[10 New Art Installations for Houston Airport System]
[00:00:16]
ON BEHALF OF THE ENTIRE TEAM AT THE HOUSTON AIRPORT, WE WANNA WELCOME YOU ALL OUT TODAY TO CELEBRATE THIS GREAT ACHIEVEMENT, THESE 10 NEW SITE-SPECIFIC ARTWORKS BY TEXAS ARTIST.
WE HAVE SOME VERY SPECIAL GUESTS HERE TODAY, INCLUDING THE MAYOR AND SOME OF OUR ARTISTS.
SO WE WANT TO THANK YOU ALL FOR COMING OUT THIS MORNING.
YOU KNOW, THE AIRPORT IS ALL ABOUT THE MAGIC OF FLIGHT.
AND THE MAGIC OF FLIGHT IS ALL ABOUT THE GREAT JOURNEY.
AND I'M SURE AS MANY OF THE ARTISTS WHO WORKED WITH US ON THIS WILL ATTEST THAT ACHIEVING THESE ART PROJECTS HAS ALSO BEEN A GREAT AND EPIC JOURNEY.
BUT WITH EVERY GREAT JOURNEY THERE IS THE ARRIVAL, AND TODAY WE HAVE ARRIVED.
WE HAVE THESE INCREDIBLE 10 NEW WORKS OF ART BY TEXAS ARTISTS LOCATED ACROSS BOTH OF OUR TERMINAL, UH, BOTH AIRPORTS AND ALL TERMINALS OF THE AIRPORT.
YOU KNOW, HERE AT THE HOUSTON AIRPORT, WE SERVE THOUSANDS OF GUESTS PER DAY, TENS OF THOUSANDS.
IN FACT, ON SOME DAYS WE SERVE OVER A HUNDRED THOUSAND, LIKE THIS COMING WEEKEND, IF ANY OF Y'ALL ARE TRAVELING, AND EACH ONE OF THESE PASSENGERS ARE OUR GUEST.
AND WHEN THESE GUESTS ARRIVE AT OUR AIRPORT, WE WANT THEM TO FEEL WELCOMED AND INSPIRED, WHETHER THAT PASSENGER IS COMING FROM JUST FLYING IN FROM AUSTIN, TEXAS, OR MAYBE THEY'RE FLYING IN FROM DOWN SOUTH IN MEXICO CITY, OR MAYBE THEY'RE FLYING IN FROM CLEAR AROUND THE WORLD FROM MUMBAI, INDIA.
WE WANT THEM TO FEEL A SENSE OF INSPIRATION AND ENJOYMENT.
AND WE FEEL THAT THESE ART PIECES IN OUR COLLECTION REALLY HELP US ACHIEVE THESE GOALS.
SO I'M VERY PLEASED THAT WE'VE ACHIEVED THIS, AND WE WANNA WELCOME EVERYONE OUT TO OUR GREAT AIRPORT IN HOUSTON, TEXAS.
WE'RE VERY FORTUNATE TO HAVE A MAYOR WHO IS A CHAMPION OF THE ARTS, A MAYOR WHO REALLY APPRECIATES AND RECOGNIZES BOTH THE CULTURAL AND ECONOMIC CONTRIBUTIONS MADE BY THE ART COMMUNITY.
AND THAT ART COMMUNITY INCLUDES THE WORKING ARTISTS, IT INCLUDES GALLERIES, MUSEUMS, NONPROFITS, AND ALL THE FOUNDATIONS.
ALL OF THESE THINGS THAT CONTRIBUTE TO THE RICH CULTURAL FABRIC THAT IS HOUSTON, TEXAS.
SO PLEASE JOIN ME IN WELCOMING THE MAYOR OF HOUSTON, TEXAS, MAYOR SYLVESTER TURNER.
LOOK, LET ME, LET ME THANK ALTON, AND, AND I APPRECIATE ALL THAT HE HAD TO SAY AND AGREE WITH IT 100%.
