Sankofa
Reginald Adams
COMPLETION DATE
2024
LOCATION
George Bush Intercontinental Airport, D-West Pier
2800 N Terminal Rd
Houston, TX 77032
District B
CLIENT
City of Houston
SPONSORING DEPARTMENT
Houston Airport System
PROJECT BUDGET
$90,000.00
Photo: Shau Lin Hon, Slyworks Photography 2024
Reginald Adams – Sankofa
Reginald Adams' Sankofa is a powerful mosaic celebrating cultural heritage, community, collaboration, and the timeless journey of self-discovery. Created by hand with over eighty community volunteers, the Sankofa series was inspired by the West Afrikan Adinkra symbol which embodies the wisdom of learning from the past to enrich our future. Drawing from ancient symbols and craft traditions, Adams' work explores the cyclical nature of time and the importance of looking to the past to move forward. Sankofa serves as both a reflection on heritage and a vision for a culturally enriched future.
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HAA oversaw the artist selection, design, fabrication, and installation process for this artwork. Working diligently with sponsoring city departments, Mayor’s Office of Cultural Affairs, and the selected artists, HAA created and publicized the opportunity, coordinated the panel process, managed artist communications, and monitored on-site installation. Recommendation reports were submitted at the conclusion of Artist Selection and Design phases, and a robust closeout report was provided upon project completion detailing project summary and ongoing maintenance requirements.
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The Houston Airport System (HAS) is the City of Houston’s Department of Aviation, comprised of George Bush Intercontinental Airport, William P. Hobby Airport, and Ellington Airport/Houston Spaceport. The System served 54 million passengers in 2022 and nearly 60 million in 2019. HAS positions Houston as the international passenger and cargo gateway to the South-Central United States and as a primary gateway to Latin America. It contributed $36.4 billion to the local economy in 2019 and is responsible for creating 190,000 jobs.
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This project was funded through Houston’s Civic Art Ordinance, which requires 1.75% of the budget for eligible City-funded construction projects to be spent on integrating artwork and artists' ideas in public spaces and conserving the City of Houston’s Civic Art Collection. The Houston Arts Alliance administers the civic art program for the City of Houston Mayor’s Office of Cultural Affairs.
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ARTS REPRESENTATIVES/PANELISTS
Alison de Lima Greene, Isabel Brown Wilson Curator of Modern and Contemporary Art, Museum of Fine Arts, Houston
Melanie K. Brown, Division Manager for Customer Service, George Bush Intercontinental Airport
Andrew Czobor, Assistant Director, Terminal Management, Terminal D, George Bush Intercontinental Airport
Felicia Kizzie, Secretary, Heather Ridge Village Homeowners Association
Naiomy Guerrero, Graduate Center Teaching Fellow, The City College at The City University of New York
Nicole Mullen, Curator of Exhibitions at SFO Museum at the San Francisco International Airport
Nominating Committee
Christian Wurst, Assistant Curator of Exhibitions at the Sheldon Museum of Art
Marcela Guerrero, Jennifer Rubio Associate Curator at the Whitney Museum of American Art
Mari Carmen Ramirez, Wortham Curator of Latin American Art at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston
Rita Gonzalez, Terri and Michael Smooke Curator and Department Head of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles County Museum of Art
Artist Bio
Over the past 30 years Reginald Adams has participated in the development, coordination, design, production, and installation of over 350 public art projects. These projects entailed in-depth collaborations with other artists, design teams, funders, youth, and community residents. His public art installations have been greatly influenced by his travels throughout the US and to more than 40 countries across the globe. Over the past 30 years Reginald has focused his artistic portfolio on the co-creation of mosaic murals and installations that enhance shared public spaces across Houston and around the world. In his work he juxtaposes the ancient medium of tile mosaics with modern forms, contemporary designs, and urban environments. He operates under the premise that public art should be more than just accessible to the public but also inclusive of the audiences in which it is designed to serve. Since 1999, Reginald has engaged over 60,000 youth and adults in the co-creation of our public art projects.