Arts at the Airport - Galleries and Wall Art at San Francisco International Airport (SFO)

During my recent travel abroad, I had extra time between check-in and boarding time so I was able to do what I've always wanted to do at San Francisco International airport. 

That is, to check out the airport gallery and art displays dotting the Main Hall departure area. What I discovered is neat and tasteful  collection of wall art and artifacts.

The Bay Area Rapid Transit, or BART, stops at the San Francisco International airport (SFO). At the end of the station is the International terminal. On the other end, the escalators take you to an automated people mover called Airtrain and takes to to the domestic terminals.

Here's a view of the main hall.

I don't know how often they change the galleries at the airport. The good thing about SFO is that it is not Disneyland-like just like the other airports outside the States. You won't see a cable car moving inside the airport or a Golden Gate Bridge in the Main Hall. In a lot of ways, I am glad they didn't make the airport look like a theme park. SFO has tasteful and not overwhelming displays to make airport visits and waiting a memorable one. 

One of the galleries at the airport is called Doors: Entryways to World Cultures. It is behind the check-in terminals and between Boarding Gates A and G. I thought this collection is so fitting to be at an airport because both stand for being entryways. There were lots of doors on display but I'll just put a couple in this blog.

Door, early to mid-1900s

Igbo peoples

Inyi, Nigeria

Carved Wood

Fowler Museum at UCLA. Gift of Herbert and Shelley Cole

Door, early to mid-1900s

Senufo peoples

Ivory Coast

Carved Wood

Fowler Museum at UCLA. Gift of the Goldenberg Family Trust.

Granary Door, early 1900s

Toba Batak peoples

North Sumatra province, Sumatra, Indonesia

Carved Wood

Fowler Museum at UCLA. Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Richard B. Rogers.

Another gallery on display at SFO is called Lace: A Sumptuous History. The gallery is next to the Boarding Area A.  I do not see the relations with airports but it is equally enjoyable to see. Like the Doors gallery, the Lace gallery has lots of laces on display. I'll just include a couple of artifacts in this blog.

Early Laces

Early 1600s to late 1700s

Collection of Lace Museum, Sunnyvale, Ca.

and

Collection of Lacis Museum of Lace and Textiles, Berkeley, Ca.

Filet Laces

Early 1900s

United States

Collection of Lacis Museum of Lace and Textiles, Berkeley, Ca.

Apron, c. 1890

Point de Gaze needle lace

Belgium

Collection of Lacis Museum of Lace and Textiles, Berkeley, Ca.

Behind the Doors gallery and near the restrooms, you can find this sweeping wall art called Gateway by Korean American Ik-Joong Kang.

Gateway, c. 2000

Ik-Joong Kang

Mixed media on canvas, wood, ceramic tile,

found objects in cast acrylic

Collection of the City and County of San Francisco

Commissioned by the San Francisco Arts Commission and the

Airport Commission for the San Francisco International Airport

Here's a side view of the Gateway. 

Here's an upclose view of the Gateway. I like how random the small tiled paintings are. I have to see this again and spend more time to see what the little paintings contain.

Here's a mural at Gate 98. I couldn't find the name of the mural and the artist.

Here's a view of the ticketing machine at the BART station.

I made a mental note to always check the galleries whenever I am at the airport.

The next time you are at the airport and have time to spare before boarding time, you know what to do.

~rl