APPENDIX A AIRPORT ARTS PROGRAM CASE EXAMPLES CASE EXAMPLE INDEX ALB Albany International Airport 2 AUS Austin–Bergstrom International Airport 9 IND Indianapolis International Airport 17 LAX Los Angeles International Airport 23 MIA Miami International Airport 30 BNA Nashville International Airport 37 PHL Philadelphia International Airport 46 PDX Portland International Airport 53 SAN San Diego International Airport 59 SAT San Antonio International Airport 69 SFO San Francisco International Airport 76 SEA Seattle–Tacoma International Airport 83 TRK Truckee/Tahoe Airport 89 1 1. ALB CASE EXAMPLE Albany International Airport (ALB) Population (City/MSA/CSA): 97,856/870,716/1.16 million Enplanements/Total Passengers/International: 1.44 million/2.8 million/N/A 2018 Arts Program Budget: $50,000 Staff: 1.5 Gates: 17 Number of Art Exhibit Spaces: 17 Airport Governing Authority: Albany County Airport Authority Albany International Airport (ALB) is located 6 miles northwest of the state capital in Albany County, New York. The airport serves the New York Capital Region, northeastern New York, and western New England. ALB is owned and operated by the Albany County Airport Authority and has 17 gates on three concourses. ALB’s dominant carrier is Southwest Airlines (34%), followed distantly by Delta (11%), United (7%), American (6%), and JetBlue (6%). Several other carriers offer the remaining 34% of flights from the airport. In 2018, the airport reported 2.8 million passengers. The population of Albany is 97,856. The population of the six- county Albany–Schenectady Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) is 870,716, and the population of the Albany–Schenectady Combined Statistical Area (CSA) is 1.16 million. The airport, however, is located in a densely populated region and serves a population of 5.6 million within 100 miles and 45 million within 200 miles. 2 Views of Portia Munson, Cosmos (below), and Susie Brandt, After Polly Collins. ALB Concourse B. Photograph by Arthur Evans, courtesy of Albany International Airport. 1 HISTORY OF THE ARTS PROGRAM The ALB arts program was initiated in 1998 by an informal airport board policy and put into effect by the airport’s chief executive officer (CEO) shortly thereafter. The beginning of the program coincided with the construction of a new main terminal building. The CEO at the time developed the program with the newly appointed director of art and cultural programming. Kathy Greenwood is the second program director and has served in that capacity for 3 years; she reports directly to the airport CEO. The ALB arts program was originally intended to improve airport aesthetics; create a relaxing and pleasant environment for passengers; add a level of cultural sophistication and 3 interest to the terminal; and support the reputation of the airport as a cultural ambassador to the region and to airport stakeholders, investors, and businesses. In addition, because the region lacked any other significant public arts program,1 Greenwood says ALB came to view itself as a “cornerstone for showcasing the breadth and quality of the arts throughout the Region as well as a resource for learning about local culture.” As the program established itself and attracted national recognition for excellence, its mission grew. The program sought to provide its visitors the experience of “pure enjoyment of the arts, as well as critical thinking, within a fast-paced public [airport] environment.”2 2 STAFF The ALB arts program is staffed by a program manager, a part-time curatorial assistant, and an outside exhibit preparator who installs exhibits. The airport maintenance department provides equipment when necessary (e.g., ladders, lifts, and art transportation). The manager regularly consults with and advises other departments on issues of airport aesthetics such as décor, carpeting, and signage. 1 The City of Albany does not operate an arts commission or public arts program. Consequently, the airport arts program has become the primary public art exhibitor in the area. 2 Other program goals include (a) supporting and promoting historic sites, museums, and contemporary art galleries in the region; (b) providing an unexpected experience that challenges passengers as they move through the airport; and (c) elevating the visitor experience in a meaningful way by exhibiting visually compelling objects. 4 Robert Hite: Above the Fray, exhibition detail. ALB Concourse A. Photograph courtesy of Albany International Airport. 