art

Robert Rauschenberg was an avgeek

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(“Mercury Zero Summer Glut” 1987, courtesy Robert Rauschenberg Foundation)

October 22 marks the 100th anniversary of the birth of postmodern artist Robert Rauschberg, who died in 2008 and this year there are wide range of exhibitions and activities to mark the centennial.

One of those is Smithsonian Books’ publication of The Ascent of Rauschenberg: Reinventing the Art of Flight, written by Carolyn Russo, who is the curator of the art collection at the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum.

Rauschenberg is most famous for his groundbreaking “Combines,” which are painting and sculpture hybrids that often incorporated everyday objects and a connective tissue through it all was his fascination with flight. 

Throughout his body of work, Rauschenberg skillfully intertwined himself thematically with the subject of flight—spanning birds in nature, aviation, and the vastness of space,” Russo writes.

Her book includes more than 150 images of Rauschenberg’s work, from lithographs inspired by the Apollo 11 launch that NASA invited him to witness and document, to a Combine featuring a taxidermied eagle that evokes Roman mythology.

Here are couple of images from the book.

(“Wing Swing Glut, 1988” – ©Robert Rauschenberg Foundation and  Ron Amstutz)

(“Autobiography” (1968) courtesy Robert Rauschenberg Foundation)

Transforming a weapon of war into a colorful work of art

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(Courtesy of the MiG-21 Project)

Seattle’s Museum of Flight is taking a bold and very colorful step in the world of art and aviation.

Starting June 21, the museum is displaying The MiG-21 Project. The installation is the culmination of South African artist Ralph Ziman’s multi-year collaborative effort to cover a decommissioned Cold War-era, Soviet-designed MiG-21 fighter jet with tens of millions of colorful glass beads.

The exhibit will be onsite until January 26, 2026.

Why do it? Ziman says his goal was to “to take the most mass-produced supersonic fighter aircraft and turn it from a machine of war into something that looks beautiful” and changes its meaning.

Ziman and a fabrication team of craftspeople and artists from Zimbambwe, South Africa and Los Angeles did just that. Working across time zones and through a variety of challenges, including the pandemic, they covered the aircraft’s 51-foot by 24-foot surface with beaded panels in colors and patterns that are meant to convey peace, cultural pride, and a joyous celebration of life.

The inside of the cockpit got the full beaded treatment as well. Here’s a link to a cool 360 cockpit view.

(courtesy MiG-21 Project)

In addition to covering the MiG-21 with beads, Ralph Ziman and his fabrication team created regalia inspired by the beaded panels of the aircraft and incorporating bits and pieces of the aircraft.

These Afrofuturistic flight suits draw influence from military flight suits, African tribal textiles and space travel.

(Courtesy MiG 21 project)

As impressive as the MiG-21 exhibit is, consider that the MiG-21 is the final piece artwork in Ralph Ziman’s 12-year Weapons of Mass Production Trilogy, which addresses the impact of the arms trade on global conflicts and the continued militarization of police forces around the world.

(Image courtesy Nic Hofmeyr)

Here’s a short video that explains the larger MiG-21 Project.

Orlando Int’l Airport ready for National Public Sleeping Day

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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.

“A Necessary Departure” at San Diego Int’l Airport

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(“Blue Corona: Sunset Dances”/Artist: Lori Hepner/Location:Terminal 2 West, Post-Security, Stone Brewery Wall)

San Diego International Airport (SAN) is featuring a new temporary exhibition, titled A Necessary Departure, throughout Terminal 2 pre-and-post security.

A Necessary Departure is a collection of works from 17 local artists and organizations that examines personal transformations and how the community has remade itself after the pandemic.

Featured work in the exhibition includes sculpture, painting, photography, ceramics, site-specific installation, and more. All exhibition pieces will remain on display through 2023.

Here is a sample of artwork from the show.

[“Oneness.” Artist: San Diego MTO School/Kerry Soori McEachern. Location: Terminal 2 East, Pre-Security, Gallery]

(“The Wonders of Plastic”/ Artist: Terri Hughes-Oelrich/Location: Terminal 2 East 2nd floor, Post-Security, gate 24)

(“Farverig Sol”/ Artist: Kaori Fukuyama/Location: Terminal 2 East, Pre-Security, Checkpoint six)

All photos courtesy of San Diego International Airport

Travel Tidbits: Fresh Art at IND and RNO Airports

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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.

IND: 5 (More) Things We Love About Indianapolis International Airport

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Stuck at The Airport’s “5 Things We Love About…” series revisited Indianapolis International Airport (IND) recently and found 5 more things to love.

This Madame Walker Mural

This mural by Tasha Beckwith honors Indianapolis hair-care entrepreneur Madam C.J. Walker, who is credited as being the first female self-made millionaire in America.

These Lounge-Like Chairs

These powered privacy chairs are usually seen in airline lounges. At IND you’ll find them in a gate hold area.

This Free Pop-a-Shot Basketball Game

At IND’s pre-security Civic Plaza, the Indiana Pacers Courtside Club celebrates the local Indiana Pacers basketball team. Adjacent to the restaurant is a free pop-a-shot basketball game.

This Bookstore

Airport concessionaire Hudson does a nice job with its Ink-branded shop selling books, magazines, and gifts in IND.

These Cute and Corny Souvenirs

Souvenir shopping is one our favorite things to do at airports. IND shops don’t disappoint.

Int

4-hour layover at IAH airport? Lucky you!

