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
Geometry of Geology: Paintings by Merrill Mahaffey
- Terminal 3, level 4 Gallery (post-security) and near the PHX Sky Train® connection bridge (pre-security)
Artist Merrill Mahaffey has a deep connection to the landscapes of the American West. For more than 50 years, he has hiked, climbed and rafted through immense rivers and canyons to fuel his creative energy. When outdoors, he pauses to photograph, sketch or jot down thoughts in a notebook to recall for future paintings. Back in his studio, Mahaffey translates his adventures and observations into immersive works of art.
As an artist, Mahaffey paints to investigate the natural world. As an avid outdoorsman with a lifelong interest in geology, he studies shapes within rock formations and layers of sediment - often capturing abstract qualities that contribute to the grandeur of a landscape. Whether painting in an abstract style, representational or a combination of both, common themes about patterns in nature persist throughout his work.
For more than five decades, Mahaffey has been celebrated for his ability to visually transport viewers into the sublime beauty of the American West. His paintings, ranging from the vast panoramas of the Vermillion Cliffs to the intimate details of the Colorado River, invite viewers to appreciate the interplay between natural forces and the landscapes they shape. Through actively adventuring, studying, musing and rendering, Mahaffey encourages a closer look at the Geometry of Geology.
Image caption: Merrill Mahaffey, Vermillion Cliffs, ©2022, acrylic on canvas
La Lotería: An Exploration of Mexico
paintings by Teresa Villegas
Location
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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
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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
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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.
Art on a Platter
from the Phoenix Airport Museum collection
- Terminal 3, level 1, west end
Throughout history, platters made of clay have been used by many cultures for serving ample quantities of various foods. This humble object has always held a utilitarian role for presenting food for feasts and celebrations.
Today, platters can also serve as a vehicle for artistic expression. Ceramic artists may throw platters on a potter’s wheel, hand-build them or use a combination of the two. They use various types of clay, glazes and firing techniques to craft platters that may be both beautiful and functional or sometimes just sculptural and only meant to be admired. These artists are serving up Art on a Platter.
Image caption: Randy Schmidt, Punk Rocker Portrait, ©2000s, high-relief ceramic with glaze, Phoenix Airport Museum collection