National Air and Space Museum
Art of the Airport Tower
November 11, 2015 – November 30, 2016
Art of the Airport Tower explores contemporary and historic air traffic control towers in the United States and around the world. This exhibition brings a heightened awareness to the simple beauty of these architectural structures and a call for their preservation. With a collection of 50 original fine art photographs, Smithsonian photographer Carolyn Russo elevates airport towers to beautiful objects of art, and symbols of technological change and cultural expression within the airport landscape.
It includes such historic towers as the Ford Island Tower, which stood on the day of the Pearl Harbor attack, as well as towers at today’s heavily trafficked airports, such as London’s Heathrow Airport. Several of the world’s tallest towers, one of which is the Suvarnabhumi Airport in Bangkok, Thailand, are also highlighted. Captions will describe the airports and the towers’ significance. An introduction by F. Robert van der Linden tells the history of airport towers to contextualize Russo’s work.
Related book: Art of the Airport Tower (2015)
Art of the Airport Tower has been generously sponsored by the National Air Traffic Controllers Association (NATCA), Air Traffic Control Association (ATCA), Harris Corporation, Rockwell Collins, Saab, and Thales, with in-kind support from Epson America, Inc., and Manfrotto.
Edinburgh Airport, Scotland, United Kingdom (EDI/EGPH), Credit: Carolyn Russo, National Air and Space Museum, Smithsonian
