Art Map Burlington, January 2007

TAKING OFF
January 2007

Art at Burlington's International Airport

Whether flying in and out or simply picking up friends and family, chances are you may find yourself at Burlington International Airport. Over half a million people board airplanes at ‘BTV’ each year. The next time you’re waiting around, take a self-guided art tour of the airport.

“Burlington International Airport has become such a culturally interesting place largely because the airport administration is so supportive of the art program out there,” said Burlington City Arts’ Sara Katz. “They really understand what a difference it makes to travelers to get a sense of place-this isn’t just like every other airport-and how well art works to take the edge off of the anxiety of traveling.”

Managed and curated by Burlington City Arts, the airport has both permanent art installations and rotating exhibition space. Rotating exhibits can be seen in the second floor Skyway Corridor, at the Burlington City Arts Airport Gallery outside of Gates 7 & 8, and above the escalators that connect the second floor to baggage claim. Permanent installations are on the first floor corridor of Gates 9-15 and on the second floor in the north terminal around Gates 1-8.

The next time you find yourself heading to the airport, keep these art exhibits in mind. Also, check the Listings Section for information on rotating exhibits.

RIC KASINI KADOUR

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CLICK HERE...for current exhibition listings. Burlington International Airport 1200 Airport Drive, South Burlington. (802) 865-7166 www.burlingtoncityarts.com		TAKING OFF January 2007 Art at Burlington's International Airport Whether flying in and out or simply picking up friends and family, chances are you may find yourself at Burlington International Airport. Over half a million people board airplanes at ‘BTV’ each year. The next time you’re waiting around, take a self-guided art tour of the airport. “Burlington International Airport has become such a culturally interesting place largely because the airport administration is so supportive of the art program out there,” said Burlington City Arts’ Sara Katz. “They really understand what a difference it makes to travelers to get a sense of place-this isn’t just like every other airport-and how well art works to take the edge off of the anxiety of traveling.” Managed and curated by Burlington City Arts, the airport has both permanent art installations and rotating exhibition space. Rotating exhibits can be seen in the second floor Skyway Corridor, at the Burlington City Arts Airport Gallery outside of Gates 7 & 8, and above the escalators that connect the second floor to baggage claim. Permanent installations are on the first floor corridor of Gates 9-15 and on the second floor in the north terminal around Gates 1-8. The next time you find yourself heading to the airport, keep these art exhibits in mind. Also, check the Listings Section for information on rotating exhibits. RIC KASINI KADOUR
Detail of John Anderson's Skygates.		Skygates by John Anderson One of the great things about John Anderson’s art is its architecture. Built into the ceilings around Gates 1-8, Skygates is a permanent installation in which he applied bold drawings on the inverted wells of four large skylights, each a different color field. “The murals were applied by alternating layers of acrylic paint and lines of lumber crayon, graphite, and colored pencil,” a placard explains. “Information collected from the span of human history can be discovered in each of the murals.” Identified by color, each mural has a different theme. “The yellow mural integrates diagrams, formulas, and equations. The red mural is structured by alphabets and other notational systems. The green mural is a tapestry of pictographs, symbols and iconography. The blue mural refers to the long history of ceiling painting and frescos.” Skygates hover overhead and permit natural light to reach the busy security checkpoints and waiting areas. The light reflects the color of each gate and the effect is the creation of magical portals to another world.

Detail of Maple, Apple, Birch by Elizabeth Billings and Andrea Wasserman		Maple, Apple, Birch by Elizabeth Billings and Andrea Wasserman On the first floor in the south terminal, Elizabeth Billings and Andrea Wasserman’s Maple, Apple, Birch runs the length of the corridor for Gates 9-15. The multi-paneled installation begins at the security checkpoint. Panels are of three types. Vertical latches of sticks are rich with hues of brown and tan. Carved, wooden bas relief show the small trunks of young trees. Horizontal strips of birch veneer have text from poems by Cora Brooks and the nineteenth-century diary of Harriet Warren Vail. “The carved wooden panels of apple trees and poems, both past and present, depict a time and season that are fundamental to the legacy of Vermont.” Indeed, they do.

The Countryside (8’x12’, acrylic-on-board, 2005)		BCA Firehouse Education Summer Camp Murals At the security checkpoint for Gates 1-8 are two murals by Firehouse Education Summer Camp. The first is a single piece in four panels titled Transportation by Water, Land, and Air. Sue Mowrer led the group of six-to-eight year olds who created the mural. The second mural, a triptych titled The Countryside, was created in August 2005 by youth under the guidance of teaching artist Peggy Rainville. The Countryside shows cows in a field with red barns; Lake Champlain with boats and the seamonster Champ; and fields of rolling hay with a red fox and a yellow house. Tying the panels together are blue and purple mountains under a light blue sky that sports puffy white clouds, a bold yellow sun, and a hot air balloon. The murals change annually as new camps make new ones.
Art Map Burlington is a publication of Kasini House, Inc. info@kasinihouse.com Copyright © 2007 Kasini House. All Rights Reserved