Terminal 3 Museum Exhibitions
Kids in Focus
Through June 2025
Opening a child’s eyes to their unique potential by seeing the world through a new lens is the mission of Kids in Focus. Through mentorship and the art of photography, the nonprofit organization inspires youth to build resilience and overcome adversity.
Since 2012, Kids in Focus has been putting cameras in kids’ hands with the guidance and encouragement of adult mentors – many who are avid and professional photographers. The mentors teach the kids how to capture great images while using creative photography as a platform to connect and instill a sense of pride. Kids in Focus collaborates with local schools, nonprofit community partners and foster care programs to engage valley youth through their signature After School Mentoring Program, workshops and the Grads in Focus Program.
This exhibition features 12 photographs created by middle school students who participated in the 2023 Kids in Focus After School Program. The images they take give insight into what is important to them and how they see the world. By providing positive mentors and inspiring life-long creativity, the organization is committed to putting Kids in Focus.Location: Terminal 3, level 1, south side (near ticketing)
Image caption:
Alexia, Water Tower – Aviation Puddle, ), ©2023, photograph, 14.35 x 9.5”, courtesy of Kids in Focus
Diversity in the Desert
Expanding the Airport’s Art Collection
Through July 2024
Featured Artists
David Emitt Adams
Rachel Bess
Tania Bolin
Brent Bond
Brian Boner
Alexandra Bowers
Manny Burruel
Jennifer Caldwell
Christine Cassano
Jason Chakravarty
Bill Dambrova
Carol Eckert
Edgar Fernandez
Fausto Fernandez
Frank Gonzales
Erika Lynne Hanson
Carla Keaton
Mayme Kratz
Carolyn Lavender
Aryana Londir
Monica Aissa Martinez
Carrie Marill
Kathryn Maxwell
Mark McDowell
Mary Meyer
Anthony Pessler
Christy Puetz
Travis Rice
Aaron Rothman
Melissa Sclafani
Mary Shindell
Beth Shook
Laura Spalding Best
Kaori Takamura
Jeremy Thomas
Clare Verstegen
Teresa Villegas
Jim Waid
Wendy Willis
Yuko Yabuki
Image caption: Yuko Yabuki, Misty Air Dragon, 2018, acrylic and gold leaf on canvas, 72 x 216”
Location
- Terminal 3, level 1, north side
- Terminal 3, level 4, near PHX Sky Train bridge
- Terminal 3, level 4, gallery (post-security)
Overview
As Sky Harbor grows, so does its vast art collection. It all began in 1962 with one massive 75’-foot-wide mural at Terminal 2 and the airport’s collection has continued growing ever since. The designs of Terminals 3 and 4 incorporated spaces for art with large-scale paintings and sculptures as well as architecturally integrated works.
The Phoenix Airport Museum began in 1988 to enhance the guest experience by producing exhibitions throughout Sky Harbor and maintaining the ever-increasing art collection. Today, the collection includes more than 1,000 pieces in all mediums, styles and sizes.
On view for the first time are 40 newly acquired artworks in a wide variety of styles and techniques ranging from colorful abstracts to realistic portraiture to Southwest themes. These new additions to the airport's collection were purchased through the city of Phoenix’s percent for art program.
Contemporary Arizona artists created art in various mediums using traditional and unconventional materials including cactus spines, bones, glass and metal. Enjoy these paintings, drawings, sculptures, prints and fiber works showcasing Arizona’s rich art and culture representing Diversity in the Desert.
La Lotería: An Exploration of Mexico
paintings by Teresa Villegas
Location
-
Terminal 3, level 4, east arrivals area
Lotería is a cherished Mexican card game with a captivating blend of riddles, chance and iconic imagery. Artist Teresa Villegas reimagines each of the game’s 54 cards into a series of paintings inspired from cultural stories, food and everyday items. By infusing traditional Lotería images with her own personal narrative, Villegas adds a new perspective to a traditional game.
Spanish for “lottery”, Lotería is one of the most popular and culturally significant games in Mexico. It is often referred to as “Mexican bingo” because of its similar tabla, or board, featuring 16 spaces that match a random selection of cards. To play, an announcer pulls a card and describes it with a riddle or poem. When a player has a matching image, they mark their game boards accordingly. The first player to mark enough spaces in a straight or diagonal line on their board wins by shouting, “LOTERIA!”.
“Every culture has its idioms and icons - certain words and images that transcend the literal and reside in the psyches of the people. This installation explores some of the ubiquitous images, traditions, historical figures, food and popular culture of Mexico using the format of La Lotería. The purpose of this installation is to inspire interest, understanding and dialog between the people of the United States and Mexico.” – Teresa Villegas
Caption: Teresa Villegas, La Golondrina (The Swallow), ©2002, oil painting on panel, 14.35 x 9.5”, donated by Teresa Villegas
Desert Citizens
Photographs by Mark Klett
Location
-
Terminal 3, Level 2, west end near TSA Security Checkpoint entrance
Overview
“The saguaro cactus only grows in the Sonoran desert in the US state of Arizona and the Mexican state of Sonora. Individual cacti may grow as tall as fifty feet and live for two hundred years. After about seventy years the cactus may grow arms. They are magnificent plants and walking among them gives a presence that is undeniably human. For centuries, people native to the Desert have considered saguaros to be the souls of lost ancestors.
I included cacti in photographs as soon as I moved to Arizona in 1982. Sometime around 1987 I started to make a series of what I considered to be saguaro portraits. I would find a cactus that interested me and walk around it, examining all sides. I would put the photographs I made in a drawer, and after about twenty years, I had several hundred saguaro negatives. I thought of the work as a type of study and felt that the photographs needed to be seen as a group. The series was originally given the name Desert Citizens.”
Mark Klett is a photographer interested in history and geology. He teaches landscape photography, seminars on photographic practice for artists and classes in digital printing and technology at Arizona State University in Tempe, Arizona.
Image caption: Mark Klett, Desert Citizen 6, 1991, inkjet print on archival paper, Phoenix Airport Museum Collection
People Watching At the Airport
Ongoing
Location
-
Terminal 3, level 1, near ticketing
Overview
There is a story behind every person. By observing facial expressions, clothing, or belongings, we may gain insight into who they are, where they are from, and why they might be traveling - especially at the airport. Some people enjoy using this information to make up stories about the people they see. This exhibition features three artists who have created a unique narrative using the art form of sculpture. Whether we are standing in line, waiting for luggage, or dining at a restaurant, people-watching is an interesting way to pass the time - especially at the airport.