex aluminum discs of varying sizes on view in the Passenger Level Concourse.

The artwork is a data visualization mapping over 200 years of immigration to the Illinois region. The color shifts as you move from one end of the piece to the other, illustrating the changes in immigration patterns over time.

Shinsekai Yori / From the New World (above), by Mayumi Lake is on view in the T5 International Arrivals Corridor.

Buffalo Chart at O’Hare, by Bernard Williams, is also in the International Arrivals Corridor.

In addition to all the new works on view in Terminal 5, you’ll find art in Terminal 1, Terminal 2, the Terminal 3 Rotunda, the muli-modal transportation facility, and elsewhere on the O’Hare Airport Campus.

5 Things We Love about Oregon’s Eugene Airport

Eugene Airport (EUG)

Oregon’s Eugene Airport (EUG) is also known as Mahlon Sweet Field and was named in honor of Mahlon Sweet. He was the automobile dealer and aviation enthusiast who built the city’s first airstrip – Eugene Airport Park – in 1919.

Today, EUG has 10 gates and is served by 7 air carriers – Alaska, America, Avela, Allegiant, Delta, Southwest, and United – and offers direct flights to 14 cities.

Here are 5 Things to Love About EUG Airport

1. Free Short Stories

EUG is one of a handful of airports around the country that hosts a Short Story Dispenser from French Publishing House Short Édition.

The dispenser at EUG is in a prime location: right at the top of the stairs on the way to the busy A Gates and is offered in partnership with the Eugene Public Library.

Passengers may choose one of three buttons and request a local, international, or kid’s story. Once a selection is made, a free short story or poem is printed right away on an ink-free, eco-friendly strip of paper.

2. A Great Art Collection at EUG

A mural-sized version of a license plate that benefits the Oregon Cultural Trust is on display near the A Gates. Travelers are invited to search for the 127 Oregon cultural symbols featured in the artwork.

The airport has plenty of other art throughout the terminal, including a changing gallery of work by adults in the Oregon Supported Living Program; a collection of images taken from data collected by University of Oregon researchers in astronomy, biology, and other sciences; and a fun multi-site work called “Flight Patterns,” by David Joyce that features almost life-sized photos of people in various mid-flight poses.

3. Rocking Chairs

EUG offers seating with power ports, seating at high tables, and, of course, banks of traditional airport seating.

But the most coveted seats at Eugene Airport, as at many other airports, are the rocking chairs.

4. Big Duck Statues

A handful of the 6-foot-tall fiberglass ducks that were once part of an art installation around town back in 2002 have waddled their way to the airport.

5. Souvenir Sasquatch Poo

There are lots of local and regionally-themed souvenirs to buy in the airport shops. But one of the most popular items is Bigfoot Poop.

5 Things We Love About Eugene Airport is part of the ongoing 5 Things We Love About .. series on Stuck at the Airport. Let us know if you’d like us to add your favorite airport.

Travel Tidbits: Fresh Art at IND and RNO Airports

Reno-Tahoe International Airport (RNO) has a new interactive mural, titled “Fly With Us,” by local artist Matthew McDowell that invites passengers to take pictures with their mural ‘wings.’

Coming Soon to IND Airport

 Art-filled Indianapolis International Airport (IND) is getting a new major piece of public art.

Indianapolis artist Brenna McCarty has been commissioned to create a new art piece that will be the first permanent art installation since the new terminal opened in 2008. 

Scheduled to be installed this fall, the new artwork will be a 40’ by 100’ hanging sculpture representing unity and global connection.

It will be suspended above the escalators and stairs leading into the Baggage Claim area of the terminal, so should be hard to miss.

Happy 25th Anniversary to PHL’s Art Program

 Congratulations to Philadelphia International Airport (PHL), and Director of Guest Experience/art program curator Leah Douglas, on the 25th anniversary of the airport’s award-winning Airport Exhibitions Program.

Since 1998, local artists and arts organizations have filled PHL’s terminals with more than 500 unique exhibitions.

“PHL has a unique opportunity with its global audience to promote Philadelphia’s unique treasures to the world – its arts, culture, and history,” said Douglas. During the 25 years of the program, Douglas has drawn on the talents of local artists, the region’s cultural and creative organizations, and the holdings of the city’s museums to keep the art exhibits at PHL airport fresh, inviting, and inspiring.

Some of our favorite exhibitions include the Bottle Clock and the time PHL invited local people to display their special collections.

Beer Bottle Clock

PHL offers 32 exhibitions annually in 16 locations throughout the airport and has four locations where the artwork remains on view long-term. There are also live artist demonstrations.

So if you’re passing through PHL airport, don’t just sit at your gate, go see some art.

For a bit of encouragement, check out the “PHL HeART Scavenger Hunt Challenge” developed by Eric Dale. Twenty-five hearts made by local street artist Amberella are hidden throughout Terminals A-East and A-West. Guests finding 10 or more by following clues on QR codes can win prizes.