ART IN THE AIRPORT

CREATING A SENSE OF PLACE

Creating a sense of place involves

connecting an airport to the region

it serves through art, culture, cuisine,

individuals and institutions. We are

pleased to partner with museums, artists,

musicians and others in Pittsburgh’s

vibrant arts community to showcase our

region’s unique amenities and enhance

travelers’ experience in the terminals.

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WORLD OF WARHOL ANDY WARHOL

warhol.org

The Andy Warhol Museum

maintains two display cases of

artist Andy Warhol’s fine art prints,

photographs, and other memorabilia in

a rotating exhibition titled World of Warhol.

Warhol’s wallpapers Cow and Self-Portrait serve as

a colorful backdrop and maintain a constant presence

in the exhibition space. Warhol introduced artist designed

wallpaper to the contemporary art world with his first formal

wallpaper Cow.

THE SKY BENEATH OUR FEET CLAYTON MERRELL, 2015 artscool.cfa.cmu.edu/~merrell/

The Sky Beneath Our Feet is a

69,000-square-foot terrazzo artwork that

showcases iconic Pittsburgh places such

as the outline of Heinz Field, the sweeping

lenticular trusses of the Smithfield Street Bridge,

the 40 stories of the Cathedral of Learning, and

the industrial ruins of Carrie Furnaces. The bright, blue

terrazzo sky surrounds the silhouettes of these landmarks

and gives the viewer a bird’s-eye-view of Pittsburgh’s

landscape.

PITTSBURGH

ALEXANDER

CALDER, 1958

calder.org

This mobile was created for the

1958 Bicentennial International

Exhibition of Contemporary Art at the

Carnegie Museum of Art, where it was

awarded first prize. G. David Thompson, a

renowned art collector, purchased the mobile and

donated it to Allegheny County. In 1959, the County

moved the striking mobile to the main rotunda of the

Greater Pittsburgh International Airport. Calder intended

the mobile, with its graceful and slender black rods propelled

by white paddles, to be observed in free rotation. In keeping

with Calder’s intentions, Pittsburgh was installed in the airside

terminal at the Pittsburgh International Airport.

FRALEY’S ROBOT REPAIR: PITTSBURGH INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT BRANCH

TOBY FRALEY, 2015 tobyfraley.com

Toby Fraley’s Robot Repair was originally

commissioned as part of Project Pop-up

Pittsburgh: Downtown and was located in

Pittsburgh’s Cultural District. Like its predecessor,

Fraley’s Robot Repair: Pittsburgh International Airport

Branch is a faux storefront that emulates an antiquated

repair shop—for robots, of course! Robot Repair invites

viewers to imagine a future where humanoid robots are

integrated into our daily lives. Details large and small are

changed periodically during this temporary exhibition.

PITTSBURGH, NOW AND THEN

DAVIEA DAVIS, 2007

The Pittsburgh Glass Center,

a nonprofit, public access glass

studio and gallery, collaborated with

the Allegheny County Airport Authority

on a unique project during the Year of

Glass in 2007.

Pittsburgh artist Daviea Davis was

commissioned to create two, large glass mosaics

that would serve as the centerpieces for the project’s

exhibit. Pittsburgh, Now and Then are colorful glass

mosaics depicting Pittsburgh at the height of its industrial

manufacturing past and its current state as a clean and

vibrant city.

STRIP MINES

AKIKO KOTANI,

1984 akikokotani.com

As a newcomer to southwestern

Pennsylvania, Kotani marveled at

the massiveness and visual impact of

strip mines, which are unique to the area’s

landscape. Strip mines are mounds of earth

that are upended by the force of giant machines,

used to mine elements from the ground. The muted

and faded color palette of these resultant landforms

reminded the artist of extraterrestrial landscapes. Kotani

considers strip mines themselves to exude a mournful beauty

and she hoped to capture this sentiment in her tapestry.

EXHIBITION SPACE TICKETING

This temporary rotating

exhibition features objects and

artworks by local arts and cultural

institutions. The exhibitions are changed

bi-annually. Exhibitions have included work by

the Associated Artists of Pittsburgh, the Society

for Contemporary Craft, and Turner’s Anonymous.

ARCH

GLENN KAINO, 2008

glennkainostudio.com

Inspired by Pittsburgh’s bridges,

artist Glenn Kaino studied elements

of the bridges and replicated their most

sculptural features to assemble Arch, a large-

scale robotic figure.

Next to Arch, be sure to visit the Bridges of

Pittsburgh educational display, brought to you by the

Engineers’ Society of Western Pennsylvania. This display

provides in-depth information about the bridges featured in

the sculpture, and some fun facts about bridge engineering.

PATHS

JACKIE FERRARA, 1996

jackieferrara.com

This mosaic floor tile installation

was designed to help travelers find

their way through the airport. Each path is

a progression of lines, geometric shapes and

alternating colors. The design was inspired by a

science fiction novel where inhabitants, separated

through space and time, were only able to reach each

other by crossing a curiously patterned tile floor.

RENASCENCE

RON BENNETT, 1980

This sculpture was originally

housed at the terminal side of

Greater Pittsburgh International

Airport. Commissioned by the

Engineers’ Society of Western Pennsylvania

to commemorate their 100th anniversary, the

design was chosen from more than 30 entries

in a competition conducted by the Pittsburgh Plan

for Art. Standing at 21 feet tall, Bennett described the

sculpture as a “hard geometric form [that] is supposed

to represent the hardness of business and [the] industrial

background of Pittsburgh.” From one angle, the sculpture appears

to be a perfect quarter of a circle, but as the viewer moves

around the piece, the appearance of the hard metal becomes

softer and much more fluid. For Bennett, the softness of the work

represents the warm and good-natured people of Pittsburgh.

The sculpture rises from a base symbolizing the city’s ability

to succeed. 

PITTSBURGH INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT PERFORMING ARTS SERIES

The Performing Arts Series at

Pittsburgh International Airport features

local performing artists of all genres to

entertain travelers and airport employees

throughout the year. For an up to date list

of performances, please visit flypittsburgh.com/

performing arts.

Q THE MUSIC: PITTSBURGH CLASSICAL NETWORK, WQED

The music heard throughout the terminals is streamed by

Pittsburgh radio station WQED-FM 89.3 at Pittsburgh International

Airport and at the Port Authority of Allegheny County’s

T Stations via the Q the Music program. Q the Music features a

regional network of local musicians and organizations including

the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra playing classical music.

KIDSPORT

Kidsport is a play and learning area for children and families. It

features several artist-designed interactive installations from the

Children’s Museum of Pittsburgh and Carnegie Museums of

Pittsburgh that challenge kids of all ages to explore concepts of

live video, height comparison, movement and more.

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ABOUT THE PROGRAM

Art has enhanced travelers’ experience in the airport and

connected visitors to the culture of our region since the installation

of Alexander Calder’s mobile Pittsburgh. 

From temporary exhibitions and a weekly Performing Arts Series

in the Landside Terminal to permanent sculptures and integrating

works of art into our design, we are committed to promoting our

region’s abundant arts and cultural heritage. 

The Art in the Airport program is overseen by the Art in the Airport

Advisory Committee. The committee’s mission is to manage an

art collection of style, diversity, and beauty to be enjoyed by the

traveling public and airport employees that also promotes public art

and enhances the airport environment.

Design by Little Kelpie PHOTO CREDITS Performing Arts Series: musician Kenny Peagler Exhibition Case: artist Crystal Latimer

Learn more at flypittsburgh.com

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LANDSIDE

AIRSIDE