UM, MY ATTENTION WAS KIND OF ON THE ARTWORK.
I KIND OF LOOKING AT THAT AND, AND, UH, AND LOOK, I'M, I'M JUST, UH, DELIGHTED, UH, THAT WE ARE HERE.
SO, MARIO, JUST OFF THE, FROM THE VERY BEGINNING, LET ME, LET ME JUST THANK YOU AND THE NICOLE, UH, FOR THE COLLABORATION.
YEAH, GIVE IT UP TO THE TWO OF THEM.
WELL, LEMME JUST SAY GOOD MORNING AND, AND WELCOME TO THE HUGHES SPACE CITY, UH, BAYOU CITY, UH, AND THE ART CITY, OKAY? ALL, ALL IN ONE.
AND WE ARE CALLED BY MANY, MANY NAMES IN THE CITY OF HOUSTON.
AND EACH ONE HELPS TO DEFINE OUR DIVERSITY AS A CITY AND OUR CREATIVE COMMUNITY WHOSE WORK WE ARE CELEBRATING TODAY.
UH, OVER THE LAST TWO YEARS, MANY PEOPLE WORKED INCREDIBLY HARD TO BRING TO LIFE 10 NEW, ONE OF A KIND SITE SPECIFIC PERMANENT ART COMMISSIONS.
AND I'M CERTAIN THAT THESE ADDITIONS TO OUR CIVIC ART COLLECTION WILL ENGAGE AND INSPIRE MILLIONS OF TRAVELERS, AS ALTERNATE SAID AT HARVEY AND THE BUSH AIRPORTS FOR YEARS TO COME.
AND I WOULD LIKE TO THANK THE DIRECTOR OF THE MAYOR'S OFFICE OF CULTURAL AFFAIRS, NICOLE IRVIN.
UH, THANK YOU NICOLE, FOR YOUR LEADERSHIP AND WHAT YOU ARE DOING.
AND DIRECTOR OF HOUSTON AIRPORTS, MARIO DIAZ, FOR CREATING THIS UNIQUE OPPORTUNITY FOR TEXAS ARTS TO SHINE.
GIVE IT UP TO 'EM ONE MORE TIME.
LOOK, THE CALL FOR THESE 10 COMMISSIONS, UH, WAS RELEASED MIDYEAR IN 2020.
AND AS YOU ALL KNOW, COVID KIND OF HIT, UH, RIGHT AROUND MARCH IN THE CITY OF HOUSTON.
AND THIS WAS AT A TIME WHEN THE WORLD WAS BA BATTLING A PANDEMIC.
WE CREATED THESE OPPORTUNITIES TO MITIGATE THE NEGATIVE IMPACT THAT LOCKDOWNS AND PROTECTIVE MEASURES HAD ON LOCAL ARTISTS.
AND DURING THE TIME OF UNCERTAINTY, THE CITY OF HOUSTON OFFERED HOPE, AND WE OFFER SUPPORT.
AND I'M PROUD TO ANNOUNCE THAT THE CITY OF HOUSTON HAS INVESTED MORE THAN FOUR, $5 MILLION IN COMMISSION
[00:05:01]
PROJECTS RELEASED AT THAT TIME.IN THE CASE OF THESE 10 COMMISSIONS, HOUSTON AIRPORT SPONSORED NEARLY $2 MILLION IN FUNDS.
NOW, THIS IS AN UNPRECEDENTED INVESTMENT FROM, FOR, FROM OUR CIVIC ARTS PROGRAM.
AND QUITE FRANKLY, AS INTEREST AND DEMAND FOR PUBLIC ART HAS ONLY INCREASED, WE FIND OURSELVES NOW IN A WORLD THAT UNDERSTANDS MORE DEEPLY WHAT ART AND ARTISTS BRING TO OUR LIVES AND TO OUR COLLECTIVE WELLBEING.
