Art is returning to Springfield-Branson National Airport on Wednesday, Sept. 16, with The Life I Choose serving as the first installation in the airport’s Sky Gallery following recent flooring renovations.
Presented by Abilities First in partnership with photographer and filmmaker Randy Bacon and 8 Billion Ones, The Life I Choose features portraits and first-person stories from people of all abilities across southwest Missouri.
The airport installation marks the next stop for the project, which debuted in Springfield this summer and is now moving into public spaces throughout the region.
Each portrait is paired with a personal story, giving the person featured the opportunity to introduce themselves in their own words. The stories share what they care about, where they work, what they enjoy, who they love, what they have experienced and what they want others to understand about their lives.
The Life I Choose was created to give people control of how their stories are told.
Too often, people are introduced by a diagnosis, service or label before anyone has the chance to know who they are. The project shifts that focus and introduces people as neighbors, employees, artists, friends, advocates and family members.
The portraits will be displayed throughout the Sky Gallery at Springfield-Branson National Airport, putting the project in front of travelers from across the Ozarks and beyond.
“This exhibit reflects what we know to be true: every person deserves the opportunity, support, and respect to choose the life they want to live,” said Maggie Rollwagen, president and CEO of Abilities First. “The Life I Choose reminds us that people with the lived experience of a disability are not asking to be placed on the margins of our community. They are already part of the heart of Greene County and Missouri.”
The airport installation builds on the project’s first public exhibition in Springfield and continues conversations about independence, accessibility, inclusion and the opportunity for people to live the lives they choose.
For Abilities First, the airport also creates a chance to share these stories with people who may not otherwise encounter the organization through a program, event or community partnership.
“Public art in the airport is one of the many ways we serve our community, while also enhancing the passenger experience for more than 1.5 million passengers annually,” said David Schaumburg, Director of Aviation for the airport. “Many of our passengers have personal experiences that connect with stories told in Randy Bacon’s remarkable portraits, and hundreds of people a day will have the opportunity to experience them. Art returning to the airport is a moment worth celebrating, and we look forward to the Sky Gallery reopening with this installation.”
The installation will remain on display in the Springfield-Branson National Airport Sky Gallery through December.
