Airport art

Tampa Int’l Airport Turning 50

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Tampa International Airport (TPA) turns 50 on Thursday, April 15, and is celebrating with giveaways, a sweepstakes drawing, and special surprises for travelers passing through the terminal that day. 

The airport is hosting a sweepstake with a first prize of a $1,000 gift card for redemption at TPA’s shops and restaurants. The winner will also get a TPA swag basket and an exclusive airfield tour. There will be smaller prizes for second and third place. The contest is open until April 15 at 10 a.m. and winners will be announced later that day. Enter TPA’s sweepstakes here.

If you happen to be at Tampa International Airport on April 15, you’ll also be able to enjoy:

  • Giveaways for every 50th passenger going down the escalator, exiting the shuttles and at other key touchpoints.
  • 50th-anniversary décor around the Main Terminal 
  • A TPA branded photo station 
  • Special anniversary videos playing throughout the Main Terminal and on social media
  • Snacks and treats 

Fresh Art at TPA

Just in time for its 50th anniversary, Tampa International Airport also has some fresh new artwork to its collection. Both “Cove” by Jason Hackenwerth and “Untitled” by Soo Sunny Park are in the newly completed SkyCenter Atrium.

Travel Tidbits from SAT and SEA Airports

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Fresh Art for San Antonio International Airport

San Antonio International Airport (SAT) has a new, hard to miss, piece of public art.

“Star of Texas (La Estrella de Texas),” by the renowned Mexican artist Sebastián, now sits on the south side of the SAT airport entrance, on Airport Boulevard.

The work is 17-feet tall and is painted in the artist’s signature fiery red.

“Public Art is a significant part of who we are, representing where we’ve been, where we are, and where we hope to go as a community,” said San Antonio Mayor Ron Nirenberg in a statement. “The ‘Star of Texas’ speaks to the long-lasting impression San Antonio leaves on visitors and residents alike. Whether visiting San Antonio for the first time or the 100th, or a resident leaving the airport for a vacation, we all know the feeling that keeps us longing for a fast return to this great city.”

Sensory Room + Interfaith Prayer and Meditation Room at SEA Airport

Airports in Pittsburgh, Miami, Atlanta, and elsewhere now have sensory rooms designed to reduce the stress for travelers with neurological or developmental disabilities. The latest airport to offer this feature to travelers is Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA). The new sensory room at SEA room offers a seated bench area, an orange squeeze chair, a rocking chair, dimmable lighting, a starry night ceiling, wool rock pillows, and other features.

Along with the sensory room, SEA also recently unveiled the Interfaith Prayer and Meditation Room. Features here include dimmable lighting, three alcoves of seating, a kneeling prayer bench, Qibla pointer, and luggage/shoe storage.

Both the Sensory Room and the Interfaith Prayer and Meditation Room at SEA airport are located h the train level of the A Gates Satellite Transit Station (STS) in the long hallway near the elevators.

Travel Tidbits from airports & museums

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Happy Friday! Here are some travel tidbits we’ve been keeping in the inbox all week

Fresh murals at Charlotte Douglas Int’l Airport

CLT Airport is greeting passengers on Concourse C with four new murals by two local artists

Amy Bagwell’s two murals “Our Days” at gates C4 and C7 were inspired by her travels through the airport.

And Ruth Ava Lyons’ “Interplay I” and “Interplay II” at gates C10 and C15 focus on the wonder of the natural world and issues surrounding the delicately balanced constellation of ecosystems worldwide.


The Places We’ll Go: World Chess Hall of Fame

We’re making lists of places we’ll go once we can go places.

On the list: The World Chess Hall of Fame, in St. Louis, MO.

Not only is the World Chess Hall of Fame home to the World’s Largest Chess Piece (20 feet tall), but through May 16, 2021, the museum is hosting an exhibit of work by Keith Haring. In addition to Haring’s works and photographs of the artist, the exhibit includes bespoke street art chess sets from Purling London and newly-commissioned pieces by Saint Louis artists, all paying homage to the late pop culture icon.

Fresh art (and history) at St. Louis Lambert Int’l Airport

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There’s a new glass mural at St. Louis Lambert International Airport (STL) honoring the life and legacy of airport founder Major Albert Bond Lambert.

Born in 1875, Albert Lambert was an avid balloonist and an accomplished golfer who competed in the 1900 and 1904 summer Olympics. And, lucky for us, he was also an aviation enthusiast who, after taking a ride in a plane piloted by Orville Wright, took flying lessons from the Wright Brothers’ company. In 1911, Lambert became the first licensed pilot in St. Louis.

In 1920, Lambert and the Missouri Aeronautical Society leased farmland to serve as an airfield for St. Louis. And it was Lambert, whose family owned the pharmaceutical company that made Listerine, who paid to have the land developed as an airfield. In 1925, when the lease ran out, Lambert purchased the airfield property. He sold it in 1928 to the city of St. Louis, at cost.

The new mural, “Dream Beyond the Clouds,” was designed by Martin Donlin. And in the video, below, Donlin describes the artistic inspiration for the mural design, the ‘making-of’ the mural, and what he learned about the airport’s namesake.

You’ll want to see the mural up close. Look for it in Terminal One, across from entry door 4.