AND TOGETHER THESE COMMISSIONS REPRESENT AND DEMONSTRATE WORK FROM A DIVERSE GROUP OF ARTISTS, A VARIETY OF ARTISTS, MEDIUMS, AND COMPELLING SUBJECT MATTERS.
I MEAN, I'M, I'M CAPTURED BY THE AQUARIUS ART TUNNEL AND, UM, AND, YOU KNOW, I HAVE TO GO SEE IT IN PERSON MYSELF.
OKAY? AND THE ARTIST THAT, UH, THAT DID THIS IS THIS YOUNG WOMAN RIGHT OVER HERE.
GIVE THAT FIRST NAME ONE MORE TIME.
JOHN V JOHN VI MEAN, JUST AN INCREDIBLE AND INCREDIBLE, UH, WORK.
AND, UH, IF YOU HAVE, YOU DON'T EVEN HAVE TO FLY.
JUST DRIVE OVER THERE AND CHECK IT AND CHECK IT OUT.
AND THEN, I DIDN'T KNOW THE NAME OF THIS ONE.
I, YOU KNOW, WE WERE TALKING TO THE ARTISTS AND I JUST SAID THE WINGS.
AND HE SAID, WELL, THAT'S THE NAME OF IT,
YOU KNOW, I'M SUCH AN ART CONNOISSEUR, YOU KNOW,
SO, UM, AND GIVE ME YOUR FIRST NAME, DMES ISH.
AND SO THESE ARE JUST TWO OF THE AUDIOS THAT HAVE DONE SOME INCREDIBLE WORK.
UM, AND SO BEHIND ME IS ONE OF THE SITE SPECIFIC COMMISSIONS.
THE PIECE INSPIRES TRAVELERS AS THEY PREPARE TO TAKE FLIGHT.
AND NOTICE HOW THE LIGHT CA CATCHES THE REFLECTIVE JEWELS EMBEDDED IN THIS MASSIVE SCULPTURE.
AND IF YOU LOOK CLOSELY, YOU WILL SEE ITS WINGS.
AND THAT'S HOW I DESCRIBED IT.
YOU KNOW, UH, IT IS SYMBOLIC OF THE CITY'S ARTS PROGRAM REACHING NEW HEIGHTS TODAY, TRAVELERS CAN BEGIN, UH, TRAVELING CAN SOMETIMES BE A CHALLENGING EXPERIENCE.
AND THIS PROJECT IS PART OF OUR EXCEPTIONAL CUSTOMER SERVICE.
AND MAYBE THAT EXPLAINS WHY HARVEY IS A FIVE STAR AIRPORT.
YOU KNOW, OUR HOPE AS A CITY IS THAT THE ART WILL BRING JOY, SPEAK CREATIVE, UH, CREATIVELY, AND HELP PEOPLE RELAX WHEN THEY'RE IN OUR CITY AND TRAVELING THROUGH ONE OF OUR AWARD-WINNING AIRPORTS.
AND SO, UH, WHAT WE ARE DOING TODAY FURTHER DEFINES WHO WE ARE AS A CITY.
WE ARE THE ENERGY CAPITAL OF THE WORLD.
BUT WE ARE ALSO THE ART CITY, AND THAT'S HAPPENING EACH AND EVERY DAY.
AND WHAT WE ARE DOING HERE FURTHER DEFINES WHO WE ARE, UH, AS A CITY.
SO LET ME THANK EVERYONE AND CONGRATULATIONS TO THE 10 ARTISTS MAYOR.
SO HERE AT THE HOUSTON AIRPORT, WE'RE VERY FORTUNATE TO WORK UNDER THE LEADERSHIP OF THE AVIATION DIRECTOR, MARIO DIAZ.
MR. DIAZ REALLY BELIEVES IN CUSTOMER SERVICE, AND HE SEES THE VALUE IN A ROBUST ART PROGRAM AND HOW IT CONTI CONTRIBUTES TO THAT CUSTOMER SERVICE.
