Local students are saying “Hello and Welcome” to international travelers at Washington Dulles International (IAD) through an art exhibit that opened June 10.
The dedication ceremony for the exhibit, in the U.S. Customs and Border Protection area in Concourse C, featured more than 100 students from nine schools from Maryland, Virginia and the District of Columbia gathering at the airport to view their own art.
The project, designed by Michael McBride, features the art of portraiture. Artist in residence Catherine Judge taught the students, who drew self-portraits that were compiled with words of welcome in several languages into a public art project that will welcome international travelers to the airports. Students used pastels and colored paper for the original portraits, and images were then fabricated in porcelain enamel; 18 of the 40 panels were backlit using LED lights, and a plaque includes the names of each student artist.
“We are very privileged to be celebrating our first permanent art display in the International Arrival’s Hall at Dulles Airport,” says Lynn Hampton, Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority president and CEO. “The faces of children from the Washington area will now be welcoming people to the United States.”
The project includes artwork by more than 180 students in grades kindergarten through 12.
