It might seem like such a small thing, given the challenges this community faces. And the protests it has inspired might seem elitist. But the gradual removal of art from the Rochester airport – the Greater Rochester International Airport – is a big deal. And it’s not elitist to insist that the art be put back.
Because for many visitors, the airport is their introduction to this region. What we show off in the airport is a reflection of what is important to us and what we think we are.
Rochester is a community of world-class music and art, festivals and parks, science and photography, significant history. And some of our community leaders – including Rochester’s mayor and the University of Rochester’s president – have been emphasizing the importance of the arts and have been calling Rochester “a city of the arts.”
You’d never know that, though, when you walk through the airport.
Many other cities use their airports to make a statement about themselves. And they do it with art. The numerous artworks at Chicago’s O’Hare include an overhead neon light sculpture and a mural highlighting the city’s blues heritage. Nashville has abstract art, photos of Grand Ole Opry stars, and stages for year-round live music performances. Seattle’s airport showcases works by regional artists and by some of the biggest names in contemporary art.
San Francisco, Austin, Atlanta… name a vibrant city, and you’ll find art in its airport. Airports like these contain plenty of advertising displays. But these communities have made sure that there’s abundant room for art.
And Rochester?
When the airport was expanded in the 1980’s, the design deliberately included prominent spaces for art. Only two artworks remain: a wonderful group of ceramic sculptures by Bill Stewart in a seating area at the head of Concourse B and a large glass work by Peter McGrain, which dominates part of the expanse of windows overlooking the runways.
Otherwise, what visitors see are ads, plastered on seemingly every available surface. The reason, airport officials say, is that the ad revenue helps offset the cost of operating the airport.
That’s a myopic, antiquated view of using a public space and an ill-informed view of art’s importance.
This community is focusing a lot of effort right now on trying to attract tech firms here – companies that will hire bright, creative people. Those companies and those people want to settle in vibrant, progressive communities. What kind of community they think we are is important. The impression we give visitors is important.
Making a good impression, then, should be important to the airport’s overseers, the Monroe County Airport Authority. In fact, part of the authority’s mission, according to the airport’s website, is to make sure that the airport “promotes economic development, trade and tourism throughout the Greater Rochester area.”
And, says the website: “The Authority will continue to optimize the use of airport facilities in order to enhance and expand business development and to foster economic growth in our region.”
If I were the head of one of the region’s business and tourism groups or one of our universities, I’d schedule a talk with authority board members about the importance of image and the role the arts are playing in this region.
We need to bring back the original art – and add more. Photos from the Jazz Festival, Fringe, and live theaters. Kiosks with recordings of actors reading the words of Frederick Douglass and Susan B. Anthony. Photos of suffragist marches. Changing exhibits from museums.
That’s the face we should be presenting to visitors at the airport. Instead, advertising reigns.
Oh, except where we’ve made room for antique airplanes, an old control tower, and the Midtown Plaza clock. That’s the image we’re projecting.
We’re always casting around for slogans for ourselves. Maybe we ought to adopt this one:
Rochester: Stuck in the past.
This article appears in Jul 6-12, 2016.
I completely agree with Mary Anna’s Urban Journal article about “Art, ads, and the image we show to the world.” Having conducted brand research among Rochester residents, it is clear that “Small town feel, Big city culture” is a winning brand message. The first part refers to our short commutes, low housing costs, good schools, quaint villages and general friendliness. The second part is what really excites people. We offer a culture and arts scene that rivals that of much bigger cities but at significantly lower costs with much greater accessibility. It is a winning combination, especially for professional couples who enjoy the culture that accompanies urban life but who are tired of big city hassles. We should be showcasing our arts and culture at our airport. I travel the world and can attest to dozens of airports that better showcase these things on behalf of their cities. As a marketer and business owner, I understand the need for selling advertising space. But having said that, an important role of an airport is to showcase a municipality’s strengths. And aesthetics and the arts do matter when people are considering places to live and work and even locate their businesses.
What’s especially galling about this is that the Rochester PEOPLE raised the money to purchase this art to go in the airport. Yes, it belongs to the county now, but the county shoved it all into storage. This art is a community asset that the county has taken away from us. I’ve called the airport over the years when the number of car dealer cars on the floor was so ridiculous it looked like a car park and the same old story — we need to drive revenue. Is our airport a car dealer? Let’s be proud of our artists and show off their work. The county has not had a good answer to this controversy.
I remember my my visit to the Rochester airport in 1992. I was living in Elmira at the time and working at the Arnot Art Museum. I purchased tickets at a ridiculous discount on Northwest Airlines and had to fly out of Rochester.
Being totally unfamiliar with Rochester and its airport, I arrived about 5 hours before my flight. Instead of being bored during those 5 hours, I found an airport with interesting art. It was almost like visiting a spacious museum. I remember walking around for hours looking at all the art on display. I would sit and read for short periods of time only to get up to look at certain pieces of art again and again.
