According to the Transportation Research Board, “Airport arts programs have become an amenity that airport passengers now expect, and they serve to tether an airport to its local community.” Dallas Love Field recognized the value to the community and their passengers and began building a robust art program in 2012 which has included more than 60 exhibitions and hosted 740 cultural and musical performances. Focused on notable Texas artists, three works that visitors may recognize are the World Map, the Love Field Entrance Sign , and Spirit of Flight.
This unique “museum” and entertainment venue of artwork, traveling exhibits, and live performances will be explored on “Love Field Stories,” the official podcast of Dallas Love Field, on May 10. Guests are Harriet Baskas, creator of the StuckatTheAirport.com blog and author, and Bruce Bleakley, aviation historian and co-author of The Love Evolution: A Centennial Celebration of Love Field Airport and Its Art. “Love Field Stories” podcast is live-streamed on Tuesday, May 10 at 12:30 p.m. (Central) on Love Field’sFacebook andYouTube. The podcast can be heard onApple Podcast,Spotify,iHeartRadio andPandora.
Baskas and Bleakley will discuss Dallas Love Field’s professionally curated art program, which promotes the history and legacy of Love Field Airport. More than half of the permanent collection is by Texas-based artists. Nearly one-third of the artwork in the Love Field Collection has been created by Dallas-area artists including Diana Goldberg & Julie Cohn, Tom Orr and Sherry Owens.
Visitors who aren’t traveling can see most of the artwork as there are only two pieces beyond security—Blueprint of Flight by Martin Donlin and Sky by Brower Hatcher and Marly Rogers.
Some highlights:
Sherry Owens’ Back in a Moment
Owens created a memory garden to honor Lieutenant Moss Lee Love, a pre-World War I aviator who perished in the line of duty and whose name was next for naming purposes. This garden sits outside of the airport next to security and has seven, 12-foot cast bronze crepe myrtle trees and a World War I flight coat, helmet, goggles, and gloves made out of bronze.
Luighi “Tony” Flabiano’s World Map
As a part of Love Field’s new terminal building construction in the 1950s, an inlaid terrazzo world map was commissioned for the central terminal lobby. Since then, the map has been retained in the same location and is now a focal point for travelers as they enter security screening, even though the world has changed and many countries are now known by different names.
Tex Moton’s Dallas Mavericks Themed Parking Garage and Terminal
Dallas Love Field’s partnership with the Dallas Mavericks has resulted in Mavs-themed colors and graphics artfully painted in the terminal, Garage C parking lot, and The Li’l Love Lounge, thanks to talented artist Tex Moton who uses graffiti and mural art creatively.
According to Bleakley, “More and more, commercial airports are including public art in their construction and renovation programs. Love Field’s art installations are among the best in the nation.”
According to Guy Bruggeman, Love Field’s Art and Programming Manager, “Dallas Love Field has showcased public artwork since the 1950s. Our curated art program, which is part of the City of Dallas’ Arts and Culture department, is a way to highlight visual arts, culture, and performances for travelers as well as support talented local artists.”
The program includes a permanent collection, traveling exhibitions and performing arts. Bruggeman added, “We focus on representing a wide range of diversity in visual and performing arts from educational institutions, arts organizations, museums, and cultural institutions that exhibit their collections, artifacts and original artwork.”
Love Field partnerships have included the Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART) Student Art contest; Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing Arts; Henry W. Longfellow Career Exploration Academy Middle School; University of North Texas; The University of Texas at Arlington; St. Mark’s School of Texas; Collin College; and Frontiers of Flight Museum. Additional arts partnerships include The Stewpot; Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Dallas; Art Reaching Out; Texas Jewish Art Association; and 29 Pieces.
Traveling exhibits have included the IF/THEN® Initiative, a nationwide effort to advance women innovators in STEM fields and inspire the next generation of girls, and currently on display is “Women in Aviation,” from the Frontiers of Flight Museum.
On the Love Field performance stage, the airport has had more than 200 different performances from singing, dancing, and a magic show that was part of the “Love Field Stories” podcast in 2021. A fun fact – Zuriel Merek has performed on the stage more than 100 times.
Baskas added, “When I visited Dallas Love Field several years ago, Guy Bruggeman took me on a tour and told me of the amazing art. If you are there or happen to be passing through, I encourage you to visit, and if you have time, take a tour as the airport is full of history, stories and hidden treasures.”
For those interested in taking a Dallas Love Field art tour, visit here for details. To learn more about the art program, visit here.
About Harriet Baskas:
Harriet Baskas is happiest in an airport or an unusual museum. She writes about these and many other topics for outlets that include NBCNews.com, The Points Guy, Runway Girl Network, and others. She is the creator of the StuckatTheAirport.com blog and the author of 9 books, including 111 Places in Seattle You Must Not Miss, due out in July 2022. She has been the general manager of three community radio stations (KBOO and KMUN in Oregon and KBCS in Bellevue, WA.), and has created award-winning radio programs on topics as varied as early cowgirls, unusual museums, and aging boomers for National Public Radio and regional public radio stations.
About Bruce Bleakley:
Bruce Bleakley, a retired Air Force Lieutenant Colonel and aviation industry consultant, co-authored the 2017 book, The Love Evolution: A Centennial Celebration of Love Field Airport and Its Art with the City of Dallas and Department of Aviation staff. Bleakley has also authored Dallas Aviation, a history of aviation in Dallas County; Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport, for DFW’s 40th anniversary; and Addison Airport: Serving Business Aviation for Sixty Years.
About “Love Field Stories” Podcast:
“Love Field Stories,” the official podcast of Dallas Love Field Airport, launched in 2021 and completed 13 episodes with guests including Dallas Mavericks’ CEO Cynt Marshall, Dallas Film Society Artistic Director James Faust, and Dallas Independent School District Superintendent Michael Hinojosa. Season 2 launched on February 8. The podcast features stories, memories, and experiences related to the airport. Each episode is live-streamed on Love Field’s Facebook and YouTube and can be heard on Apple Podcast,Spotify, iHeartRadio and Pandora.
About Dallas Love Field (DAL):
An award-winning airport, Dallas Love Field is a 2021 Global Biorisk Advisory Council® (GBAC) STAR™ accredited facility – the gold standard for stringent protocols for cleaning, disinfecting, and infectious disease prevention. The airport has also won many of the most prestigious awards including multiple years with Travel+Leisure’s “Top 10 Domestic Airports” and from Airports Council International both in North America and worldwide. For more information visitdallas-lovefield.com or call the Airport Operations Center (214) 670-LOVE (5683). Follow Dallas Love Field onFacebook,Twitter andInstagram.