Monterey Regional Airport (MRY) is committed to sharing a welcoming, vibrant, and unique experience for all who travel through and visit. The long-time Art at the Airport program is one way the MRY team has prioritized this commitment, by exhibiting the Central Coast’s beauty, culture, and breathtaking inspiration. A boarding pass is not required to view MRY’s museum-quality displays in the legacy terminal, as the Mezzanine Gallery is located up the stairs leading to the Observation Deck, and the Youth Gallery is displayed on the second level next to the Airport Administration Offices.

The exhibits, which are rotated regularly, are crafted and curated by local art professionals who are passionate about creating installations that tell stories about the community they call home.

Take a few moments out of your day to learn about MRY’s Art at the Airport history, exhibits, and plans to continue this vital program when the replacement passenger terminal opens in summer 2027.

Early Beginnings

In 1987, MRY board member Patricia Faul was introduced to the art exhibits at SFO, inspiring her to spearhead the Art at the Airport program for MRY and establish gallery space accessible to both locals and visitors. She and her colleagues recognized the beauty and opportunity of art to represent and mirror the community the airport serves.

Early day exhibits artfully captured what MRY and Monterey County are known for. Tour de Farce was the program’s opening exhibition about travel and local attractions. According to a newspaper clipping, it included “60 cartoons, comic strips, and life-size blow-ups of characters made famous” by local syndicated cartoonists Eldon Dedini, Gus Arriola, and Hank Ketchum, the latter who created the Dennis the Menace comic strip.

Relevant to Central Coast uniqueness, other exhibitions through the years included Par Excellence, All That Jazz, and Messages to America, which featured a collection of military uniforms and memorabilia from the former Fort Old Museum.

Changing Exhibits in a Changing World

Original goals for Art at the Airport were, and still are, to showcase the Monterey Region’s uniqueness and culture, in cooperation with art and historical organizations, private collectors, and educational institutions.

Starting in July of 1995, the dedicated Youth Gallery was introduced to support and spotlight local budding artists, and has since featured paper sculptures and masks, painted shoes, photographs, collages, ceramics, and more.

Youth Art Month—a nationwide celebration of art and art education each year in March—has seen young people’s creativity on display at MRY. In 2018, the Youth Gallery exhibited regional winners of the annual Congressional Art Competition. Student-artists were awarded medals by contest sponsor and local Congressman Jimmy Panetta in MRY’s Board Room.

The most recent Mezzanine Gallery exhibitions were The Art of Observation: Recording Monterey County’s Natural World and Lights, Camera, Monterey! The former explored how Monterey artists have long translated the region’s coastline, flora, and fauna into visual expression while the latter was a visually compelling exhibit celebrating Monterey County’s rich film history and starring role in cinematic history.

The Future of Art at the Airport

While MRY is undergoing a transformation with the FAA-required MRY Metamorphosis Safety Enhancement Program, Art at the Airport will remain in the legacy terminal. The MRY team will continue to prioritize the Mezzanine and Youth Galleries, where community can gather to discover and celebrate artistic expression.

Presented and funded by MRY as a community service, Art at the Airport is curated through collaborative partnerships with various local organizations committed to the arts.

Learn which exhibits are currently on display and more information on Art at the Airport by visiting montereyairport.com/art.

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