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Philadelphia International
Airport Adds 15th Exhibition Site
Growing Program
Broadens Passenger Horizons
Philadelphia - Last month, Philadelphia
International Airport unveiled its newest and largest display case as part of
its popular Exhibitions Program, bringing to fifteen the number of exhibit
sites located throughout the Airport's seven terminals.
Begun in
December of 1998 with one location in Terminal C, the Exhibitions Program
spotlights artwork by Philadelphia artists and arts institutions that include
exhibits of fine arts, popular culture, crafts, and local history. The displays
are rotated on a regular basis to provide passengers with an ongoing array of
themes and forms of artistic expression from throughout the region's diverse
cultural community.
Since its inception, the Exhibitions Program has
featured 137 separate displays.
The newest exhibition site, located in
Terminal A-West, features VSBAville: A Fantasy City by Venturi, Scott Brown
and Associate Architects (VSBA). The internationally recognized
Philadelphia firm has created a site-specific photomontage of their favorite
buildings from around the world. Like VSBA's design philosophy, their fantasy
city embraces an eclectic mix of traditions, cultures, and styles from the
monumental to the everyday, from popular culture to high art, from ancient to
modern. VSBA is currently comprised of 30 architects and designers who
collectively worked on this project. The diversity amongst their choices and
their imaginative assemblage exemplifies the firms' characteristic playfulness
and unexpected influences. Among the local favorites that passengers will
recognize are Philadelphia's City Hall, the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine
Arts and New Jersey's own Lucy the Elephant Building.
The program's
other recent exhibit is entitled, The Allure of a Beautiful Hat: From the
Collection of Helen W. Drutt English, located in the corridor between
Terminals C and D. For Philadelphian Drutt English, who is world renowned for
her contributions to the Contemporary Craft Movement, her love of accessories -
hats, gloves, scarves - has always been an integral part of her persona. Like
most serious collectors, Drutt English has gathered her collection over many
years from millinery shops locally, nationally, and internationally including
Philadelphia, Chicago, New York, Milan, Munich, and Nurnberg. The majority of
her hats she wears from day-to-day, season-to-season. As a connoisseur of
objects, sculptural forms, and design, Drutt English's personal hat collection
is an extension of herself.
Comprised of thirty separate pieces, the
exhibit is a small sampling of her passion for beautiful chapeaus.
"The program provides a regional flair and local identity, which distinguishes
PHL from other airports," said Charles J. Isdell, the City's Director of
Aviation. "The Exhibitions Program helps dispel the notion that all airports
look the same. The exhibitions give travelers a feel for the uniqueness of
Philadelphia's rich culture."
For Exhibitions Director Leah Douglas,
who has run the program since its inception, the goal is to strike a balance
between the familiar and the unconventional. In this way, she hopes to expose
passengers to the broadest possible spectrum of ideas.
"The
Philadelphia region has such a rich artistic and cultural heritage," she says.
"We try to showcase that, as well as bring in thought-provoking artwork that
will entertain our passengers."
For information contact:
Mark Pesce
(215) 937-6944
The Philadelphia Airport System is owned and operated by the City of Philadelphia and is composed of Philadelphia International Airport and Northeast Philadelphia Airport. The Airport System is a self-sustaining entity that operates without the use of local tax dollars. It is one of the largest economic engines in Pennsylvania, generating an estimated $14 billion in spending to the regional economy and employing a workforce of nearly 34,000.
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