Airport gets subjects and travelers ‘Feeling Good’ with portrait series
Visitors to Pittsburgh International Airport will have an opportunity to view a unique portrait series, “Feeling Good,” named after the Nina Simone song fittingly referencing “birds flying high.”
The exhibit near the Allegiant ticketing counter celebrates the uniqueness of eight Black women, all airport employees, and their ability to find happiness despite facing challenging times in their lives.
Artist-in-residence Korey Edmonson of Baldwin Borough began work on the project over a year ago. To prepare, he spent time talking with each woman to learn their unique story and bring it to life on canvas.
“Beingable to meet Black women who work in the airport and learn more about them was amazing,” he said. “Getting to know them allowed me to connect emotionally withthe paintings.”
Edmonson, who specializes in oil portraits and figurative work, shows the brush strokes in each painting so it doesn’t appear to be a photo. “It gives it uniqueness,” he said.
Most of his subjects are Black. “I grew up not seeing myself or kids that looked like me in artwork. I want kids to see people that look likethem when they look at art.”
Edmonson included a bird in each painting to symbolize flying and freedom, as well as love, resilience and soul, which was the project’s original title. In each painting, the artist strived to capture the essence of the woman.
Virginia Culbreath, the administrator for the airport’s Disadvantaged Business Enterprise program and one of the subjects portrayed, started with the airport in 2005 and watched it grow from a hub for US Airways into a new international airport that will be completed in 2025.
Her daughters and niece grew up coming to the airport every year with her on Take your Child to Work Day. Her niece said she became a civil engineer because of those visits to the airport.
“Korey dove into our souls,” she said. “He captured our very essence. He got my ’fro spot on!”
The other portraits depict Prudina William, Cara Kuczma, Kandace Adams, Tameka Adams, Valerie Townsend, Shelley Snyder and April Laukaitis, who was instrumental in finding a passenger’s
lostdiamond ring last year.
Townsend shared her unique story with Edmonson over a year ago. She started as a Pittsburgh Police officer and moved into a detective role. Then she quit her job and moved to Hollywood to act and model.
“People thought I was crazy, but I did it,” she said.
She was an actress in the hit series “ER” as well as in several commercials. After 9/11, she moved to Washington, D.C., where she worked in the Department of Homeland Security and ultimately the Transportation Security Adminstration.
She moved back to Pittsburgh after she applied for and was chosen as director of airport security.
“Aviation is my home and my law enforcement background fits well with my position,” she said.
William, manager of administrative services at the airport, moved here from Maryland two years ago. During an earlier visit, an Uber driver showed her around the city.
When applying for the position, she was impressed with the airport, the vision and the childcare center for employees. She now calls moving to Pittsburgh the “best decision I’veever made.”
William said Edmonson’s portrait of her “incorporated everything — the beauty, diversity. Everything was great, even down to my dimple. Korey even captured my favorite color of red.”
The women were particularly touched by the fact that the exhibit ran during Black History Month in February and is continuing through Women’s History Month in March.
“It was so nice to spotlight Black women who work at the airport,” Edmonson said. “They are only 20% of the workforce and you would never know how great their stories are if you were just walking through.”
As an added surprise, each of the women portrayed will be able to take her painting home when the exhibit is over.
“We all got teary-eyed when we heard that,” Culbreath said.
Edmonson is currently getting ready for the Three Rivers Arts Festival in June, where he will exhibit and sell his work in the Artists Market.
He also has a new studio at the Father Ryan Arts Center in McKees Rocks and is currently teaching a mural club after school for Sto-Rox students working on painting muralsinside the arts center.
Townsend, Culbreath and William thanked airport officials and the artist for the project.
“What was really compelling is that we all come from different backgrounds and our voices were heard,” Culbreath said.