the obamas are coming

Famed Barack and Michelle Obama portraits head to Texas museum

Get ready, Texas: The Obamas are on the move and will be making a temporary home in 2022 at Houston's Museum of Fine Arts.

Okay, technically the real 44th U.S. president and first lady aren’t measuring the drapes for an art-vacation; instead the acclaimed “President Barack Obama”portrait by Kehinde Wiley and the “Michelle Obama” portrait by Amy Sherald will take up residence at the Houston museum March 25-May 30, 2022.

The Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery just announced a five-city tour of the famed portraits and the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston becomes that last stop on the tour, the only museum in Texas and the southwest region. The tour begins in the Obamas' hometown of Chicago and makes stops at the Brooklyn Museum, New York; Los Angeles County Museum of Art, and the High Art Museum in Atlanta before coming to Texas.

The first African-American artists selected for a National Portrait Gallery’s official portraits of a president or first lady commission, Wiley and Sherald’s portraits became instant sensations when first revealed in early 2018.

“We view the country as our community,” said Kim Sajet, director of the National Portrait Gallery in a statement made upon the announcement of the tour. “Since the unveiling of these two portraits of the Obamas, the Portrait Gallery has experienced a record number of visitors, not only to view these works in person, but to be part of the communal experience of a particular moment in time. This tour is an opportunity for audiences in different parts of the country to witness how portraiture can engage people in the beauty of dialogue and shared experience.”

In addition to the paintings, the tour will include an audio-visual element, Portrait Gallery-led teacher workshops, and curatorial presentations in each location. In anticipation of the tour, the Portrait Gallery is also publishing a book in partnership with Princeton University Press. The Obama Portraits will be released February 11.

"Barack Obama" by Kehinde Wiley, oil on canvas, 2018. National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution.

Image courtesy of Kehinde Wiley

"Barack Obama" by Kehinde Wiley, oil on canvas, 2018. National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution.

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Airport News

South Dallas' Bonton Farms to do innovative storefront at DFW Airport

DFW Airport

Bonton Farms stand at DFW Airport

South Dallas-based Bonton Farms is bringing some of its farm-fresh goods to the airport. According to a release, the urban farm and cafe will open a travel essentials store at Dallas-Fort Worth Airport.

The store will be located in Terminal A and offer jams, jellies, sauces, and fresh goods — part of a partnership between DFW Airport and Marshall Retail Group (MRG).

This will be the first Bonton Farms location outside of its flagship at 6911 Bexar St. The market is slated to open in 2026 after an expansion of Terminal A is completed.

Through this collaboration, Bonton Farms will be able to offer its sustainable products to not just local residents but also global travelers.

“We are deeply grateful for this groundbreaking partnership with WHSmith and DFW Airport,” says Bonton Farms president Gabrielle Madison in a statement. “This opportunity is transformative not only for our organization but also for the Bonton community. For many residents, this may be their first connection with the airport — whether through new employment opportunities or even, one day, becoming concession vendors themselves."

In addition to Bonton Farms’ offerings, the new store will offer other sustainable products from North Texas businesses. Some of the featured local vendors include:

Sons Coffee: Specialty coffee from Fort Worth featuring freshly brewed drip coffee
Lettuce Cook: Gourmet grab-and-go salads and sandwiches from Fort Worth
Pearl Honey Spreads: A woman/minority-owned business in Fort Worth specializing in honey-based treats

“Our partnership with DFW aligns with our company’s mission to deliver hyper-local products in partnership with emerging local businesses to global travelers," says Roddy McOwan, chief development officer at WHSmith North America, which owns MRG, in a statement.

“We are thrilled to award this exciting new contract to MRG and Bonton Farms as part of our ongoing effort to expand DFW's world-class shopping and dining options,” says Ken Buchanan, DFW's executive VP of revenue management and customer experience, in a statement. “This partnership underscores our commitment to supporting small, diverse, and locally rooted businesses — enabling them to tap into the airport’s economic growth as we expand our concessions footprint.”

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