Thinking about all the travel that will take place over the holidays and the new and improved hassles that make air travel so stressful, I thought I would point out something that might help relax and enrich your long wait time in the airports. Did you know of the growing trend for airports is to have public art galleries? Usually found before the security check points, airports all over the world are beginning to show world class art exhibitions in dedicated art spaces.
I recently flew to Tallahassee, Florida and found by the baggage claim area a local photography show, Photofest 2010, put on by the Council on Culture and Arts (COCA) for Leon County. Flying back home I discovered there is a gallery in the Fort Lauderdale airport as well. The Lee Wagener Art Gallery is located in Terminal 2 of the airport departure level and showcases local artists, changing them every three months. I looked up their calendar of events and noticed that from January to April of next year a great local Fort Lauderdale photographer, Peter Nolan, will be showing his work. I’ll have to plan a trip!
Searching for more information about airport art galleries I found two articles and have linked to them below. The first article is found in USA Today and highlights some of the best airport galleries in America. The second article is from an online airport magazine and highlights the best international airports showing artwork. Both have links that will take you to a calendar of events page for more information about upcoming shows at the individual airports.
From the artists' point of view, showing at an airport can offer some real perks. First it is “art in public places” which always looks good on your resume. But most importantly, your work is being shown in a high traffic area to people from all over the world giving you an opportunity for exposure that an artist rarely enjoys.
So the next time you are at an airport and you have some extra time or just need to de-stress, put away the laptop, PDAs and iPhones, get off the uncomfortable gray vinyl seat and seek out the art space!
Happy Traveling… GL
USA Today article
AirTreks article
Lee Wagener Art Gallery website
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