Carolina Curious: Why are there statues of painted jeans at PTI?

It’s a question you might hear from out-of-town visitors flying into Greensboro: Why are there painted pants statues in the middle of Piedmont Triad International Airport?

For this week’s Carolina Curious, WFDD’s April Laissle went to PTI to find out.

Near a busy baggage claim area, a statue of a pair of jeans decorated with an eagle and American flag stands between conveyor belts. It’s one of four colorful sculptures scattered throughout the airport. 

Piedmont Triad Airport Authority Marketing Manager Stephanie Freeman says she doesn’t have a favorite.

“No, no, I like them all for different reasons," she says. 

Each pair is painted with a different theme—North Carolina wildflowers, native landscapes, and even the state’s iconic horned owl. A small sign identifies the title and artist, but beyond that, there’s not much explanation. So how’d the art make it here? And why are jeans the medium?

“You know, how some towns have cows or, you know, bears or whatever?” explains Cheryl Stewart, PTI’s longtime art consultant. “Well, what is it that makes Greensboro, Greensboro? And it was Wrangler and Cone Denim and VF.”

The statues are part of a public art project called the Jeansboro Jean Statues, launched by Wrangler in 2015. The goal was to celebrate Greensboro’s identity as the birthplace of Wrangler denim by installing the statues around the city, including at PTI.

Freeman says Wrangler provided the statues and gave the airport creative freedom.

“I was like, 'Cheryl, what are we going to do with these pants? You know, how are we going to do it?' And she came up with the contest," she says. 

Artists were invited to submit designs using a blank template. The airport received 70 submissions, and staff voted on their favorites. The winners were then given giant plaster pants to paint — delivered straight to their homes.

“That was a new one for our facilities guys,” Freeman recalls. “‘Here, can you take these to four different locations?’ And they took them and they painted them, and then we picked them up.”

The jeans are one of the few collections that are permanent at PTI. Most of the art at the airport is changed out every year, in order to showcase new local artists. Stewart, who has selected works for several airports and even the New York City subway, helps to curate it. She says it’s different than picking out pieces for a museum.

“I think museum art can be a little more cutting edge. It can be more controversial," Stewart says. "We're not trying to teach people about art. We're trying to make their time here more pleasant.”

Stewart says airport art is meant to calm people down during what could be a particularly stressful experience. Sometimes that means following a different standard than other curators. 

“Museums can do whatever they want,” she says. “We have to think through, you know, no naked bodies kind of thing. We don't want anybody to be offended.”

Stewart says it’s rare for regional airports to prioritize art, but PTI has been doing it under Freeman’s supervision for a decade. The collection has steadily grown, and now includes a walking tour visitors can take even if they aren’t flying.

One of the highlights? A gallery-style space in the executive center business room.

That space will soon display paintings created by clients of Monarch, an adult day center in Greensboro. The airport plans to host an opening reception and potentially help sell the pieces on behalf of the artists.

But the art at PTI isn’t limited to paintings. Along the walking tour route, visitors encounter several mixed media pieces. In one atrium, metal sculptures of butterflies and wildflowers float overhead.

Stewart points out a plaque identifying the species featured in the work.

“It's called 'A Traveler’s Garden,' so you can look here and say, ‘OK, Luna Moth. Which one's a Luna Moth? OK, that one.’ And they’re all native to North Carolina," she says. 

That sculpture is part of the airport’s permanent collection, but most of the current exhibits will rotate out by September. Freeman and Stewart say they’re looking forward to watching how passengers react to what comes next.

“We want them to, you know, say, ‘Oh, that's a cool painting.’ Or, ‘Look, it's mountains,' or 'It's flowers,’ or, you know, ‘It has something to do with our community—even if it's faces and photography. These are people that are in our neighborhood,'" Stewart says. 

You can explore PTI’s current collection, including the Jeansboro statues, by downloading the walking tour map from the airport’s website. No boarding pass required.