ART AT THE AIRPORT AND THE INTERSECTION OF PUBLIC ART AND PUBLIC HISTORY

Abstract

This thesis is a study of the intersection of public art and public history in Philadelphia. This project looks at Philadelphia based case studies to see how the intersection of public art and public history can bring in new audiences, act as a form of advertisement, and shape interactive experiences for visitors. Connecting to a body of literature that deals with the power of place, I ask in this study how public history in unexpected places has the power to bring in new audiences that may not have the chance or even want to visit a traditional history museum or historic site. How do these projects and programs serve a community? The study features the history of Art at the Airport, an international series of art exhibits and programs at major airports. Among these, the Philadelphia International Airport’s Art at the Airport program exhibits traditional and innovative art and regularly features historic content. Any airport today is a place of high stress, but surveys of airport visitors indicate that for some art has the ability to relieve anxieties. So what happens when public art and public history collide in this space? While studying Art at the Airport as an intern, I witnessed people who stopped, learned, and gained knowledge of history in a public setting without a book, a teacher, or tour guide. This study allows me to show the power of public history and public art.