Oakland Museum at the Oakland International Airport

October 25, 2002 - February 5, 2003
Dreams Aflight
Oakland International Airport
located in the connecting walkway between the two terminals and
in the entranceway of Terminal One.

Jan Dove, Memorial Day: Four Birds, 2002, digital photo/collage

Is it not our dream? To be able to fly?

From earliest times, and from our own childhood on, our fascination with flight has enabled us to develop a dream into reality. It was from man’s ingenuity and his subsequent mastery over the elements that made flight an actuality.

In childhood, a reverence toward and curiosity in flying can develop and take many directions. From the wonder of a father showing children the way a model airplane might work to the stillness of outer space where the shuttlecraft is free to go, from the pretend amusement park plane ride to the sleek Lear jet with its luxurious convenience, we have transferred our knowledge across generations. We have followed our dreams and succeeded in amazing feats.

Dreams Aflight brings together a diverse group of Bar Area artists who answered a call for “aviation influenced artworks,” terminology which brought many responses and various interpretations. The words evoked imagery not only of mechanical flight but of flight both imagined and natural.

Some of the artists have a pilot in their family. Some grew up on an air force base. All have dreamt of flying. The artist statements that accompany the work reflect their fascination in the most imaginative terms and bring to light the thinking behind the creation.

In celebration of Oakland International Airport’s 75th anniversary, the Oakland Museum of California proudly presents Dreams Aflight.

Anne Austin
Curator

Artists:
John Battenberg, Los Gatos Robert Biancalana, Mill Valley Jan Dove, Oakland Teri Claude Dowling, San Francisco Joe Doyle, Oakland O. Stowe Dravidzius, Livermore Kathleen Edwards, San Anselmo Susan Field, San José Ed Handelman, San Francisco Rob March Harper, Oakland Charles Hobson, San Francisco	Pat Jones, Oakland Richard Knight, Oakland Douglass Legg, Berkeley Roger Mulkey, Oakland Don Ryder, Livermore Shawn Smith, Oakland Stan Stokes, Palm Desert Sandra Ortiz Taylor, San Francisco John G. Toupin, San Francisco Charlotte Whitmore, San Francisco