THROUGH HIS VISION, HOUSTON BECAME THE FIRST CITY IN THE WORLD TO HAVE TWO FOUR STAR AIRPORTS.
AND EARLIER THIS YEAR, HOUSTON BECAME THE FIRST CITY IN NORTH AMERICA, AND ONE OF ONLY A HANDFUL IN THE WORLD TO GET THE COVETED FIVE STAR RATING FROM SKYTRAX.
AND IN THAT RATING, IN THAT AUDIT, THE SKY TREK SPECIFICALLY MENTIONS THE CONTRIBUTION OF THE ART PROGRAM.
SO WHAT WE'RE DOING HERE IS NOT GOING UNNOTICED, THAT'S FOR SURE.
MAY I WELCOME UP MARIO DIAZ? THANK YOU, ALTON.
UH, MAYOR TURNER, DIRECTOR IRVING AND CURATOR DELANEY, THANK YOU FOR HELPING US SUPPORT AND SU, UH, SPOTLIGHT SOME OF THE MOST REALLY INCREDIBLY TALENTED ARTISTS THAT WE HAVE IN THIS REGION.
UM, WHAT THIS DOES, WHAT THE ART PROGRAM DOES, FIRST AND FOREMOST, IS TO HELP US UNDERPIN AND STRENGTHEN OUR VISION TO BECOME A FIVE STAR GLOBAL AIR SERVICE GATEWAY, WHERE THE MAGIC OF FLIGHT IS CELEBRATED.
BUT I WANNA SHARE WITH YOU IN JUST A BRIEF, UM, A SET OF A BRIEF MOMENT OF WHAT I CONSIDER TO BE THE IMPORTANCE OF ART IN A PUBLIC SETTING.
VERY OFTEN WHEN WE WALK THROUGH IN THE PUBLIC SETTING, WHETHER IT'S A MUSEUM OR WHETHER IT'S A OFFICE BUILDING, OR WHETHER IT'S AN AIRPORT OR A TRAIN STATION, BUS STATION, WHEREVER
[00:10:01]
IN, IN THE OUTSIDE, AND WE COME ACROSS A PIECE OF ART, WE HAVE A VISCERAL REACTION TO IT.IT CAN BE GOOD, IT CAN BE BAD, IT CAN BE ENGAGING, OR IT CAN BE PUTTING US OFF.
IT CAN BE BEAUTIFUL OR IT CAN BE UGLY OR WORSE.
IT HAS NO EFFECT ON US AT ALL.
BUT WHEN WE DO THAT AND WE WALK AWAY, I THINK WE WALK AWAY FROM A DEEPER LEVEL OF UNDERSTANDING AND, UM, ENTERTAINMENT.
AND THAT IS, IF WE ONLY ENGAGE AT THE SURFACE LEVEL, WE DON'T ASK OURSELVES SOME QUESTIONS THAT REALLY WOULD HELP US ALONG OUR JOURNEY, ESPECIALLY AT AN AIRPORT.
WE, WHERE WE HAVE THE TIME TO TAKE A LOOK AND REALLY, UH, LOOK AT THESE PIECES OF ARTWORK TO ASK AT LEAST FOUR QUESTIONS.
FIRST EXPRESSION, WHAT WAS THE ARTIST TRYING TO EXPRESS? WAS IT PART OF THEIR EXPERIENCE? WAS IT PART OF CULTURE? WAS IT PART OF AN EXAMPLE OR SOMETHING THAT THEY WANNA DEFINITIVELY SAY? AND IS IT SAID IN THE PIECE OF ART, AS YOU LOOK AT IT, AS YOU THINK ABOUT IT, WERE THEY TRYING TO PERSUADE US OF SOMETHING, SOMETHING IMPORTANT THAT WE SHOULD GRASP ONTO, THAT WE SHOULD ACKNOWLEDGE THAT WE SHOULD TAKE INTO CONSIDERATION? WERE THEY SIMPLY TRYING TO INFORM US, HEY, BE AWARE OF THIS, IT'S IMPORTANT, WE OUGHT TO CONSIDER IT.