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Greeting from Houston – mural by Daniel Anguilu and Frank Nathan. Pictured: Art Curator Alton DuLaney and Harriet Baskas

Many people dread and try desperately to avoid long airport layovers. Not us. On our journey to the Galapagos, we swapped a stress-inducing 56-minute connection at Hartsfield Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL) for a four-hour layover at Houston’s George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH).

Just so we could get a tour of the art.

Countree Music by Terry Allen – created 1999

Alton DuLaney, Director and Curator of the Public Art Program for the Houston Airport System, was kind enough to meet me for a tour of some of his favorites. You can see the full list, with photos, in our story for The Points Guy site.

But I’ve pulled out a couple of my favorites here.

The Houston Airport, which operates both IAH and Hobby Airport (HOU) owns more than 350 works of art, one of the largest public art collections in Texas. Art curator DuLaney is a proponent of displaying as much of the collection as possible. So if you take a walk in any direction at the airport you will spot art. Some of it you’ll love. Some of it you may not care for. But all of it adds to the experience of being at the airport.

Countree Music (the ‘tree’ image above), is one of the first works purchased for the airport back in 1991. It is in Terminal A and was created by singer-songwriter Terry Allen. He also created the terrazzo floor surrounding the tree that depicts a map showing Houston as the center of the world. Pick a spot to stand on that floor near the tree and listen: there’s an original soundtrack of 16 songs recorded by Allen with the help of various musicians, including David Byrne from the Talking Heads.

Fiesta Dancers by Latino artist Luis Jimenez shown alongside High Flying by Larry Schuekler

The Terminal A Connector Gallery is both filled with art and is a great spot to avoid the noise and hustle of the airport. Here, away from the gates and the overhead announcements, you’ll find 20 vitrines filled with new and existing artwork from the collection- sometimes in the same display case.

For example, Fiesta Dancers by Luis Jimenez is paired with High Flying by Larry Schuekler. “Both sculptures explore the joy of dance from two different cultural perspectives,” says DuLaney.

(Photos courtesy Houston Airports)

Museum Monday highlights from Viking.TV

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Courtesy Kon-Tiki Museum

We’re setting off for Iceland in a few weeks to join Viking for one of their Welcome Back cruises. So we have been poking around the company’s website.

One impressive resource there for the general public is Viking.TV. It was created in response to the pandemic and this channel is chock full of videos about art, culture, history, food, music, architecture, and destinations around the world.

Our favorite feature is Museum Monday. Stop in and you’ll see that there are now more than 60 videos about museums and collections. including some wonderful behind the scene tours.

You’ll find your own favorites, but here are a few of the videos that captured our attention and our imagination this week. We started with a visit to the Kon-Tiki Museum in Oslo, Norway, home to Thor Heyerdahl’s original Kon-Tiki raft and the papyrus boat Ra II.

We also went down a rabbit hole at London’s British Museum learning about how prepared the museum for lockdown and toured the collection of the Alaskan objects at the Sainsbury Centre in Norwich, England.

What we’re watching: Museum Masterpiece Moments

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Yayoi Kusama’s “Pumpkin” at the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden

We are getting ready to get on the road. And we are making a list of museums we want to visit and art we want to see.

So we were pleased to find the “Masterpiece Moments” series of short, 5-7 minute videos that Bank of America started putting out in January.

The features showcase works of art in the collections of 25 museums across the country. And there’s a new video rolling out every two weeks.

Here are just a few of our favorites. You can sign up to get alerts when a new video is released and see the full list of participating museums here.

https://youtu.be/gSjhWFIdv9w
https://youtu.be/IlswokSUZHU
https://youtu.be/wiD-dg0xpyI
https://youtu.be/Guae_aE57Qg

Museums are opening across the country

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Are you ready to visit a museum? If so, it’s a good bet you’ll find a museum near you that’s open, or getting to ready to open its doors to the (masked ) public again soon.

Here are some of the museums we’ve got on our list.

Seattle’s Museum of Flight

It was cute when animals from Seattle’s Woodland Park Zoo got to visit the Museum of Flight. But we were still jealous. Now we’re happy people can visit the museum too.

https://youtu.be/5X3vYQlqNJ8

Can’t make it? Don’t worry. The museum’s collection can be viewed online. In the artifact section, we found this talking GI Joe Astronaut from 1970.
“When his dog tag is pulled, GI Joe narrates his way through a lunar mission, from liftoff to Moon landing to splashdown.”

Philadelphia’s Mütter Museum 

The Mütter Museum is a medical museum with far-ranging collections of anatomical specimens, models, and medical instruments. Einstein’s brain is here. And so is a specimen from John Wilkes Booth’s vertebra.

We’ve spent a lot of time with Memento Mütter, the museum’s online exhibit of more than 60 items from the Museum’s collection, about half of which are not on public display.  If you check it out, be warned that the paper mache eyeball is one of the least alarming objects you’ll see.

Now that the museum has reopened, there’s a new exhibit of photographs by Nikki Johnson, who got to go behind-the-scenes at the museum and create still-life photos of items that intrigued her.

Fashioning Art from Paper at Louisville’s Speed Art Museum

A new exhibit at the Speed Art Museum in Louisville, KY features life-size costumes that look like fabric but are actually made from paper. Beginning in 1994, Belgian artist Isabelle de Borchgrave started creating these incredible paper works. She ended up with four collections ranging from the fashion of Elizabeth I to 20th century Venice and tributes to famous artists like Picasso and Matisse. All four collections are part of this exhibit.

The museum made a video of the ‘unboxing’ of some of the dresses in the exhibit.