Recent visits to the airport showed me a building being drained of its vibrancy with the removal of the artwork. I vividly remember a friend arriving for a visit commenting on pictures of Maggie Brooks and all the advertising. Just to be clear, those comments were negative comments.
Frequent air travel was a requirement for a previous job of mine. I can assure you that it all gets old fast. The restaurant and fast food, the motels, the rental cars, the airports, and the airplanes all start to look the same after a while.
Oftentimes, I had to walk very fast or even run to make a connecting flight. At other times, I would have to wait for hours. I’ve never been to Detroit other than the several hours I spent waiting for a connecting flight. I cannot remember anything that was on display there. I did get a flavor for the city by looking out the window and listening in on conversations, but nothing in particular stands out.
If there’s art, there’s this perception of wealth. Observing people and the sights makes for a more authentic taste sample of a city.
With all due respect, Mary Anna Towler’s vision for the airport already exists and it is called a museum. Turning the airport into an arts showcase the way Towler suggests is a selfish exhibit in self-indulgence. We can better use such resources, whether it be money, effort, or brain power for far more important things than patting ourselves on the back.
When I was a kid, the airport used to be a fun place of wonder. A place where you could watch your loved one’s plane land and wait for them at their gate. Now you feel like a criminal just picking someone up. Weird statues and bizarre paintings can’t fix that. Those that are coming home just want to be with their families. Those leaving here just want to be gone, not get a Roc history lesson. Out-of-towners? We’re not impressing anyone with grainy photos or giant dioramas.
I love the arts, especially metal sculptures that that don’t look like anything and chairs that you can’t actually sit in. But let’s just focus on getting the plane from point A to point B and stop worrying if the Jones’ airport has the market on post-modern pointillism in the lobby.
When the airport was built, there was a conscious effort to commission and include the art. What has changed in the last 25 years to necessitate its removal for the sake of revenue? Have we really lost that much wealth, or have we just lost our good taste? Regardless of the answer, why showcase that to outsiders as their first impression? I don’t particularly like most of the art, particularly the Wendell Castle piece which looks dated to me, but we should find the money to put it all back. And please get rid of the Clock of Nations. It doesn’t generate any revenue, has nothing to do with travel or local culture, and doesn’t even include a plaque explaining what it is. Guests have been puzzled by it, and some have found it rather quaint (to avoid using a more charged word). There has to be a better place in “Greater Rochester” for it to reside.
I agree the art that was in the airport should be returned and I encourage more art, which is representative of more of Rochester to be added to the mix. Generic ads and a lack of master plan leave us vulnerable to the same impact as a strip mall. On several fronts, including with the lack of city or county Commissioner of Cultural Affairs and the paltry investment our community makes in art making and the creative industries, there is a disconnect between what we call ourselves and where/how we invest our resources. A little more than a year ago, a very credible study released by a think tank at SMU determined the Monroe County MSA is the 20th most vibrant in the country. Not only are we failing to leverage that strength, we are risking this sector’s vitality in the future.
Rachel, I have helped municipalities with their branding and all of them have had Commissioners of Cultural Affairs. It is odd that we don’t given our community’s rich cultural tapestry. Per capita, our cultural offerings are amazingly high. And, even in an absolute sense, they are. Yes, airports are primarily transportation hubs, but having said that, they are also the first exposures to municipalities for many travelers. What would we want to communicate about Rochester to the people who pass through our airport? What would encourage them to visit here again or even move here? In what ways should we communicate that Rochester is an interesting, sophisticated place?
If I can insert myself here briefly: A quick word of thanks to all of you, pro and con, for your comments. Here’s hoping that we’ll be able to take a step forward at the airport after all these years. Seriously, I used to love watching the little figures twirl round and round on the clock at Midtown. Now? We oughta look like an airport that deserves the “international” label we stuck on it decades ago.
I totally agree, Mary Anna.
Art sells our city far better than local advertisements. Consider the value of a lasting, thought provoking piece of work compared to the “flash in the pan” hype of a car dealership.
There is, or was, art in the Greater Rochester International Airport? Who knew? Whenever I have to suffer the massive hassle of air travel, my last concern is whether there is art in the airport and I bet most other travelers would agree. I’m concerned with …let’s see…Did I get here early enough? Is this some big travel day that I don’t know about and I’m going to be stuck in extra long lines and be pressed to make my flight? Did I take my little 1/2″ pen knife off my keychain and leave it home? Are all my liquids of the appropriate size? Is my liquids bag, laptop, etc easily accessible so I can get it out quickly while I’m trying to get my coat, shoes and belt off whilst emptying my pockets to go through security? Is it too early or too late to get a decent cup of coffee here? Is the flight leaving on time so I can make my connection? I care not one whit as to whether there is art. Free wi-fi, yes. Clean restrooms, yes. Decent and cheap food and beverage choices, Yes. If I want to look at art I’ll go to a gallery where I can look at my leisure when I’m not thinking about 100 other things.