Mobile Regional Airport Expands “Art in the Airport” Program
Posted on: June 6th, 2014
MOBILE, Alabama – The Mobile Regional Airport has been able to secure art on loan from the Mobile Museum of Art, which includes selected works from the museum’s Haverty collection of international studio glass. “Atlanta collectors, Elice and Dr. Rhodes Haverty, have donated artworks to the Mobile Museum of Art for more than a decade,” said Deborah Velders, director of the Mobile Museum of Art, who was instrumental in facilitating the additions to the “Art in the Airport” program.
Mobile Airport Authority’s Travis Greene commented, “The airport has been through significant renovations over the past year – with more to come. The Haverty collection creates a more inviting experience for our travelers while joining the likes of other airports around the world offering art as part of the terminal ambiance. We met with the Mobile Museum of Art and they were kind enough to offer a portion of their Haverty collection of international studio glass. The museum set up the exhibit in front of the windows on the concourse allowing the natural light to enhance the beauty of the pieces. They look amazing!”
Also on display at the airport is California native Kenny Scharf’s Cadillac – New and Improved Ultima Suprema Deluxa. The Centre for the Living Arts, in downtown Mobile, recently ended its “Futures” exhibit, which was a nine month project that began in May of 2013. The Futures Project explored possibilities for the Gulf Coast, with focus areas that are both expected and unexpected, and examined the fundamental question, “What do you want your memories to be in the future?” Bob Sain, Executive Director of the Centre, was instrumental in making the loan of the Cadillac a reality.
“I have this same theme going on in the cars and also almost everything I do,” Scharf states in a New York Times interview. “A lot has to do with the future and with the past. I always combine dinosaurs, which I like because they connote fuel and oil and gasoline consumption.”
Airport Authority’s Greene also stated, “As far as the Kenny Scharf piece, we were lucky that it seemed to fall in our lap. I had seen his exhibit at the Centre for the Living Arts and loved it. They contacted us and helped facilitate the loan and it has been a huge success! Our passengers and visitors love it.”