Houston’s airports are busy places with distractions galore – passengers rushing to make their flights, announcements blaring through speakers at every turn, a plethora of places to eat or drink, and shops with oodles things to buy. There’s also art. Lots of it. Huh, you might think. I didn’t know...
Perhaps you’ve gone through security in the main lobby at Hobby airport and noticed a suspended steel and acrylic human figure flying with open arms. That’sLook almost everywhere in either of Houston’s airports and there’s art to be found. About 350 works in total, varying in size comprising the largest public art collection in Texas. Jewelry, ceramics, painting, photography, textiles, sculpture, sound and light pieces, and large installation art, it’s all there.
However, DuLaney is quick to point out that the money the airports use to buy art is not taxpayer money, but rather funds collected from passengers and airline fees.One of the early works purchased was Terry Allen’slocated at Bush Airport’s Terminal A. The piece is a bronze cast of a 30-foot oak tree sprouting from a terrazzo floor depicting the map of the world and includes a sound element that serenades passengers as they walk by.
“A large percentage of our passengers are catching connecting flights and never leave the airport”, says DuLaney. “They spend a couple of hours and then fly off. Art showcases what the city of Houston has to offer, it reflects both the culture of the city and says that we are culturally aware and support our art community.
DuLaney's belief in the importance of art was born long before he became curator for the airports three years ago. A fifth-generation Splendora, Texas native, DuLaney pursued an art career in New York, Los Angeles, and Europe before coming back to Houston via a full master's degree scholarship at the University of Houston and a chance to work at the Blaffer Art Museum.
While DuLaney is a team of one overseeing the entire program from curation to conservation, he is certainly not the only decision-maker when it comes to what art to purchase for the collection. In addition to working with the Mayor's Office of Cultural Affairs and Houston Art Alliance, DuLaney works with the Aviation Director, Mario Diaz, who often has a vision of what he'd like to see.
“All installations are required to have a structural engineer”, says DuLaney. “If a piece is going to be hanging from the ceiling we have to go back and find architectural drawings of the space engineered to make sure it’s sound and safe and not going to fall.” Not to mention, trying to install a large piece of art in a busy airport that runs 24/7 is an exercise in careful logistics.
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