Handmade bikes are a hit; airport exhibit will extend through December
Posted by Jonathan Maus (Editor) on August 8th, 2008 at 12:16 pm
(Photos © J. Maus)
An exhibit of Oregon-made bicycles currently on display at the Portland International Airport has proven to be so ppoular with travelers that it will be extended through the busy holiday season.
The exhibit, Handmade: Bicycles Designed and Built in Oregon debuted in April and was originally planned to run through September. But Keith Lachowicz, who handles public art collections for the Regional Arts and Culture Council (RACC, they helped organize the show) says it will now run through the end of December.
In an email this morning, Mr. Lachowicz shared that, “The main reason for extending the show is the incredible response it has generated with travelers who pass through terminals D and E in the airport. It is one of the most popular shows RACC has ever organized at PDX.”
“It is one of the most popular shows RACC has ever organized at PDX.”
– Keith Lachowicz, the Regional Arts and Culture Council
In addition to positive feedback directed at both the Port of Portland and the framebuilders themselves, Lachowicz says that even after being up five months, “the number of passengers who lineup along the display case is impressive.”
Jennifer Nolfi, the bike-industry liaison for the Portland Development Commisssion, first approached RACC and the Portland of Portland about extending the exhibit. She wanted it to be up for visitors attended the upcoming Oregon Manifest handmade bike show (scheduled for October 10-12).
Austin Ramsland of Sweetpea Bicycles helped put the exhibit together and he’s also organizing the Oregon Manifest show. He is obviously pleased about the extension and says, “I am really stoked that it is going to be up during such a busy travel season.”
Airport officials estimated that the exhibit’s six-month run would be seen by 3.3 million travelers and now, with November and December being the busiest time of the year at the airport, several million more visitors will get a glimpse of one of Oregon’s most exciting industries.
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FYI: The handmade bike exhibit is located in the E Concourse and can only be seen by ticketed passengers. For more photos and information about the exhibit, see the photo gallery and read the two stories I published about it back in April:
- Oregon made bike exhibit debuts at Portland Airport (04/03/08)
- Oregon made bicycles to be featured at Portland Airport (02/22/08)
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August 8th, 2008 12:52
Nice! A great exhibit. Complete with a muddy Vanilla 'cross machine :)
August 8th, 2008 12:58
It is a nice exhibit. I enjoyed it a lot, the anxiolytics only made it better. Glad more people will see it!
August 8th, 2008 13:25
I'll be walking by it in a few hours! I'll have to get to the airport a bit early to make sure I have enough time to drool properly.
--Bill
August 8th, 2008 13:26
I have been through there nearly a dozen times since it was installed and there is always a group or a crowd checking out the bikes.
Too bad more airports are not like ours!
August 8th, 2008 13:50
4 deep last time I went that way. Lots of little guys with noses to glass.
"Dad, when we get back, can I have one of those?"
August 8th, 2008 14:05
Awesome news. Poor Skidmark will never see his track tall again.
August 8th, 2008 14:07
steve - the San Francisco airport hosted a much bigger history of the bicycle exhibit a few years back....
August 8th, 2008 14:29
I think Skidmark's track tall is safe at home...well, as safe as something called "Suicycle" can be. The bike at the airport is "the Reverse Cowgirl."
Glad to hear this exhibit is staying up. I listened to a travel-weary New Yorker describe each bike in detail to his wife on a cell phone a few months ago while kids and old folks lined the glass, peering inside. Hopefully we can get a little Oregon Manifest plug on the sign soon... Great work, RACC! Way to go, Austin!
Also, I hear that if you sprint at the security checkpoint fast enough you can get through to the exhibit for about 14 seconds before being tackled and tasered.
August 8th, 2008 15:53
That's great news and I hope to hear that the exhibit will next move to another location in town where more folks can see it.
August 8th, 2008 16:54
My parents and sister and I had just been to two funerals in two different cities, and were really exhausted and I remembered this exhibit but didn't remember where it was, so I dragged them all the way around the airport to find it. Everyone thought it was worth the walk, if you like art or bicycles, you'll enjoy the exhibit.
It is at the very beginning of E terminal, just past security, on the far wall. If you are in the A, B, and C gates, there is a pathway behind security to get to D and E:
http://www.flypdx.com/PDX_Terminal_Map.aspx
August 8th, 2008 18:01
I do miss my favorite ride Reverse Cowgirl.
August 11th, 2008 11:19
[...] Handmade bikes are a hit; airport exhibit will extend through December, Bike Portland [...]
August 11th, 2008 22:45
argh my one chance this year and I totally forgot about this! Kind of makes me sad now. :(
Are we going to have a handmade bike show next year??