UM, OR WERE THEY LOOKING TO CRITIQUE, CRITIQUE SOCIETY, CRITIQUE THE THINGS THAT ARE HAPPENING ON A DAY-TO-DAY BASIS? WHEN WE ASK THESE QUESTIONS, WE GET BEYOND THE SURFACE OF A PIECE OF ART.
WE CAN, IF NOT, WE CAN SIMPLY JUST WALK AWAY AND MEDITATE ON THESE QUESTIONS THAT MIGHT TRIGGER OTHER QUESTIONS.
ENGAGE US AT THE SAME TIME AND PASS THE TIME AT THE AIRPORT WHILE YOU'RE WAITING IN A MUCH MORE EXPERIENCED AND A MUCH MORE RELAXED AND PLEASURABLE, UH, TIME.
I MEAN, IT'S, IT IS REALLY AMAZING.
THEY BRING SO MUCH WEALTH TO AN AIRPORT FAR, FAR, FAR BEYOND THE VALUE OF WHAT WE INVEST IN, IN, IN THESE ARTWORKS.
AND THEY, THEY'RE REALLY TRULY THE KINDS OF THINGS THAT WE NEED IN OUR DAY-TO-DAY LIFE.
AND WHAT BETTER WAY TO GET OUR DAILY DOSE THAN WALKING TO AN AIRPORT.
SO HERE AT THE AIRPORT, WE WORK VERY CLOSELY WITH, UH, A COUPLE OF DEPARTMENTS THAT I REALLY WANTED TO MENTION.
OF COURSE, THERE'S THE HOUSTON ARTS ALLIANCE AND JOHN ABIDI IS HERE WITH HIS TEAM.
SO THANK YOU JOHN, AND YOUR TEAM FOR EVERYTHING THAT YOU DO WITH THE HOUSTON ARTS ALLIANCE AND OUR COLLEAGUES AT THE MAYOR'S OFFICE.
THE MAYOR'S OFFICE OF CULTURAL AFFAIRS IS CERTAINLY A DEPARTMENT THAT WE CAN ACCOMPLISH THIS WITHOUT THE LEADERSHIP OF THE DIRECTOR, NICOLE IRVIN.
NICOLE IRWIN IS HERE TODAY, AND I'D LIKE TO WELCOME HER UP.
SO THANK YOU, ALTON, VERY MUCH.
IT'S AMAZING WHEN THE, UM, WE HAVE A SYSTEM IN THE CITY THAT HAS SOMEONE WHO IS KNOWLEDGEABLE AND PASSIONATE ABOUT ART.
UM, IT IS ALWAYS A PLEASURE, UM, TO SPEAK AS A PART OF THE WORK THAT I DO, AND PARTICULARLY WHEN I'M STANDING NEXT TO MY BOSS.
SO, UH, THE MAYOR IS, AND ONE OF THE MOST ARDENT ADVOCATES FOR ART, FOR ARTISTS, AND FOR THE INVESTMENT OF ART IN OUR CITY.
AND WE SEE THAT, AND WE HAVE SEEN IT THROUGHOUT HIS TIME IN PUBLIC SERVICE, WHETHER IT WAS IN AUSTIN, BUT MORE PARTICULARLY HERE IN HOUSTON AS THE MAYOR OF HOUSTON.
AND SO I, NUMBER ONE, WANNA SAY THANK YOU FOR YOUR LEADERSHIP, THANK YOU FOR ENSURING THAT WE CONTINUE TO INVEST.
AND SO HE MENTIONED THAT THIS, UH, THESE 10 COMMISSIONS WERE INITIATED DURING COVID, RIGHT? AND SO WE WANTED TO ENSURE THAT WE WERE PROVIDING FUNDING INTO THE ECONOMY, THAT WE WERE INVESTING IN ARTISTS ACROSS THE STATE OF TEXAS.
