Ellen Harvey and Jan Baracz’s collaborative work YOU ARE HERE was dedicated on November 20th in the recently renovated Terminal F Hub of the Philadelphia International Airport. The work is located on the glass curtain wall as you enter the terminal. Harvey and Baracz silk-screened ceramic melting color and sandblasted a large aerial vista of the Delaware River and surrounding areas onto tempered float glass. The view is translated into sparkling blue glass reminiscent of architectural blueprints, and an iconic red arrow marks the location of the viewer. By situating the airport within its larger geographic context, the piece aims to alleviate the sense of alienation and disorientation felt by many travelers and connects them to the broader landscape.
The Percent for Art Program of the Office of Arts, Culture and the Creative Economy commissions exceptional and enduring works of site-specific public art by renowned and emerging artists for City buildings. Philadelphia’s public art collection is recognized as the largest and most remarkable in the world. Since 1959, more than 300 works of art have been commissioned through the City of Philadelphia’s Percent for Art Program.