Pandemic art at Long Beach Airport

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Long Beach Warrior – by Mer Young

There’s a new pandemic-themed art exhibit at Long Beach Airport (LGB).

The exhibition features work by local women artists commissioned by the airport and the Arts Council for Long Beach (ARTSLB). The 20 pieces chosen reflect uplifting and hopeful messages related to the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Titled “We Got This: Art in the Time of the Pandemic,” the artwork was printed and installed on large construction barriers in public, highly trafficked areas of the airport. Images will stay up for at least six months, but you can see an online version of the exhibit is available here. We’ve pulled a few images as a preview.

This is Sheltering, by Terry Braunstein

Below is: We’re going to be OK, OK? by Hannah Perez

Here is Safety First, by Karina Vasquez

And here is Corona Transformed, by Diane McLeod

Exhibit at JWA Airport Highlights Route 66

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Motoring West

Road trips are all the rage right now, so it is fun to see the iconic landmarks and images of Route 66 featured in the new exhibit at John Wayne Airport (JWA) in Santa Ana, CA.

The pastel paintings on display through April 15, 2021, and are all by Ruth Kurisu.

 “I have traveled down Route 66 several times over the years and witnessed both its decline, rebirth, and preservation as a living time capsule and wanted to preserve this historical highway in my own way,” said Kurisu.

Kurisu’s exhibit is on display pre-security, on the Departure (upper) Level near security screening areas in Terminals A, B, and C and on the Arrival (lower) Level adjacent to Baggage Carousels 1 and 4.

Fresh art at Denver International Airport

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Courtesy Denver International Airport

Photo exhibit at Denver International Airport

A new exhibit at Denver International Airport (DEN) includes the work of 35 amateur and professional photographers from Colorado.

The My Colorado: Architecture exhibit includes images of architecture in Colorado’s urban settings, the Eastern Plains, and the Rocky Mountains. Look for the display on Concourse A, just beyond the bridge security checkpoint, for up to a year.

If you don’t think you’ll be traveling through Denver International Airport soon, you can see all the images online and in the video below.

All photos courtesy Denver International Airport

Stuck at the Airport: Friday Round-up

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Happy Friday. We’re ending the week here at Stuck at The Airport with some tidbits that caught our attention, like this #TBT – “Throwback Thursday” – tweet from O’Hare International Airport

And this #TBT tweet from Houston’s Hobby Airport (HOU)

All month long, we’re been paying attention to – and learning from – the tweets from St. Louis Lambert International Airport (STL) highlighting the people featured on the airport’s Black Americans in Flight mural.

We’re sad we missed seeing this exhibit at Orlando International Airport (MCO).

And we’re impressed that Delta’s Flight Museum is being used as a mass vaccination site in Georgia.

IND: 5 Things We Love About Indianapolis International Airport

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Stuck at The Airport’s “5 Things We Love About…” series is back for the new year celebrating more features and amenities at airports around the country and the world.

Today we land at Indianapolis International Airport (IND)

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5 Things We Love About Indianapolis International Airport (IND)

Indianapolis airport art
From Ron Baron’s ‘Baggage Claim” at IND Airport

1. All the Art at IND

Connections, by Cameron McNall and Damon Seeley at IND Airport

IND has a wonderful collection of permanent and temporary art collections displayed throughout the airport. Many of the pieces were created by artists or poets who live in Indiana or have ties to the Hoosier state.

2. The food at IND

IND is one of those airports where you want to arrive hungry.

The “World’s Best Shrimp Cocktail is served with a signature and very spicy cocktail sauce at Harry & Izzy’s steakhouse in Concourse A. The list of other eateries with local connections includes the Sun King Brewing Co., Shapiro’s Delicatessen, and Tinker Coffee. And check out this Reis and Irvy’s robotic yogurt kiosk.

3. Racing Cars in the IND Terminal

Indianapolis is home to the Indy 500, the largest single-day sporting event in the world. So IND airport displays vintage racing vehicles from the vault at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum.

Passengers will also hear revving engine sound effects in the pedestrian bridge.

4. Largest Airport Solar Farm

IND lays claim to being home to the world’s largest airport solar farm. The field of panels creates enough energy to power 3,675 average American homes per year. For more energy, the airport has human-powered charging bikes.

5. Souvenir Shopping at IND

Souvenir shopping at IND? Fun options include made-in-Indiana candy at Natalie’s Candy Jar; books by Indiana authors at INK by Hudson and, for a splurge, a crystal basketball from Scoreboard on Concourse A.

Did we miss one of the features you love about Indianapolis International Airport? If so, drop a note in the comments section below. Also let us know which airport you’d like to nominate to be featured in our series next.

Fresh (future) art at Sea-Tac Airport

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Stuck at the Airport world headquarters is in Seattle. So we pay extra attention to what’s happening at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA).

The airport is building a new $968 million International Arrivals Facility, which will greatly improve the arrival experience for passengers.

The number of international-capable gates will increase from 12 to 20. There will be more bag claim carousels. New technology will speed up passport check clearance. And the minimum connection time for passengers will drop from 90 to 75 minutes. Though we think people will want to spend more time in the airport once they see all the cool amenities here.

The new International Arrival Facility will also bring fresh new art to an airport already filled with great art. And the airport recently shared this video showing the artwork being installed in the Grand Hall of the new International Arrivals Facility.

Take a look.

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