AND BOY DID WE GET OUR MONEY'S WORTH AND MORE.
UM, I, I'M SUPER EXCITED ABOUT ALL 10 OF THE COMMISSIONS AND WE HAVE FOUR OF THE ARTISTS HERE TODAY.
UM, AND SO I ENCOURAGE EVERYONE, UM, TO CHECK OUT THE VIDEO THAT'S PLAYING SO THAT YOU CAN SEE ALL OF THE WORKS THAT ARE ACROSS THE TWO AIRPORTS.
I ENCOURAGE YOU TO, WHEN YOU'RE TRAVELING, TO EXPLORE, COME TO THE AIRPORT AND, YOU KNOW, AN EXTRA 20 MINUTES EARLY AND CHECK OUT WHAT WE HAVE.
BECAUSE THE AIRPORT SYSTEM IN HOUSTON HAS THE LARGEST PERCENTAGE OF OUR CITY'S COLLECTION, AND IT IS THE LARGEST IN AVIATION, UM, ACROSS THE COUNTRY
[00:15:01]
FROM WHAT I'VE BEEN TOLD.SO I'M EXCITED TO SAY THAT, UM, AND THE WORK THAT WE DO IN THE CITY COMES THROUGH THE MAYOR'S OFFICE OF CULTURAL AFFAIRS BECAUSE WHILE THE CITY OF HOUSTON HAS COLLECTED ART SINCE THE CITY HAS BEEN A CITY, WE HAVE INVESTED INTENTIONALLY WITH OUR CIVIC ART ORDINANCE AND OUR PROGRAM ACROSS ALL OF OUR DEPARTMENTS IS RUN THROUGH OUR OFFICE, UM, UNDER THE CAPABLE MANAGEMENT OF THERESA ESCOBIDO.
AND SO I WANNA LIFT HER UP, UM, BECAUSE SHE HAS BEEN DOING A STELLAR JOB IN WORKING ACROSS ALL OF THE DEPARTMENTS WITH THE CITY.
UM, AND SO WHEN YOU THINK ABOUT THE NUMBER OF DEPARTMENTS ACROSS HOUSTON, UM, WE HAVE A SINGLE PERSON WHO IS DOING THOSE JOBS THAT WORK IN COORDINATING AND CHANGING CULTURE.
AND WE ARE CHANGING CULTURE BECAUSE WE ARE SAYING THAT BOTH THE ART AND THE ARTISTS ARE VALUABLE AND ARE AN INSTRUMENTAL PART OF WHO WE ARE AS A CITY.
AND SO I WANNA AGAIN, THANK ALL OF YOU FOR BEING HERE TODAY.
I ENCOURAGE YOU TO LEARN MORE ABOUT EACH OF THE ARTISTS.
I ENCOURAGE YOU TO LEARN MORE ABOUT THE ART THAT IS IN THE CITY'S CIVIC ART COLLECTION.
UM, AND IF YOU HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY, UH, AFTERWARDS, UM, TO GET A CHANCE TO DO A TOUR WITH ALTON, BECAUSE, UM, IT'S A ONE OF A KIND EXPERIENCE.
SO AGAIN, I WANT TO THANK, UM, MARIO, OUR AVIATION DIRECTOR, AND THANK THE MAYOR.
IT IS EASY, UM, TO WORK IN THIS SPACE WHEN YOU HAVE LEADERS WHO UNDERSTAND THE VALUE OF ART AND WHAT ART DOES FOR OUR CIVIC COMMUNITY AND OUR ECONOMY.
ME, UH, NICOLE SAID IT, YOU KNOW, YOU KNOW, AND ANDY, THE CHIEF ECONOMIC, UH, DEVELOPMENT OFFICER HERE, MARIO, WOULDN'T IT, WOULDN'T IT BE NICE, UH, FOR THE HOUSTON AIRPORT SYSTEM TO HAVE THE LARGEST ART GALLERY AT ANY MORE SO THAN ANY AIRPORT IN THE UNITED STATES NOW THAT THAT WOULD JUST BE INCREDIBLE.
