One Art Event a Week: Indianapolis Airport

[Laura Frank]

Week 13: Public Art at the Indianapolis Airport

A weeklong visit with my sister in Wyoming almost put a kink in my art attendance last week. But then it dawned on me: there’s art at the airport!

The Indianapolis Airport Authority’s art program began in 2005, when requests for proposals for public art in the new Indianapolis Airport were issued. After a long selection process, 15 artists’ works and 6 poets, several of which reside in Indiana or have Indiana ties, can be found throughout the Indianapolis Airport. The chosen pieces flow into one another through themes of flight, nature and Indiana culture.

Some of the permanent public art pieces include a mirrored mosaic entitled “Fields” by Indiana artist Ann Gardner above a water fountain (at concourse B). I thought this collage was very serene; important for the frazzled traveler. Indiana Poet Laureate Norbert Krapf also has poetry in a stained-glass panel by English artist Martin Donlin (at gate A22). Krapf’s poem evokes the warm feelings of finally arriving back home after a long trip away, realizing you missed being there.

There is also a special exhibit of photographs by Indiana resident Jeffrey A. Woolin. Woolin conducted interviews with 30 immigrants in Indiana and compiled them into a book entitled “New Faces at the Crossroads”. Each immigrant’s story and reasons for settling in Indiana were like little windows into these peoples’ experiences. Woolin’s interest in immigrants stems from his curiosity of his grandparents’ decision to move to America a century ago. Why did they leave their native lands by ship with nothing, arriving in an unfamiliar country, most of them unable to speak the language? Woolin points out that today “…airports have replaced harbors as the first American soil immigrants see when they arrive.” I really enjoyed reading about Rajkumari Gulati, an immigrant from New Delhi, India. She arrived in Indianapolis in 2002 after her husband’s international transfer from Eli Lilly in India. Mrs. Gulati talks about raising her son in Indiana and his quick adoption of the culture here. She also speaks of the misperception that India is an under-developed country, stating that many U.S. companies now source their technology needs from there. Perhaps I felt more of a connection to her since her country is one I have visited. I also enjoyed reading Woolin’s interview with African immigrant Augustine Bihani. In her bio, she comments that in the U.S., everyone stays inside all the time; she says in Africa, they only go inside to sleep. Augustine also says there’s “…no war, no bombs, no gunshots. In Africa, there are too many troubles, troubles, troubles.” Bihani also states that she was planning on becoming a citizen within days of the interview.

If you haven’t been to the new airport, I encourage you to schedule a little extra time on your next trip to look around at the art. You can explore an interactive art map on the Airport’s website at http://www.indianapolisairport.com/files/contribute/02.18.09ArtMap.pdf.