Passengers traveling through Columbia Metropolitan Airport (CAE hereafter) will now be greeted with a pop-up art installation inspired by the Columbia Museum of Art’s (CMA hereafter) newest exhibition, Van Gogh and His Inspirations.
“It is always an objective of the Columbia Museum of Art to give people, travelers in this case, a place to enjoy art, information and ideas,” says Della Watkins, CMA executive director. “I hope many enjoy the CAE corridor filled with the natural beauty of South Carolina and beyond.”
The airport exhibition is complete with a multimedia CMA TAP Tour, allowing travelers to take a deeper dive into the history and meaning behind each piece of art.
Also within the footprint of the airport exhibition is En Plein Air: Scenes of South Carolina, a collection of works featuring four outstanding South Carolina artists who, within their artistic range, like Van Gogh paint “en plein air” or outdoors.
“We’re always looking for ways to bring a bit of the community into the airport to create a strong sense of place for our traveling passengers,” said CAE Executive Director, Mike Gula. “The Columbia region is full of exciting attractions and happenings and to partner with our nationally recognized art museum was an easy, and beautiful, decision.”
The mini exhibition at CAE and the full exhibition at CMA will both be on display until January 12, 2020.
About the Columbia Museum of Art:
The Columbia Museum of Art is a charitable nonprofit organization dedicated to lifelong learning and community enrichment for all. Located in the heart of downtown Columbia, S.C., the CMA ranks among the leading art institutions in the country and is distinguished by its innovative exhibitions and creative educational programs. At the heart of the CMA and its programs is its collection, which encompasses 7,000 works and spans 5,000 years of art history. Established in 1950, the CMA now welcomes more than 150,000 visitors annually and is a catalyst for community creativity and education, engaging people of all ages and backgrounds. It is the recipient of a National Medal from the Institute of Museum and Library Services, a National Art Education Association award for its contributions to arts education, a National Park Foundation Award, and two Elizabeth O’Neill Verner Governor’s Awards for the Arts for outstanding contributions to the arts in South Carolina. In order to serve even more audiences, the CMA recently underwent a transformation. Funded by a successful capital campaign, the two-year renovation project garnered new collection galleries with a progressive thematic layout, new studios for artmaking, cutting-edge program and event spaces, an entrance on Main Street, and a revamped CMA shop. Overall, more than 15,000 square feet of functional space were added to the building’s existing footprint. To learn more, visit columbiamuseum.org.