MAC Facts: MSP Arts & Culture Program

The Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport (MSP) Arts and Culture Program brings the arts to the airport. Charged with a mission to enhance the airport, the nonprofit Airport Foundation MSP developed the MSP Arts and Culture Program in partnership with the Metropolitan Airports Commission (MAC).

The Foundation handles ongoing responsibility for coordination of projects, exhibits, and performances; communication with artists, community members, and project staff; and installation of equipment and exhibits. The MAC provides funding, spaces within the airport, infrastructure improvements to airport facilities, and involvement in all aspects of commissioned artworks that will be a part of airport infrastructure.

The MSP Arts and Culture Program showcases the Upper Midwest’s diverse artistic community, natural environment, and cultural heritage. Multi-faceted, dynamic, and supportive of both internal and external communities, the program delivers arts that transform airport spaces, enhance the travel experience, and create a unique sense of place at MSP.

If you have been to MSP lately, you have likely noticed the addition of colorful mosaics throughout both terminals that depict scenes from around the state. Learn how some of these tiles were created in this video.

Also this year The Aurora, a 29-foot-high glass and metal interactive sculpture, was installed at MSP. It is suspended through an oval opening between the Ticketing and Baggage Claim levels in Terminal 1. Below The Aurora, is an interactive cluster of reflective glass platforms that take the forms of public lakes in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area, including Lake Phalen, Lake Como, Lake Nokomis and Lake of the Isles. People moving across the lake platforms trigger swirling light and color changes beneath their feet that match the seasonal colors of The Aurora above. Check it out in this video.

Currently on display in Terminal 1 is the 11th installment of the MSP Creates showcase, which highlights artwork from MSP's employees, volunteers, retirees, and their family members. The winning submittals will be on display until May 27, 2022, and are also on the exhibition page on the Airport Foundation website.

If you are traveling this holiday season, be sure to keep an eye out for these works. For more information about the MSP Arts and Culture Programs, please visit the Foundation's website at AirportFoundation.org.