Art at the airport

Most of us can relate to having a long, boring layover at an airport—or arriving at the airport hours early to go through security and then sitting around at the gate waiting until boarding call. The San Francisco International Airport (SFO) has a great way to keep travelers entertained.

SFO has a museum program accredited by the American Association of Museums (AAM). The San Francisco Airport commission joined forces with the Fine Arts Museums of San Francicso in 1980 to start this program. A year later, San Francisco Airport Museums was established as a department at SFO.

In the beginning, exhibitions were present in one terminal but now have about 20 galleries spread throughout the airport. Exhibitions range from art to science and change several times a month. The SFO’s museum became the first of its kind to be accredited by AAM in 1999.

GMOA’s curator of American Art, Paul Manoguerra, is currently planning an exhibition for Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport as part of its Airport Art Program next April. This exhibition, All Creatures Great and Small: Self-Taught Artists from the Georgia Museum of Art and the Mullis Collection, will present works from GMOA’s permanent collection and an Atlanta private collection. These works, including paintings, sculptures and mixed media creations depict animals created by self-taught American artists.