Artists find great display space - and buyers - at airports

— -- Like many frequent travelers, Williamstown, Mass., communications consultant Peter Bubriski spends a lot of time hanging around airports. Some of them remind him of shopping malls and he's disappointed that "these days, so many airports all seem to be selling the same thing." So Bubriski says he was both surprised and delighted to discover that there was a price list for the original artwork he saw displayed in the gallery at his home airport, New York's Albany International. "It's like going to a small museum; except that here you can actually buy the art!"

And that's exactly what he's been doing. So far, Bubriski has bought two pieces of original art from gallery exhibitions at the Albany airport. The large abstract painting now on his bedroom wall was something he saw on several trips through the airport. "It just grew on me and I had to have it!" The miniature still life painting by his desk he bought as soon as he saw it. "I like the idea that the artists were from the local region and I think this is a great way to invest in and support the local arts."

It's also a good deal for artists. "We have probably one of the most desirable exhibition venues in the region," says Sharon Bates, director of the Arts & Culture program at Albany airport. "It's partly because of the quality of our gallery program, but also because so many of the 3 million passengers who go through the airport each year can't help but see the art." It's also because, unlike traditional galleries where the standard commission can be between 50% and 60%, for the first ten years of its art program (1988-2008), the Albany airport took only a 30% commission on artwork sold. The commission rate was recently raised to 35%, but that's still well below most gallery rates and any funds raised are used to help defray the cost of insuring, lighting, and promoting the regional artwork displayed. "It's a win-win situation for everyone," says Bates.

Art for sale at many airports