USA Today released its 10Best Readers’ Choice Awards for airports this month, and while the Albuquerque International Sunport (ABQ) isn’t featured prominently in the listings, it has been recognized once again for the art throughout its facilities.
ABQ earned the No. 10 spot in the rankings for “10 US airports where the art is worth arriving early for.” It’s the same ranking the airport earned in the artistic airport category in both 2024 and 2025.
“Airports aren’t just gateways to new destinations; they can also be vibrant showcases of creativity and culture,” reads the USA Today website. “These 10 airports, nominated by a panel of experts and voted by readers as the best in the US, are renowned for their engaging art collections.”
ABQ was specifically recognized for its “blend of New Mexican architecture with a prolific local art collection,” which anyone can explore without ever setting foot in the airport through this interactive website. But some of these works are best seen in person.
The airport hosts permanent exhibits, including one that focuses on aviation heritage at ABQ, as well as rotating exhibits, such as a current display of custom guitars crafted by New Mexico luthiers and another marking 100 years since the designation of Route 66.
One of the newer pieces of art inside ABQ is hard to miss for its size, beauty, and brightness. “We Are of the Mountain,” a mural by New Mexican artist J P 제 피, hangs on the north wall near the TSA security checkpoint.
The mixed-media mural is part of a $3.2 million art commitment within the airport’s $90 million Dream of Flight terminal renovation. J P joined airport officials to unveil it in September,KOB 4 reported.
The mountain landscape mural is meant to connect New Mexican and Korean traditions. It traces the 35th parallel north, which links Albuquerque’s Bosque and Jirisan Mountain in Korea.
“The ‘We’ in the title is inclusive of the people and place of Albuquerque, which has a mountain range,” said J P. “This mural draws connections between land, mountains, trees, culture and community. It is both culturally specific and expansive, creating a sense of place that is distinctly New Mexico while connecting people and cultures across the world.”
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