Four new public art works coming soon to TPA
Tampa International Airport is getting ready to welcome four new public works of art to help beautify the Airport’s existing spaces and bring to life its new facilities.
Before the end of the year, TPA will unveil three newly commissioned works of art, including one in the Main Terminal and two in the soon-to-be-opened building connecting the blue express curbsides to the terminal. The fourth work, the much-anticipated giant flamingo, will be ready in spring 2022.
Paths rising, which will be located on the Main Terminal’s transfer level near the SkyConnect station, is currently being installed and is expected to be complete in late September. The piece, by Aaron T Stephan, of Portland, Maine, is a stunning hanging sculpture constructed entirely out of ladders.
The next public works to debut will be a pair of murals inside the blue express curbside’s vertical circulation building, which opens in early November.
One mural, by Jason Middlebrook, of Hudson, NY, features a composition of local flora and fauna and will live on the northwest wall of the building. The other mural, by Catherine Wagner, of Oakland, CA, uses photos that are laser-etched onto anodized aluminum panels to depict a verdant landscape. The work will be located on the northwest wall of vertical circulation building.
The next – and mostly hotly anticipated – public art work to be installed will be HOME, by Matthew Mazzotta. The expected completion date is Spring 2022.
HOME is a massive, floor-to-ceiling sculpture that depicts a hand-sculpted resin and fiberglass flamingo as it gently dips its head beneath the surface of the water. The immersive installation, located prominently near the Shoppes at Bayshore, transports viewers underwater, inviting them to walk up and share a simple moment in the life of one of Florida’s most well-known birds.
“We are excited about all our new works and how they will enhance the passenger experience, making an already great airport even better,” said Kelly Figley, TPA’s Marketing Manager overseeing the public art program.