Wonders of Flight Inspire 9th Annual Art of Travel Gala
Posted on August 05, 2019 in News
St. Louis Lambert International Airport (STL) is delighted to announce the 9th annual Art of Travel gala will be held on October 3, 2019 to fund future exhibitions and a major art installation in the Airport in 2020. This year's gala – Cloud 9 – is inspired by the wonders of flight and the generations of dreamers who have set their sights on the sky. The Art of Travel will feature exclusive hand-crafted works for sale by St. Louis artists by Carol Carter, Robert Thomas Mullen, Leia Zumbro, Malaika Tolford, Carmelita Nunez, and Eugenia Alexander.
The Art of Travel, presented by Spire, HMSHost, Ameren and 103.3 KLOU, will be held in the Aero event space, located in Terminal 1 from 6-9 p.m. For event and ticket information, visit www.artoftravelstl.com. Tickets are $75 each, or $65 each when purchasing four or more tickets, and $100 at the door. Event sponsorships are still available and include group tickets.
Art lovers, philanthropists, community leaders, and supporters of STL will attend this year’s gala, benefiting the Lambert Art & Culture Program, which supports the Airport’s growing temporary exhibition program of local and regional artists as well as future permanent artwork throughout the terminals and concourses. The Airport has issued a request for qualifications nationally for artists for its 2020 Legacy Project in the C Checkpoint Atrium in Terminal 1, which will be the first commissioned public art at the Airport in more than eight years.
The custom Art of Travel Collection of works by St. Louis artists will be displayed in a Pop-up Shop and feature watercolor paintings, handcrafted jewelry, and ceramics that highlight the importance of flight and the wonders of the sky. Items will be priced for all budgets, ranging from $40 to $200 or more.
In addition to exclusive art pieces, the 9th annual Art of Travel will feature a menu destined to elevate your senses by the Airport’s master food and beverage concessionaire, HMSHost. Chefs will prepare the menu tableside for more than 400 guests. Each guest will be able to sample Art of Travel signature cocktails, as well. This year, we welcome the sounds of Midnight Piano Band, to let your mind soar in the skies. The very popular silent auction featuring travel, art, and sports-themed packages will also return this year.
The 2018 Art of Travel gala raised close to $100,000 for the Lambert Art & Culture Program. That funding has helped to support numerous exhibitions in the last year from local artists and partners, including The Sheldon Concert Hall & Galleries, Missouri Botanical Garden, Sun Smith-Foret, Edna Patterson-Petty, Kaeko Maehata, Lindsay Obermeyer, Jerry Montieth, Jeremy Rabus, The Griot Museum, Libby Reuter, Brian DePauli, Dave Adams, 10th Street Gallery, Lola Ogbara, and Cheryl Wassenaar.
The Chairs of the Art of Travel are Lee Kling, president of The Kling Company and member of the St. Louis Airport Commission, and David Frey. Both Kling and Frey are passionate about art and travel and bring great energy and enthusiasm to this year’s gala. The Art of Travel Host Committee members are Jeff Bewley, John Colhouer, Erika Fiola, Laura Helling and Rick Oloeto, Cabanne Howard, Peggy and Anthony Hoy, Stacey and Jay Kamps, Jeff Kapfer, Nancy Kranzberg, Adam Kruse, Hannah McAfoos, Margaret McDonald, Mel Pashea, Ray Simon, Kelly and Sean Spencer, Shannon St. Pierre, Kaven Swan, Solomon and Patricia Thurman, Jim Timmerberg, Mark Utterback, and Angela and Keith Walleman.
The Lambert Art and Culture Program is led by the seven-member Airport Art Advisory Committee. Current members are Lisa Cakmak, Associate Curator of Ancient Art at Saint Louis Art Museum; Ellen Gale, Executive Director Clayton Chamber of Commerce; Shelley Hagen; Leslie Markle, Curator of Public Art, Mildred Lane Kemper Art Museum; Kiku Obata, Founding Principal of Kiku Obata & Co.; Roseann Weiss, consultant with ART+; and design artist and illustrator Carlos Zamora.