Rosie the Riveter

Take a free museum tour at SFO Airport

Museums, ,

Arriving early for a flight or spending a long layover at San Francisco International Airport (SFO) can be a treat because SFO is one of the few US airports with an official museum program.

At any one time, the airport’s SFO Museum hosts up to a dozen temporary exhibitions and keeps an eye on a vast public art collection.

(The Author & Her Story– Jason Jägel – Courtesy SFO Museum)

Occasionally, the SFO Museum staff offers public tours of its exhibitions.

And starting April 8, the museum is offering free weekly public tours of its exhibition, “Rosie the Riveter: Womanpower in Wartime”, which is located post-security in Harvey Milk Terminal 1.

The exhibition tells the story of Rosie the Riveter and the great accomplishments made by women in the World War II workforce.

The exhibit features a treasure-trove of related objects, including uniforms, welding masks, ID badges, images, and period music.

Tours begin April 8, 2025, and run every Tuesday until the exhibition closes on May 11, 2025.

Sign up for a tour here.

Fresh art at SFO Airport: Rosie the Riveter

Art, Uncategorized, , ,

One of the newest SFO Museum exhibitions at San Francisco International Airport (SFO) tells the story of Rosie the Riveter and the accomplishments of more than 16 million women who joined the workforce during the Second World War.

More than sixteen million women were employed at the peak of wartime production in 1944—with over three million in skilled factory positions to support the massive increase in war-related industries. Many of those jobs were in aviation.

Here’s the story of “Rosie the Riveter” from the exhition notes:

The Second World War had a profound impact on working women in American society. After the United States entered the war on December 7, 1941, millions of men left manufacturing jobs for military service and recruiters scoured the country in search of replacements. Women joined the workforce in record numbers and filled industrial positions previously denied to them. Migrating from diverse regions and cultures, women converged on the nation’s industrial centers and quickly learned skills that traditionally took years to master. Popular culture and propaganda launched the legend of “Rosie the Riveter,” the anonymous, bandanna-clad woman in coveralls who produced all manner of wartime equipment on the home front.

Look for Rosie the Riveter: Womanpower in Wartime post-security in Harvey Milk Terminal 1 at San Francisco International Airport through May 11, 2025.

(Images courtesy of SFO Museum)