Now the two institutions are coming together againg to present a exhibit at the airport’s KIND Gallery titled “Memories, Wonders, and Dreams: Stories from 100 Years”—a centennial tribute to the world’s largest children’s museum.
The exhibit is located post-security in Concourse A at IND and will be showcasing a curated selection of objects and photographs from the museum’s vast archive and collection through January 26.
Travelers flying into Indianapolis International Airport (IND) will notice that the airport’s central terminal currently looks like a basketball court.
The WNBC All-Star 2025 game is taking place in Indianapolis on July 18 and 19, and the airport is marking the occasion by covering the public Civic Plaza with a replica floor image of the official WNBA All-Star basketball court.
The basketball court appliqué features 19 stars from the Indiana state flag, the Indiana Fever team colors, all of the WNBA teams’ logos and the WNBA’s three-point line. The court will be in place until July 21.
No pick-up basketball games are allowed while the faux court is in place, but there are some events planned.
The line-up includes a “Run the Court” social media contest with a chance to win a scheduled game of HORSE on the court floor.
Other events include community “Zumba on the Court” (July 8), performance jump roping with the Indy Air Bears (July 10), Kicasso Shoe Painting (July 11), the HIPOK9 Trick Dog Show (July 14), and the Young at Heart Senior Line Dancers (July 16).
For travelers who do want to shoot some hoops, there’s a traditional arcade-style Pop-A-Shots in the Pacers Courtside Club restaurant in the Civic Plaza year-round that’s free to play during the restaurant’s operating hours.
The exhibit honors Hoosier natives and state institutions with significant roles in aviation history and is located in the IND Bag Claim, near Carousel 3.
The list includes the first flight at Kitty Hawk, the Apollo 11 mission, Amelia Earhart, the Tuskegee Airmen and Rolls Royce.
Here’s a sample of the people, places and achievements honored in the exhibit:
Wilbur Wright, a Millville, Ind., native flew the first airplane flight in 1903 at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina.
Margaret Hamilton, from Paoli, Ind., invented software engineering and wrote the code for the Apollo 11 mission, helping to put Neil Armstrong on the moon in 1969.
Lewis A. Jackson, an Angola, Ind., native combined his aviation skills with his education degree to become the Director of Training for the 99th Pursuit Squadron of Tuskegee Airmen during World War II.
Col. Harvey Weir Cook, a Wilkinson, Ind., native, a military hero, and the namesake of the Indianapolis International Airport campus, was instrumental in educating the public in the 1930s about the history of flight and aviation via his radio show sponsored by Pennant Syrup.
Purdue University. Amelia Earhart joined the staff in 1935 as the “Counselor on Careers for Women” and during her four years there encouraged many women to join Purdue’s aeronautics engineering program.
Through the end of 2024, the airport’s KIND Gallery, on Concourse A, is hosting an exhibit created by the museum that honors the late writer, artist, teacher, and Indianapolis native Kurt Vonnegut.
Like the dowtown museum, the Vonnegut exhibit at the airport tells the story of Vonnegut’s life and explores some his influences, from his upbringing in Indianapolis to his time as a prisoner of war during World War II to his journey to becoming a beloved writer of the 20th Century.
One of his typewriters is on display, along with photos, artwork, personal effects and, of course his books.
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“Peculiar travel suggestions are dancing lessons from God.”
Vonnegut gave those words to the character named Bokonon in his book, Cat’s Cradle.
“Kurt loved flying into Indy,” said Vonnegut Museum Founder and CEO Julia Whitehead. “Now to have his life, works and memory on exhibit prominently in the best airport in the country is a beautiful way to honor and share his legacy.”
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.’
Now introducing an interactive experience at RNO! When you #FlyRNO, we encourage you to strike a pose and capture the moment. Inspired by the beautiful Reno-Tahoe landscape, muralist Matthew McDowell brought to life Nevada symbols and the act of taking flight. #FlyWithUsRNOpic.twitter.com/hjLmAsVUad
— Reno-Tahoe Int’l Airport (@RenoAirport) June 15, 2023
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.
