Albany International Airport

Fresh art at Albany International Airport

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The Fortuneteller’s Tent – by Ira Marcks at ALB Int’l Airport

Chasing the Tale,  a new group exhibition at Albany International Airport in New York, features work that, directly or indirectly, has links to historical, folk and popular culture stories.

Work by Jason Blue Lake Hawk Martinez, for example, is filled with “tricksters and gods, chickens and robots – hybrids of the American pop culture and Native Pueblo reservation culture,” the airport tells us, while Gerda van Leeuwen’s “furry protagonists take on anthropomorphic foibles and disguises.”

 

Hive Dancer – Jason Blue Lake Hawk Martinez at ALB Int’l Airport

 

Coyote series – Gerda van Leeuwen

The Chasing the Tale exhibition will be at Albany International Airport through February 26, 2018 in the airport’s 3rd floor gallery, which is located pre-security and on the same floor as the airport’s observation area.

Memento, an exhibition featuring work by five artists showing their affection for “unplugged play, relics of American identity, iconic childhood toys, and remnants of the pre-internet classroom,” is on display post-security through February 7, 2018 in the airport’s Concourse A Gallery .

Dotted Dream Scenic Byway – Erica Hauser

Travel Tidbits from San Diego & Albany Airports

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Here are some airport-related travel tidbits to start off the week.

SAN LACTATION ROOM

Courtesy San Diego Int’l Airport.

San Diego International is the latest airport to add lactation rooms for nursing mothers.

SAN’s 3 nursing rooms are located post-security: two in Terminal 1 and one in Terminal 2 – and include a hand washing station, electrical outlets, comfortable seating, artwork, a children’s seat and soft lighting.

ALB Airport art

Sitting Pretty, John McQueen, mixed media, 2011

There’s also a new art exhibit at Albany International Airport in New York.

The work of eight artists who blur and cross the lines between “folk” and “fine” art is featured in “Folk Modern.”

“…[T]the wall between them has been crumbling for some time, and inhabitants of both sides have been finding much common ground. This exhibition brings together individuals whose work occupies a territory in which qualities at once traditional and innovative ancestral and personal are seen to coexist and thrive.”

Pipedream, Giselle Potter, Collage and gouache on paper, 2010

Pipedream, Giselle Potter, Collage and gouache on paper, 2010

Albany International Airport & the selfies

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Albany

That’s not really the New York State Capitol – it’s the Albany International Airport.

But go ahead – take a selfie.

For travelers who haven’t had time to hit all the hot spots in and around Albany, officials at Albany International Airport set up a Selfie Spot on Concourse C with an over-sized photograph of the State Capitol.

“Sightseers touring Albany have always found the State Capitol to be one of the most breathtaking landmarks in upstate New York,” said John A. O’Donnell, CEO of the Albany County Airport Authority. “The Airport Capitol Selfie Site gives travelers an opportunity to recapture that moment and to digitally place themselves in the shadow of the seat of New York State government before they leave on their flights.”

The family above are the Gilberts of Queensbury, NY. They were on their way to Disney World but took advantage of the new photo op at ALB airport before they flew off.

Airports offer fresh art for travelers

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If you enjoy spending your leisure time visiting art galleries, but instead end up wasting time in airports, you’re in luck. This season, many airports around the country are hosting intriguing temporary exhibitions and unveiling new permanent public artwork that can turn a long layover into a cultural adventure. Or at least keep you from getting bored.

Here are a few highlights of fresh airport art from my current “At the Airport” column on USATODAY.com.

Included in the story is the  “Environmental Steward-ess” outfit Nancy Judd of Recycle Runway made out of old leather seat covers from Delta Air Lines.

 

There’s also a new exhibit at New York’s Albany International Airport. In Keeping Time, seven artists explore nostalgia with “an eye for its intimate, humorous and often bittersweet nature,” says Sharon Bates, director of the airport’s art and culture program. Included in the show are paintings, several large site-specific installations and collages made from old paint-by-number paintings.

It's in the Book - by Ken Ragsdale

 

And, at Florida’s Jacksonsville International Airport, there’s a fun exhibition titled Kites and Flights with work by Melanie Walker and George Peters.

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Book art at Albany International Airport (ALB)

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In New York, the Albany International Airport (ALB) Art and Culture Program has just kicked off “The Imaged Word,” an exhibition featuring works by a variety of artists all on the theme of books and the words inside them.  Most of the work is in the airport’s (pre-security) third floor gallery, the same floor as the Observation Gallery, but at least one piece makes impressive use of the stairwell leading to the gallery.

