At any one time, there are perhaps 20 top-notch exhibitions on view throughout the terminals, spanning everything from vintage radios and Victorian wallpaper to all manner of aviation history.
And each exhibit will make you want to stop and stay a while.
One of the newest exhibitions, Recollections… From the Unkown Museum, on display through March 2024 in Terminal 2, offers selections and creations culled from a quirky collection of vintage pop culture artifacts.
A well-known ‘secret’ museum in Mill Valley, CA since the mid-1970s and now artist Mickey McGowan’s private collection, the Unknown Museum is filled with a mass amount of objects dating from the 1940s to the 1980s. The museum is an “exploration into America’s brain” and a “complete immersion in conceptual art and American consumerism.”
Among other things.
Recollections… from the Unknown Museum at SFO Airport is a sampling of the many fantastic art and object installations on display at various locations of the museum from the mid-1970s through the present.
“My original intent was to rescue these items, to provide them with a rest home for the remainder of their days,” museum curator and archivist Mickey McGowan said back in 1988.
Thank goodness he did.
Here are some snaps from the exhibit, courtesy of SFO Museum, and Mickey McGowan.
As part of its 52 Objects series this year, they’ve pulled out this matchbook showing the route map for Continental Airlines.
How much information can you squeeze on to a matchbook cover? Continental Air Lines took on the challenge in the 1950s. #52Objectspic.twitter.com/dFp6gHAe3Z
Squeezing as much as possible onto a promotional item is nothing new. A while back we found this air sickness bag in the SFO Museum database which could be used for scoring a gin rummy game and/or turning in your film for processing.
Through April 18, passengers traveling through SFO can snap selfies at the Cherry Blossom backdrop and enjoy performances on the stage in Terminal 3, by the food court.
The line-up is described here in detail, but includes OH-IN Taiko (drums) on Friday, April 7 from 10 am to 2 pm; a koto concert by Shirley Kazuyo Muramoto on Wednesday, April 12 from 10 am to 2 pm; and the Ito Yosakoi dance team on Friday, April 14 from noon to 3:30 pm.
Pretty much everything the SFO Museum displays in the terminals from its own collection or from a collection on loan is top-notch. But there are plenty of objects that never, or rarely, go on display. And lots of objects you might miss if you’re just passing through.
That’s why we’re delighted that for 2023, the SFO Museum is highlighting one “notable, unusual, interesting, or just plain fun” item from the collection each week.
Here’s what’s shown up so far.
This year, we’re going to highlight #52objects from our collection that we find notable, unusual, interesting, or just plain fun! Follow along using the hashtag #52objects! pic.twitter.com/4vPk2YZ2AB
Before people carried around cell phones in their pockets that automatically updated to the current time zone, airlines gave out convenient time converters to passengers on international flights. Have you been to any locations on this card?#52Objects#Timezones#TWA#AvGeekpic.twitter.com/wLliL46UVP
For the next 4 years, 90,000+ people signed up for a space trip and received these First Moon Flights Club cards. The card's back read, "Pan Am makes the going great: first in Latin America, first on the Atlantic, first on the Pacific, first round the world." #52Objects#PanAmpic.twitter.com/CjBLPFpq4R
There are more than a few inexplicable objects in our museum collection but this tabletop model featuring an aircraft on top of a walrus is one of the more peculiar ones. From the late 1930s, would this novelty item look at home on your desk today?#52Objectspic.twitter.com/yDCKIkZ1u6
An iconic airline livery collaboration between beloved Japanese brand Sanrio and EVA Air featured many themed amenities such as this Hello Kitty printed roll of toilet paper. #52objectspic.twitter.com/D4C5dy431S
San Franciscan Lincoln Beachey (1887–1915) performs in his biplane over the Panama-Pacific Intl Expo grounds in 1913. He was the first to perform a loop-the-loop in the U.S. and his repertoire of heart-stopping stunts made him the leading pioneer of aerial acrobatics #52Objectspic.twitter.com/jYrWmsqMS9
architectural drawing: Mills Field Municipal Airport of San Francisco, Contract No. 1, progress chart for grading; 1927 Transfer from San Francisco International Airport 1997.52.001 #52Objectshttps://t.co/dEXu0tktcR
An unusual object in our collection is a disposable obstetrical kit. Although a rare occurrence, babies are delivered onboard planes. This kit includes a disposable scalpel, a bulb aspirator, and a receiving blanket among other things needed to deliver a baby. #52objectspic.twitter.com/1UK2ISGLVS
Passengers will be treated to live music, dance, and cultural performances from San Francisco-based Latino artists.
The Dia de los Muertos celebration originated in Mexico and is now observed worldwide as a time for the living to pay tribute to those who have passed away. In San Francisco, the holiday celebrations center around the city’s Mission District, especially the Mission Cultural Center for Latino Arts (MCCLA).
And this year, the MCCLA is presenting a spectacular Dia de los Muertos shrine in SFO’s Harvey Milk Terminal 1.
The shrine can be seen through November 10. Passengers will also be treated to music performances celebrating from October 26 – 28 and from November 2 – 4. The bands will perform multiple sets between 11 am and 3 pm each day.
Here are some details about the performers:
Wednesday, October 26: La Melodía de Cristo Representing Guatemala with joy and love in Cumbia, Merengue, Salsa, and Bachata.
Thursday, October 27: Colectivo CalleSon A community of musicians, singers, dancers, cooks, and poets that uphold and help sustain southern Mexico’s Son Jarocho tradition.
Friday, October 28: Tradición Peruana Cultural Center Music and dance celebrating the rich diversity of art from Peruvian cultures in the Bay Area and beyond.
Wednesday, November 2: Anthony Blea Afro-Cuban Quartet Violinist Anthony Blea and his talented bandmates play danceable, infectious Afro-Cuban beats.
Thursday and Friday, November 3 and 4: Cascada de Flores A bi-national collection of musicians who find the joy of creation, individual expression, and musical communication within Mexican and Latin traditions.
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Unpacking SFO’s Dia de los Muertos altar
Dia de los Muertos marks a trio of events during which it is believed the spirits of children, adults, and all the dead return.
To welcome those spirits, the living create “ofrendas” or altars with items representative of the deceased person’s favorite foods and activities. Items to help the spirits continue their journeys are added as well.
SFO Airport and San Francisco’s Mission Cultural Center for Latino Arts share these tips on how to ‘read’ the three-tier altar, which represents three planes of existence: the sky, the earth, and the underworld.
The heart: The heart is a sacred symbol in Mexican art, representing divine love.
Marigolds: These bold, orange flowers are sometimes called “Flor de Muerto” or “flowers of the dead.” Their scent helps to attract souls to the altar.
Papel picado: Beautiful and intricately cut tissue paper banners are light enough to blow in the breeze when spirits arrive in this world. Their delicate nature symbolizes the fragility of life.
Alebrije animals: Traditional in Mexican art, these fantastical creatures combine the features and characteristics of various animals.
Photos and personal items: Photos of the deceased draw their spirit to the altar, as do personal items that were important during their lives on earth.
Water, pan de muerto, and other food: “Bread of the Dead” (pan de muerto) in the shape of bones or skulls is included with the deceased’s favorite foods to nourish their spirit upon return to the land of the living. Water is placed on the altar to quench their thirst after a long journey.
Candles: Candlelight illuminates the path home for returning spirits.
Salt: Often shaped into a cross, salt purifies spirits as they cross into the realm of the living.
Copal incense burner: Derived from the copal tree, the incense purifies spirits and elevates the prayers of the living.
