WHEREAS, Philadelphia International Airport’s Exhibitions Program was founded in 1998 to “provide visibility for Philadelphia’s unique cultural life and to enrich the experience of the traveling public”; and
WHEREAS, Exhibits are located across the airport, in all seven terminals, and are curated throughout the year to present a variety of Philadelphia-centric artwork and promote citywide events; and
WHEREAS, Under the leadership of its founding director of exhibitions, Leah Douglas, the Exhibitions Program has organized more than 400 exhibits featuring the works of artists and cultural institutions from across the Philadelphia Region; and
WHEREAS, The Exhibitions Program helps to promote the City as a hub for artistic expression by highlighting the City’s major cultural institutions. The Mural Arts Program, responsible for transforming hundreds of buildings across the City into artistic destinations, has been featured in several exhibitions, as have other prominent cultural institutions such as the Philadelphia Museum of Art, the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts, and the Pennsylvania Ballet; and
WHEREAS, PHL’s Exhibitions Program also helps to promote the City’s vibrant tourism industry, highlighting major sites like the Philadelphia Zoo, and creating exhibits to promote major events such as the recent Democratic National Convention; and
WHEREAS, From Odunde to the Mummers, the Exhibitions Program has made great efforts to showcase the various traditions and cultures that help to make up Philadelphia’s unique cultural fabric; and
WHEREAS, Entire exhibits at PHL have been dedicated to the work of students from various local schools, including the Charter High School for Architecture + Design, Philadelphia High School for Creative and Performing Arts, Baldi Middle School, Universal Audenreid, and Overbrook School for the Blind; and
WHEREAS, Past exhibits at PHL have also highlighted Philadelphia’s central role in American History, from the Colonial Era to the present day, presenting artifacts from pivotal moments such as the Constitutional Convention and the Civil Rights Movement; and
WHEREAS, Perhaps most importantly, the Exhibitions Program at PHL has enriched the experience of the nearly 30 million travelers who move through the airport each year. Passengers have commented that the exhibits provide “a diversion from the stress of travel” and create a “positive reflection on the City of Philadelphia”; and
WHEREAS, The American Association of Airport Executives (AAAE) has written that “airport art and culture programs lure guests to return to the airport, promote the airport’s ‘cool factor’ through social media, and showcase a city and region’s art and culture”. In recognition of the Exhibitions Program’s success, AAAE has chosen PHL as the host airport for its 16th annual Arts in the Airport Workshop in October of 2018; and
WHEREAS, The City of Philadelphia is home to a wealth of arts, culture, and history, of which its citizens are truly proud. For the last 20 years, Philadelphia International Airport’s Exhibitions Program has helped to highlight that unique heritage, and the City joins in celebrating this milestone anniversary; now, therefore be it
RESOLVED, THAT THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PHILADELPHIA, Hereby honors the Twentieth Anniversary of Philadelphia International Airport’s (PHL) Exhibitions Program and recognizes PHL for its dedication to improving its passenger experience through arts and cultural programming.
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