88 PUNCHMAGAZINE.COM PAST FAVORITES One of Nicole’s favorite exhibitions, From Pineapple to Piña: A Philippine Textile Treasure, explored the weaving of pineapple leaf fibers into lacey handkerchiefs, blouses and even shawls in the late 18th and 19th centuries. “These fibers are knotted by hand,” Nicole says in wonderment. After talking about a show that featured a flurry of leotards from the San Francisco Ballet, Nicole pivots to the time they partnered with the California Academy of Sciences on a natural history exhibit. That show required SFO Museum team to wheel in a number of jarred specimens. “That was pretty wild,” she laughs. “We had a 19th-century giant squid in ethanol, in this antique jar.” They transported it in a van designed to carry hazardous material. Another tricky task involved bringing in a car for an Art Decothemed show. “That had to come in at night,” Nicole recalls. “All the engine oil had to be drained. It had to be pushed from the curb … That was quite a feat!” THE SKY’S THE LIMIT At last, we arrive at our intended destination—Rosie the Riveter: Womanpower in Wartime. “Our program is evolving with the airport,” Nicole tells me. “When they redid Harvey Milk Terminal 1, we gained two new gallery spaces.” This show, orchestrated by Nicole’s fellow curator Daniel Calderon, is a tribute to grit and girl power during World War II. Its cases are stocked with heavyduty coveralls, rivet guns and welding helmets, plus motivational posters proclaiming slogans like “Women: There’s work to be done and a war to be won” and “Do the job he left behind.” Spirited swing music spills from the speakers. The walls and ceiling of this space have not been painted your typical “gallery white.” Instead, they’re pitch black. When we step inside, it feels like the gallery has swallowed us up—but in a good way. “People are intrigued by going into this dark gallery space,” describes Nicole of the immersive experience. “They can really step out of the airport for a minute.” It’s to be expected from an exhibitition located in the newly redeveloped terminal. This awardwinning concourse is a testament to innovation, featuring rooms for yoga and meditation. It also PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY OF: SFO MUSEUM FIRST-CLASS MUSEUM
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