Two giant murals honor the locals behind the new PDX
You see it when you enter the newly completed arrivals space: larger-than-life faces smiling back at you. These 156 black-and-white portraits, spread across two murals, shine a spotlight on a few of the many locals who “made PDX the local-est airport yet,” as the walls read in both English and Spanish. What better way to celebrate those folks who made PDX than to help passengers get to know them?
Fans of PDX take a lot of pride in our art displays, from the dedicated gallery in the new main terminal to more than 70 permanent works throughout the airport. But this is something you haven’t seen here before: the first worker-centered art project of its scope to ever pop up in any airport anywhere (we checked!).
These murals bring passengers behind the scenes to meet a few of these makers who have just completed Oregon’s largest infrastructure project. In all, it took 30,000 locals across all trades and disciplines to make the new PDX a reality: designers, loggers, construction pros, tribal leaders and so many more. Every one of them left a mark on this place, and the pride they feel is the kind you can hear in their voices.
Each portrait is itself a collaboration with the person pictured. Photographer Josué Rivas and his studio INDÍGENA co-created each image with the participants, who chose their own pose. Writer and editor JD Shadel then spent months capturing the energy and pride from each person’s story to craft their captions based on their own words. Each caption was then illustrated by Kate Bingaman-Burt and designed with local creative studio Jolby.
In a town this size, chances are you know someone who touched this project. The murals are a way of saying: we all got here together. They reflect the region-wide collaboration it took to locally source almost every element of this terminal, from the timber in that wooden ceiling to the local shops and restaurants underneath.
So whether you’re waiting for a loved one or rushing through, glance at the murals, read a few of the captions, and you too will probably feel the local pride imbuing every corner of PDX.
Here are just some of the locals you’ll meet on the murals
“We started with the question, what’s the image of Oregon?”
—Gene Sandoval, ZGF Architects
“At one point, our crew was seven women, from owner all the way to apprentice.”
—Rachel Struthers, Key Electrical
“As a Deaf architect and immigrant, PDX reminds me daily that architecture can speak without sound: in timber, in light, in warmth, in wonder. ”
—Mohamed Fakhry, ZGF Architects
“Seeing a vehicle weighing well over a million pounds in my rearview mirror was a unique experience, to say the least.”
—Brian Burk, Port of Portland
“When I walk through the airport, I feel a tug of responsibility for tiny things that might not get noticed, but they make a difference.”
—Stacey Triplett, AARP Oregon
“The carpet is kind of like an inside joke for all of us Portlanders. Like the joke you have with your best friend because you’re all in on it.”
—Kevin Sabeta, NAMC Oregon
“Enabled incredible artists to make impactful artwork for PDX.”
—Eleanor Sandys, Regional Arts & Culture Council
“Forestry is, at its best, defined more by what’s left behind than what’s taken.”
—Ryan Temple, Sustainable Northwest Wood
“We collaborated with project stakeholders in support of minority owned businesses on the project.”
—Nickole Cheron, City of Portland
“I’m hopeful this project will inspire others to seek out partners that are local and steeped in the qualities that make our region special.”
—Tom Strong, Skokomish Indian Tribe
“We all knew we wouldn’t be successful unless we were all successful. We were going to cross the finish line arm in arm.”
—Vince Granato, Port of Portland
