Did you know 50 percent of artists are women? (Woot, woot!) But only about 13 percent of art on display in galleries is by female artists. (Boo!)
In honor of Women's History Month, United Airlines wants to take women in the arts to new heights, literally. #HerArtHere is a campaign and contest hosted by United to "find and uplift underrepresented women artists," says the official press release. How will they do that? By giving them a canvas 3,666 times larger than the average 18" x 24" canvas you can buy at your local art store: a Boeing 757 plane.
"As a company, we believe in the importance of equality of women in what has historically been a male dominated field," said United's New York and New Jersey President Jill Kaplan. "When we heard the statistics about how underrepresented women are when it comes to displaying their art, we thought what better way to contribute to changing this narrative than by offering the biggest canvas we have access to – an aircraft."
The rules to enter are simple: You must identify as a woman (cisgender, transgender, woman-aligned, or non-binary) to enter and live in the United States - sorry, not sorry, boys! Using the Boeing 757 plane as your 11,000 square-foot canvas, you should create a design that represents United's mission of "Connecting people. Uniting the world," specifically as it pertains to the company's two main hubs in the New York/New Jersey area and California, as well as reflects your own personal style.
The six finalists will each have their own open gallery show, have their art displayed in United terminals and be made available for purchase, and receive 100,000 MileagePlus award miles. The two winners will also get to work with famous (and female) artist Shantell Martin, who has with everyone from the New York City Ballet to Kenderick Lamar, before their designs take flight in the fall.
"We are thrilled to have the opportunity through this unique contest to bring visibility to the work of these exceptional female artists. We take pride in leveraging our global presence to showcase their great work to millions of people who see our planes on the ground and in the sky," said United's California President Janet Lamkin.
To enter, visit the #HerArtHere hub on United's website
