Northern Lights Inspire 8th Annual Airport Art Of Travel Gala

St. Louis Lambert International Airport (STL) announces the 8^th annual Art of Travel gala will be held on October 4, 2018. This year's gala – Northern Lights: Wonder of the Skies – is inspired by the nonstop, transatlantic service from STL to Reykjavik, Iceland that began in May on WOW air. The Art of Travel will feature custom designed pieces for sale from Work/Play, STL Style and artists Alicia LaChance, Kelly Draper, and Jenny Walker.

Art lovers, philanthropists, community leaders, and supporters of STL will attend this year’s gala, benefitting the Lambert Art & Culture Program, which supports the Airport’s growing temporary exhibition program of local and regional artists as well as future permanent artwork throughout the terminals and concourses. The custom Art of Travel collection will be displayed in a Pop-up Shop and feature travel and fashion accessories, handcrafted jewelry, and more that highlight the vibrant style of STL. Items will be priced between $28 and $120.

The Art of Travel, presented by Spire, HMSHost and 103.3 KLOU, will be held in Terminal 1’s Concourse B from 6-9 p.m. For event and ticket information, visit www.artoftravelstl.com. Tickets are $75 each, or $65 each when purchasing four or more tickets, and $100 at the door. Event sponsorships are still available and include group tickets.

In addition to the exclusive art pieces, the 8th annual Art of Travel will feature a northern lights-inspired menu by the Airport’s master food and beverage concessionaire, HMSHost. Chefs will prepare the menu influenced by the traditional tastes of Sweden, Norway, Finland, and Scotland for more than 400 guests. Each guest will be able to sample Art of Travel signature cocktails, as well.  This year, we will welcome the sounds of Starwolf, which will provide a galactic, glowing ambience. The very popular silent auction featuring travel, art, and sports-themed packages will also return this year.

The 2017 Art of Travel gala raised more than $80,000 for the Lambert Art & Culture Program. That funding has helped to support numerous exhibitions in the last year from local artists and partners, including theLaumeier Sculpture Park, World Chess Hall of Fame, Museum of Contemporary Religious Art (MOCRA) at Saint Louis University, Dr. Jacquelyn Lewis-Harris and Yvonne Osei, Art-Bae, Brandon Anschultz, St. Louis Mercantile Library at University of Missouri-St. Louis, Firecracker Press, Libby Reuter and Joshua Rowan, Ellie Balk, Megan Singleton, Photo Flood Saint Louis, Cbabi Bayoc, Carol Carter, Addoley Dzegede, Wildwood Press and the Contemporary Art Museum St. Louis.

The Chairs of the Art of Travel are Lee Kling, president of The Kling Company and member of the St. Louis Airport Commission, and David Frey. Both Kling and Frey are passionate about art and travel and bring great energy and enthusiasm to this year’s gala. The Art of Travel Host Committee members are Denisse Bergamaschi and Kevin Brennan, Michael and Gayle Eastman, Anna Anglim Farrell, Erika Fiola, Cynthia Frohlichstein, Diane and Michael Gantner, Dianne and George Garrison, Tom Hannegan, Laura Helling, Mary Hennesy, Peggy and Anthony Hoy, Betty Kagan, Stacey and Jay Kamps, Jacqueline Kennedy, Nancy Kranzberg, Margaret McDonald, Rick Oleto, Liz M. Zamora Pardillo, Kelly and Sean Spencer, Solomon and Patricia Thurman, Juliana Varela, Angela and Keith Walleman, John and Lynn Wright, and Michael Wyrock

The Lambert Art and Culture Program is led by the seven-member Airport Art Advisory Committee. Current members are Lisa Cakmak, Associate Curator of Ancient Art at Saint Louis Art Museum; Ellen Gale, Executive Director Clayton Chamber of Commerce; Shelley Hagan, Wells Fargo Curator Corporate Art; Leslie Markle, Curator of Public Art, Mildred Lane Kemper Art Museum; Kiku Obata, Founding Principal of Kiku Obata & Co.; Roseann Weiss, Director of Community and Public Arts for the St. Louis Regional Arts Commission; and Carlos Zamora, Creative Director at Express Scripts.