Terminal 4 Museum Exhibitions

Terminal 4 Exhibitions

EAST Horizon WEST

Through October 2027

Location

Terminal 4, level 3, in four display cases on the East end (near Dunkin' Donuts)

Overview

EAST Horizon WEST features the work of four artists who were born in Japan who now live and work in Arizona: Kaori Takamura, Kazuma Sambe, Hirotsune Tashima, and Yuko Yabuki. Using materials such as resin, clay, paint and gold leaf, each artwork explores how each artist remembers and reinterprets their heritage while building new lives in the Southwest. Through their diverse approaches, the exhibition invites viewers to peer into a different perspective, imagining what it is like to rise in the East and settle in the West.

Image caption: Kaori Takamura, Blooming Flowers on Red and White Juban, 2025

WORD

Through September 2027

Location

Terminal 4, level 3, in four display cases on the east and west ends

Overview

Words are expressive — spoken or written, words carry meaning and represent ideas. Text can also be visually engaging, adding texture, pattern and layers to artwork. Whether words are
hand-written, hand-painted, printed or repurposed, the fusion of text and image creates a distinct visual language that is unique to each artist.

WORD features four artists who integrate letters, words and narrative elements into their artworks. Using unique materials such as upcycled storefront signs, collaged children’s books, artist-designed book covers, and even tamale wrappers, each artist highlights text and typography as a central part of their creative process.

Featured Artists

Sawyer Boyd
Annie Lopez
Safwat Saleem
Beth Tom

Image caption: Piersten Doctor, Coyote Stealing the Stars, 2025, oil paint on canvas

Spectral Alchemy

Through January 2027

Location

Terminal 4, level 3, gallery

Featured Artists

Kenaim Al-Shatti
Sky Black
Mikey Butzine
Jason Chakravarty
Piersten Doctor
Allie Giambalvo
Joseph Mark Hanson
Tifa Holman
MUX
Tara Sharpe
Lily Reeves
Christina Thomas
Galactic Turkey
James Turrell
Wiley Wallace

Overview

Light is an essential tool for experiencing the world around us. On the grandest scale, it provides a window to the universe — from the energy of distant stars to the soft illumination of the moon. Light separates into different wavelengths, allowing us to see the many colors that enrich our world. It can be understood through both science and spirit. We are naturally drawn to light, often creating meaning and stories around it that extend into mystical realms.

This exhibition features 15 diverse local artists who use unique art mediums like neon, spray paint or digital animation to explore the enchanting spirit of light. From ethereal visions to generational stories, each artwork reflects a personal connection to light. Together, these works transform light into a source of creativity, magic and wonder— inspiring Spectral Alchemy.

Fluoresce

Through February 2027

Location

Terminal 4, level 3 west of food court

Overview

Many things in nature fluoresce; certain fish, corals, scorpions, birds and many different minerals glow under ultraviolet light. While ultraviolet light (UV) is largely invisible to the human eye, fluorescence makes certain objects or pigments glow with vibrant colors we can see when exposed to it. This is why some things radiate intense pinks, blues, greens and oranges under a “blacklight”.

Although blacklights themselves date back to the early 1900s, blacklight art didn’t become popular until the 1960s. At this time, artists started experimenting with UV pigments and blacklight art came into its own with psychedelic and pop culture images. Heavily associated with counterculture and psychedelic music, blacklight posters were all the rage. In the late 60s and early 70s, blacklight artworks also became widely used for activism posters, particularly in the Black Power movement.

Blacklight art has had a resurgence in recent years. This exhibition features 7 Arizona artists who use blacklight paint to emphasize their color palette, create interesting effects, encapsulate nostalgia and so much more. Whether artists find inspiration from psychedelic posters or the natural world, blacklight is a vibe that feels mesmerizing and enchanting unlike any other media.

Featured Artists

Anne Armbruster
Tracy Brown
Ana Falteisek
JJ Horner
Victoria Klotz
Kyllan Maney
Erin Shimmervine

Image caption: Symmetrical Flower Series I by Kyllan Maney, 2025, acrylic on panel, 60” x 60”, courtesy of the artist

Runway Fashion

Ongoing

Location

Terminal 4, level 2 near ticketing

Overview

For more than 90 years, female passenger-service professionals — known as stewardesses, hostesses or flight attendants — have worn distinctive uniforms to reflect their specialized roles. Their attire balanced the glamour of air travel with utility, especially during the “Jet Age,” while also aligning with airline branding and fashion trends of the era. These sometimes-conflicting demands presented apparel designers with remarkable challenges.

Starting in the mid-1940s, airlines began commissioning notable fashion designers to create stylish yet functional uniforms, leading to iconic inflight workwear through the 1970s and beyond. Many of these collections became widely admired, influencing mainstream fashion and earning a place on both the catwalk and the jetway.

This exhibition features eight flight attendant uniforms from the Phoenix Airport Museum Aviation History Collection. With designs by renowned fashion houses like Valentino and Ralph Lauren, each unique uniform represents the golden age of air travel, showcasing the elegance of Runway Fashion.

Image caption: Sleeve detail of America West Airlines flight attendant uniform designed by Carol Ann Brown, 1983, Phoenix Airport Museum Aviation History Collection

Trajectory Print Portfolio Project

Ongoing

Location

Terminal 4, level 3, near the center

Overview

Phoenix Institute of Contemporary Art (phICA) is a nonprofit organization with a goal of helping artists advance their careers. Through phICA’s financial support, initiatives and opportunities, artists expand their reach and knowledge.

This exhibition presents a diverse array of artworks resulting from phICA’s Trajectory Print Portfolio Project. Arizona artists applied for the opportunity to enhance their artistic skills by experiencing printmaking. For many of these artists, this is new territory as they typically work in mediums like painting, drawing or sculpture.

These 12 local artists, using the technique of relief printing, worked with Master Printer Brent Bond at Santo Press in Scottsdale, AZ. Relief printing is a process where the artist carves their design into a block of wood, linoleum or some other material's surface. The image is transferred from the raised surface onto paper by running the fully inked block and paper through a printing press.

This compelling collection showcases these artists’ existing creative practices enhanced with newfound techniques offered by printmaking. It is a beautiful snapshot of the richness and diversity of skilled artists at work in our local community and is testament to phICA’s dedication to support artists, their vision and artistic Trajectory.

100 Years, 100 Ranchers

Photographs by Scott Baxter

Ongoing

Location

Terminal 4, level 1, international walkway (post-security)

Overview

Wide open landscapes dotted with grazing cattle and sheep herded by the rancher on horseback have become an iconic symbol of our western culture. For more than 100 years the ranching tradition has been an integral part of Arizona’s history and growth. In celebration of Arizona’s Centennial in 2012, Scott Baxter photographed 100 Arizona ranchers whose families have been ranching for a century or more.

For more than ten years Baxter has been traveling to ranches across the state, getting to know the individual ranchers and their operations. He chose to use large-format cameras, a traditional process which takes time and allowed him to engage his subjects in a personal manner. Using black and white film Baxter captures a sense of timelessness and directs the viewer’s full attention to the subject in the frame.

The strength and independent nature of this unique group of Arizonans is apparent in their portraits. Baxter’s collection of photographs is a tribute to Arizona’s ranching legacy by preserving an important piece of Arizona character and history.

Image caption: Scott Baxter, Shannon Marie Nicholson Bales, 2011, Corporal Stripe Ranch, Cochise County near Willcox, AZ ranching family since 1885, Phoenix Airport Museum Collection