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SFO Museum director outlines Terminal 3 modernization art opportunities; Visual Arts Committee reviews airport and Hunters Point projects
Summary
Jennifer McCabe, the new director and chief curator of the SFO Museum, told the Arts Commission the Terminal 3 West modernization will create major new opportunities for public art at SFO, while the Visual Arts Committee reviewed three airport art opportunities and a tentative transfer of eight Hunters Point Shipyard artworks to city custody.
Jennifer McCabe, director and chief curator of the San Francisco Airport Museum, introduced herself to the Arts Commission and summarized the museum’s program and recent activity, highlighting opportunities that arise from the Terminal 3 West modernization project.
McCabe said the SFO Museum operates exhibitions and public‑art sites across the airport, manages a permanent aviation museum and library, and maintains a public collection of roughly 165 works. She noted that the Terminal 3 West modernization is a $2.6 billion construction program that includes seismic upgrades and presentation opportunities for new art commissions and relocations. McCabe outlined plans for new major commissions in Terminal 3 and relocation or purchase opportunities connected to the renovation.
At the Visual Arts Committee (VAC) report, chair Susie Farris presented three SFO public‑art opportunities: a large tile/glass art wall approximately 10 feet by 150 feet in a corridor between Terminal 3 and the International Terminal; a translucent glass wall area approximately 12 feet by 72 feet in a connector corridor for arriving international travelers; and a third opportunity (size ~16x14 feet) for an integrated wall work or large‑scale two‑dimensional piece. The VAC also previewed the first installment of the 2025 Art on Market Street poster series and introduced the 2026 theme Now and Then: Living Memories, focused on previously unrecorded and unconventional San Francisco histories.
The VAC reported it reviewed a proposal to accept ownership of eight public artworks installed at the Hunters Point Shipyard Phase 1. That transfer from the Office of Community Investment and Infrastructure (OCII) to General City custody would be contingent on a joint community facilities agreement among the San Francisco Arts Commission, Recreation and Park Department, and OCII that addresses ownership and maintenance responsibilities.
Why it matters: Terminal 3 modernization represents a major capital investment and an opportunity for new permanent public‑art commissions and expanded cultural programming in a high‑traffic, international arrival environment. The proposed Hunter’s Point transfer would shift long‑term maintenance responsibility to city departments and requires an interagency agreement.
McCabe invited commissioners to visit SFO’s museum facilities and highlighted recent conservation activities undertaken by SFO Museum staff to maintain large‑scale installations. The VAC and the museum staff said further public‑art RFQs and commissioning schedules will be posted on the Arts Commission and SFO Museum websites.