YEAH, I THINK WE ALREADY THERE.
YOU KNOW, WE JUST NEED TO SOLIDIFY IT.
YEAH, WE JUST NEED TO RECOGNIZE IT AND WE NEED TO DO IT IN 2023, YOU KNOW, UH, FOR THE GOT IT.
I SAY NO MORE HAPPY HOLIDAYS, YOU KNOW, OUT THERE,
AND AS, UH, DIRECTOR IRVIN SAID, WE ARE ONE OF THE LARGEST, UH, AIRPORT COLLECTIONS IN THE AVIATION INDUSTRY IN THE WORLD.
AND IF LILIANA AND I HAVE OUR WAY, WE'RE GONNA BE THE BEST ART PROGRAM IN THE WORLD, UH, THIS COMING YEAR FOR SKY TRACK.
SO, AND JUST SO YOU KNOW, ANYTIME YOU HEAR THAT BEEPING SOUND IN THE BACKGROUND, THAT'S A SIGN OF PROGRESS.
THAT MEANS WE'RE GETTING THINGS DONE HERE AT THE AIRPORT.
SO A COUPLE THINGS THAT NICOLE SAID THAT I JUST WANTED TO REINFORCE.
WE DO HAVE THIS GREAT VIDEO HERE THAT OUR COMMUNICATIONS TEAM PUT TOGETHER.
IT HAS ALL 10 OF THE COMMISSIONS REPRESENTED.
UH, WE DO HAVE SEVERAL OF THE ARTISTS HERE TODAY, UH, OF COURSE IS HERE.
I ENCOURAGE EVERYONE TO SEE HER IMMERSIVE ART TUNNEL.
IT'S 240 FEET LONG OVER IN TERMINAL D AT BUSH AIRPORT.
WE HAVE ALEX AND BILLY ARE HERE FROM INPUT OUTPUT.
COME ON, COME ON UP, ALEX AND BILLY, COME ON UP AND JOIN US UP HERE.
OR IS IT JUST BILLY ALEX BY HIS WAY? OKAY, ALEX IS ON HIS WAY.
UM, AND THEN WE'RE VERY FORTUNATE TODAY, THEY'RE, THEY'RE WORKING ON A, A DIGITAL PIECE THAT Y'ALL ARE GONNA SEE ANYTIME YOU'RE TRAVELING THROUGH TERMINAL B.
SO WE ENCOURAGE ALL OF OUR HOLIDAY TRAVELERS TO CHECK OUT THE PROGRESS WHEN THEY'RE TRAVELING.
AND THEN WE HAVE A VERY SPECIAL GUEST TODAY FROM AUSTIN, TEXAS.
UH, D DHARMESH PATEL IS THE ARTIST AN, UH, BEHIND ANALIST WORK, AND HIS WORK IS BEHIND US.
IT'S THIS GREAT SCULPTURE INSPIRED BY A WING THAT MARIO MENTIONED, AND I WOULD LIKE TO WELCOME DHARMESH UP TO THE PODIUM TO GIVE A FEW WORDS ABOUT HIS PROCESS.
UM, FIRST OF ALL, THANK YOU, MAYOR.
UH, THIS IS A GREAT PROGRAM, MARIO.
THERESA, THERE'S SO MANY PEOPLE I'VE JUST MET THAT I'M TRYING TO, UH, DOCUMENT THEM ALL IN MY HEAD.
UH, THIS HAS BEEN SUCH A GREAT HONOR TO BE A PART OF THIS PROGRAM.
UH, AS, AS THE MAYOR SAID, LIKE, YOU KNOW, WE APPLIED FOR THIS PROJECT WAY BACK IN, WHO KNOWS, BEFORE COVID
THE TIME HAS JUST COMPLETELY BEEN CHANGED, UH, FROM, UH, WHEN WE INITIALLY, UH, UH, EVEN CONSIDERED, UH, APPLYING FOR THIS.
