The Art Collection of the Memphis International Airport (MEM) includes a selection of purchased and commissioned works from emerging and established artists who are based in Memphis or connected to our city. These artists represent an ever-evolving arts community that meaningfully contributes to the rich cultural fabric of this city. Whether viewers are enjoying the details of a photograph or taking in an expansive mural, the collection offers an introduction to the many sides of Memphis; for those who call the city home, it is a warm welcome, familiar but never predictable.
Inherent in the selected works is a sense of Memphis’s rich history as a place rooted in activism and civil rights, art, and music, and the continuation of that sacred legacy today. A deep connection to the natural and urban environment is also expressed throughout. The collection spans a variety of media and conveys the sense that Memphis is at once fiercely local but inherently global.
UrbanArt Commission, an independent public art non-profit based in Memphis, launched MEM’s Art Collection in 2021 with the renovation of the B concourse. As part of the overall reimagining of the airport, $1.5 million was allocated to produce new site-specific public art projects at key locations throughout the facility. Click the menu below to browse the collection, which includes a large-scale suspended sculpture, a mixed-media mural, a permanent exhibition of work by local artists, rotating art displays, and three art glass installations.
read the recent review of the collection from Daily Memphian’s Arts and Culture columnist Zak Ozmo.