3 ART EXHIBIT SPACES The ALB arts program presents temporary exhibitions in 17 areas: a large terminal gallery, six satellite exhibit cases placed throughout the passenger concourses, a concourse gallery, and spaces throughout the airport for the display of sculptural works. The program’s primary exhibit space is the 2,500-square-foot Albany International Airport Gallery, located before the security checkpoint on the third floor of the main terminal building. The Airport Gallery is regarded as one of the premier art exhibition galleries in the region and hosts more than 100,000 visitors each year. Gallery exhibits rotate every 6 months and have received significant recognition for their curation. Curated contemporary art exhibitions are also presented in an exhibition space in Concourse A and rotate at 6-month intervals. Satellite museum case exhibits are presented at six post-security locations. These exhibits are organized with regional museums and cultural institutions to showcase their collections, programs, and services.3 The arts program has also designated several locations throughout the airport for site-specific sculptural installations that remain in place for 3 to 5 years. From 1999 to 2019, ALB operated Departure: The Shop of 3 Smaller exhibits can be turned over in 3 to 5 days; larger exhibits generally require 4 weeks. 5 Capital Region Museums, in a pre-security location in the main terminal. The shop displayed and sold handcrafted gifts, artwork, and products consigned from up to 65 museums and cultural institutions located in the Capital Region. The shop served as an additional showcase for the region’s artists and culture—as well as their supporting institutions and organizations—and provided a source of revenue for individual artists, cultural organizations, and the airport itself.4 The store was also intended to serve as a cultural ambassador to the regional arts community and to encourage visitors to attend exhibits and performances at the represented museums and historic sites. The arts program recently participated in its own variation of an “artist-in-residence” program. An exhibit in the Albany International Airport Gallery, Patterns of Engagement,5 invited artists to use the airport as the subject matter for new works.6 The program has also commissioned longer-duration art installations and sculptural pieces for display at 10 sites inside the main terminal. The ALB arts program does not currently offer performing arts and offers only very little video art, but it has a continuing interest in those media and follows such programs at other airports. 4 ARTS PROGRAM BENEFITS Airport administrators believe that art exhibits are visually attractive and create an aesthetically pleasing environment for passengers. They also believe that the cultural amenities provided by an arts program present the airport in the most favorable light to the public. Ancillary beneficiaries of the arts program include airport stakeholders generally (who reap the benefit of an attractive and relaxing terminal environment), local artists (who are provided significant exposure for their artwork), and museums and cultural institutions (whose collection pieces are often displayed at the airport). 4 After 20 years of operation, Departure closed in November 2019. 5 The news release for the exhibit explains that the curatorial intent of the Patterns of Engagement exhibit is to “reflect the people and character of Albany International Airport . [with an interest in] taking stock of the airport community and those who work and travel within it.” In all, eight regional artists were invited to participate in the exhibition’s exploration of the airport environment. 6 Variations of the artist-in-residence program have appeared at several airports, including Pittsburgh International Airport, Philadelphia International Airport, and LaGuardia Airport. 6 Airports also subscribe to the view that arts programs provide a general economic benefit to a region by increasing interest in the region’s art and arts activities; such economic activity stems from the airport’s support for the arts and ultimately benefits all artists in a given region. Finally, airport employers and their employees have been vocal about their enjoyment of arts program exhibits and their appreciation for the resulting aesthetic improvements to the airport environment. One airport employer—TSA—even expressed the view that the arts program enhances the airport work environment to such an extent that the employer describes the program as an employment benefit. Further, the airport CEO attributes Southwest Airlines’ decision, at least in part, to begin service at ALB to the airport’s successful and vibrant arts program. 5 AUDIENCE AND STAKEHOLDERS ALB considers its primary audience to be airport passengers and visitors within a 100- mile radius of the airport, including the City of Albany; the Hudson River Valley; and western Vermont, Massachusetts, and Connecticut. It also considers airport employees to be among its audience, as well as those who participate in