AND A LOT OF THE WORK THAT LIKE WE DO, AND
[00:20:01]
I THINK IT'S BEEN MENTIONED HERE, IT'S OBVIOUSLY AN AIRPORT.THERE'S, UH, A LOT OF TRAVEL HERE, PEOPLE COMING THROUGH, LEAVING, AND A LOT OF IT IS ABOUT TIME AND MEMORY FOR US.
AND, YOU KNOW, WE'VE NEVER DONE A PROJECT AT THE AIRPORT AND IT'S BEEN AN HONOR TO BE WORKING WITH ALL OF THE TEAMS HERE.
ALTON GUILLERMO, HAA, CIVIC ARTS, UH, JOSEPH COHEN, UH, UH, SO MANY PEOPLE.
AND THAT'S NOT EVEN COUNTING THE PEOPLE THAT, UH, BOTH AUTUMN AND I WORK WITH IN AUSTIN, WHICH WOULD BE HERE FOREVER, UH, EVER.
IF I, UH, CA RECALLED ALL THOSE RIGHT NOW, UM, OUR WORK IS REALLY ABOUT THAT EXPERIENCE, ABOUT EXPERIENCING AND NOTICING THE COMMUNITY THAT'S AROUND YOU.
LIKE, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE ALWAYS SAY IS THAT THIS IS, YOU KNOW, OBVIOUSLY THE PHYSICALITY IS ABOUT THE WINGS, BUT IT'S REALLY ABOUT THE CURIOSITY OF RESIDUE, UH, UH, OF PEOPLE APPROACHING IT, OF PEOPLE LOOKING AT IT.
IT HAPPENS NOT THROUGH ONE, UH, JOURNEY.
IT HAPPENS THROUGH MULTIPLE JOURNEYS.
AND THIS IS, UH, UH, YOU KNOW, THE BEST PART OF PUBLIC ART BECAUSE YOU GET TO ENGAGE PEOPLE WHO NEVER REALLY WOULD NORMALLY COME INTO A GALLERY OR TO A MUSEUM.
AND IT BROADENS THEIR HORIZONS BECAUSE ART IS FOR THE PEOPLE.
AND IT'S A GREAT HONOR TO BE A PART OF THIS PROJECT AND THIS AIRPORT AND, UH, PART OF THE COLLECTION OF THE CITY OF HOUSTON.
AND AGAIN, THANK YOU, UH, FOR ALL THE ARTISTS THAT CAME OUT TODAY.
UM, AT THIS POINT, WE WOULD LIKE TO WELCOME ALL THE ARTISTS UP AND ALL THE SPEAKERS UP SO WE COULD GET A, A LITTLE PHOTO OP WITH THE MAYOR AND MR. DIAZ.
AND I JUST WANNA, UM, CONCLUDE BY LETTING YOU KNOW THAT, UM, ALL THESE PIECES ARE NOW INSTALLED.
AND ANYTIME ANY OF YOU WANT TO TOUR OF THIS, I WOULD BE MORE THAN HAPPY TO OFFER YOU A PERSONAL TOUR OF THE ART COLLECTION AT EITHER OF THE AIRPORTS.
AND, UH, I ALSO WANNA MAKE AVAILABILITY TO THE PRESS OF, IF YOU WANNA TALK TO ANY OF THE ARTISTS THEY'RE HERE TODAY AND AVAILABLE TO TALK TO ABOUT THEIR SPECIFIC PROJECTS.
SO AGAIN, THANKS EVERYONE FOR COMING OUT TODAY, AND IF WE COULD JUST GET EVERYONE TO KIND OF GROUP OVER HERE IN FRONT OF THE SCULPTURE, WE'RE GONNA TAKE A FEW QUICK PHOTOS.