LOUISVILLE, Ky. — In honor of Black History Month, the Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport (SDF) will host an exhibit entitled, “The Sky’s the Limit: A Celebration of the History of Black Achievement in Aviation.” This will be an expanded form of the exhibit, which has been displayed at Bowman Field for the past two years.

What You Need To Know

  •  This is the third year the Louisville Regional Airport Authority is sponsoring the display in honor of Black History Month

  • The exhibit spotlights 14 Black individuals and organizations who made a mark on aviation history

  • As part of this exhibit and to celebrate Black History Month, Louisville Regional Airport Authority is also holding a student art contest for the second year

  • The exhibit will be on display Feb. 1-28

The display is sponsored by the Louisville Regional Airport Authority. It is currently located in the rotunda entrance of Concourses A and B, where organizers estimate around 300,000 travelers will have the opportunity to see it.

“Going into the third year, we felt it was important to build on our past successes with this exhibit that was previously featured at Bowman Field,” said Dan Mann, executive director of the Louisville Regional Airport. “Because our goal continues to be educate and inspire more people on the importance of Black achievement in aviation and celebrate the advancements that each of these leaders piloted, we wanted to bring this exhibit to our SDF travelers.”

The exhibit spotlights 14 Black individuals and organizations who made a mark on aviation history. It includes Bessie Coleman, the first Black woman to receive a pilot’s license, and Robert Lawrence, a pilot designated as the first Black astronaut, and the Tuskegee Airmen.

From Feb. 1-28, the exhibit will be in the rotunda area, which is passed the TSA Security Checkpoint at SDF. As travelers arrive and depart SDF, they’re encouraged to take time to engage with the exhibit and share their experience to the SDF social media platforms, including Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

Even with the exhibit’s move to SDF that is post-security, organizations are still welcome to bring a group to experience the exhibit. To do so, they can contact Kim Pemberton at (502) 363-8506 or Kim.Pemberton@FlyLouisville.com to make arrangements.

As part of this exhibit and to celebrate Black History Month, Louisville Regional Airport Authority is also holding a student art contest for the second year. Students in kindergarten to 12th grade are encouraged to submit their artwork that shows what the exhibit means to them.

Submissions are accepted now through Friday, Feb. 17, 2023, and may be dropped off at Louisville Regional Airport Authority from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday or mailed to Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport (SDF) at 700 Administration Drive Louisville, KY 40209. Electronic art submissions may be sent to Kim.Pemberton@FlyLouisville.com.

You can preview a media gallery of the exhibit here. 

Related Stories