Here are a few samples of what you’ll see.

Imaged Word at Albany Airport - Building Bridges

Detail from Aaron Stephan's "Building Bridges"

Aaron Stephan’s Building Bridges installation is made up of eight foot high arched columns of books arranged so that they seem to recede into the distance of a darkened room.

In See No Evil, an altered book by Robert The, a scarab (talisman for warding off evil) seems to be escaping from a book filled with photographs of New York State politicians and influential people.

Robert The's "See No Evil"

Robert The's "See No Evil" - altered book

And in Hanging Index #20:Last Lines, by Scott McCarney, pages of a book have been cut, line by line, so that they cascade out of the book into a cloud of text that hovers over the stairwell leading to the gallery.

Work by Scott McCarney

Scott McCarney's "Hanging Index #20: Last Lines"

The Imaged Word will be at New York’s Albany International Airport through January 9, 2011.

13 million cranberries, Dusseldorf Airport’s Ski jump, and Amelia Earhart

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This weekend would be a good time to have as my superpower the ability to travel anywhere in the world and be in several places at once.

If I could, I’d stop first in Richmond, British Columbia, a short SkyTrain ride away from the Vancouver International Airport to watch 13 million (!!) locally-grown cranberries get dumped into the Fraser River in front of the Richmond Olympic Oval to form a  giant floating version of the maple leaf, rings and flame that make up the Canadian Olympic Committee logo.

Then I’d head over to the Dusseldorf International Airport to see if they finished trucking in enough snow (and turned the temperature down low enough) to make the world’s first indoor ski jump in an airport.   When they sent this photo, they were just waiting for the snow to arrive.

It would be fun, too, to stop at New York’s Albany International Airport (ALB), where the newest art show, Material Witness, is now underway.

And it might be interesting to touch down in Wichita, Kansas.  The Wichita Art Museum is one of the 100 or so museums around the country where Bank of America account holders can get free admission this weekend as part of the Museums on Us program.  And look what the Wichita Art Museum is using to promote an exhibition of works of paper.


(Robert Cottingham, Wichita (1985)

But, alas, the ability to be everywhere at once is not my super power.

So instead, I’ll stick close to home this weekend and pay a visit to the Museum of Flight, just up the road from Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, where there’s an exhibit titled  In Search of Amelia Earhart.

This exhibit includes many of Earhart’s personal artifacts,  including a suede jacket she wore on her 1932 solo transatlantic flight, two flight suits, a helmet,  a scarf,  newsreel footage and photos.

Amelia Earhart and her Lockheed L-10E Electra NR 16020 c. 1937. | The Museum of Flight


Found, discarded and recycled materials: art at Albany International Airport

Architecture, Art, Exhibits, ,

New York’s Albany International Airport (ALB) may be unique among airports in having a gallery space open to the public and an on-site curator who is also an artist.  So it’s always a treat when a new exhibition kicks off.

The newest one, Material Witness, is no exception.


(Model City, 2009, Assorted study models, cardboard, paper, plastic, metal, glue, tape)

Produced in cooperation with the nearby Rensselaer Schools of Architecture, and Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences, the exhibit includes drawings, photographs, study models and site-specific constructions, including floor-to-ceiling “trash walls” that reflect the possibilities found in discarded or recycled materials.


(Trash Walls, (detail), 2009, found material constructions)

Material Witness is in the Albany International Airport Gallery, pre-security on the third floor of the terminal through June 20, 2010.

Airport Observation Decks: Have a favorite?

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Vancouver Airport - New Observation DeckIn my At the Airport column on USATODAY.com this month, I offer a run-down of airport observation decks around the country.  I wanted to write about this because, while a lot of the amenities getting rolled out at airports these days are designed to make travelers forget they’re in an airport terminal, observation decks are all about airports, airplanes, and the magic of flight.

Unfortunately, a lot of airports that used to have official observation decks have shut them down. But here’s a round-up of some that still exist:

Minneapolis - Observation deck - wide

Minneapolis International Airport (MSP) MSP has an observation deck post-security on Concourse D, in Terminal 1. Built decades ago, the enclosed observation deck is only accessible via a set of stairs, but those who find their way up there are rewarded with great views in all directions.

Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport (BWI)

BWI - Observation rocking chairsYears ago, when BWI was known as Friendship International Airport, there was an outdoor observation deck.  Today there’s an enclosed Observation Gallery on the upper level of the airport, in the pre-security area between Concourses B and C. In addition to great views of airfield activities, there are rocking chairs, a children’s play area, and several exhibits related to aviation, including the nose cone, cockpit, landing gear and other sections of a Boeing 737-200 aircraft.

Albany International Airport (ALB) A pre-security observation area on the 3rd level of the terminal offers a panoramic view of both airport runways, all three wings of the terminal and, on a clear day, the southern Adirondack Mountains. A live feed of the chatter from the air traffic control tower is piped in and the airport’s art gallery is adjacent.

Albany - looking out from deck

Albuquerque International Sunport (ABQ) At the Albuquerque airport, the observation deck is located post-security, between the two concourses.  Equipped with bench seating, leather couches and chairs, this area offers travelers great airfield views as well as views of the Manzano Mountains and the Rio Grande.

ALB SUNPORT

Gerald R. Ford International Airport (GRR) At Gerald Ford International Airport in Grand Rapids, MI., there’s an enclosed observation deck, pre-security, that overlooks the airport runways.

Tri-Cities Regional Airport (TRI) in Tennessee has an open-air deck, located pre-security, on the mezzanine level of the airport. The deck looks out over the airfield, Boone Lake, and off to the Appalachian Mountains.

Vancouver International Airport (YVR) opened a new observation area in July 2009 with floor-to-ceiling windows, complimentary telescopes, interactive kiosks, and several other amenities.  At the end of September, the observation deck on top of Theme Building at Los Angeles International Airport will reopen. Like a lot of observation decks around the country, LAX had closed this area after 9/11.

View Of Downtown Los Angeles (2004)

Do you have a favorite airport observation deck or place to go outside the airport to watach plane?  If so, please tell us about it.

Greetings from: Albany International Airport

Art

Last week, I had a great time touring New York’s Albany International Airport (ALB).

There’s plenty to see:  in addition to exhibit cases filled with tantalizing treasures from area arts and cultural institutions, there are site specific installations and a wide variety of just plain fun exhibits, including Kenneth Ragsdale’s half-scale model of a 1965 Vista Cruiser station wagon towing a 1950’s style travel trailer:

Albany - The Quest - KenRagsdale

And, in the third floor gallery,  the new Out of this World exhibit, which includes Susie Brandt’s hand hooked rugs inspired by stumps and sewer drains:

Stumps and Drains series - Susie Brandt

Chris Harvey’s Seven Columns of Commerce and Pleasure

Albany - Seven Columns of Commerce and Pleasure - Chris Harvey

and his Totem for the New Green Initiative

Albany - Totem detail

This exhibition is up through the end of November at the airport’s third floor gallery, which is located pre-security, by the Observation Area.

Here’s a link for more information about this and other exhibits at the Albany Airport.

Want a great deal on some art? Try the airport.

Art,

Have you ever bought a piece of original art at an airport? It’s an increasingly popular and easy thing to do. It’s also a good deal for artists. “We have probably one of the most desirable exhibition venues in the region,” says Sharon Bates, director of the Arts & Culture program at Albany airport. “Partly because of the quality of our gallery program, but also because so many of the 3 million passengers who go through the airport each year can’t help but see the art.”

Asheville Airport gallery view

It’s also because, unlike traditional galleries where the standard commission can be between 50% and 60%, for the first ten years of its art program (1988-2008), the Albany airport took only a 30% commission on artwork sold. The commission rate was recently raised to 35%, but that’s still well below most gallery rates and any funds raised are used to help defray the cost of insuring, lighting, and promoting the regional artwork displayed. “It’s a win-win situation for everyone,” says Bates.

It’s a win-win for artists and art lovers at airports elsewhere as well. While the Nashville International Airport takes a 25% commission on art sold through its Arts in the Airport program, some airports, including those in Miami, Philadelphia, and Los Angeles, regularly put potential buyers in touch with artists exhibiting work at the airport without taking any commission at all.

To find out about how this worked out to the benefit of found metal sculptor Ralph Berger and several travelers who saw his work at Asheville Regional Airport in North Carolina, see my At the Airport column, Artists find great display space – and buyers- at airports –  that posted today on USATODAY.com.

Ralph Berger artwork