New SFO Exhibition Examines The History Of Tiki Culture In The United States

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New SFO Exhibition 
Examines the History of Tiki Culture in the United States

SAN FRANCISCO -- Now on view at San Francisco International Airport, Reflections of Paradise: Tiki Culture on the Mainland charts the ebbs and flows of Tiki influence on American culture and lifestyle - from the introduction of Hawaiian music and art at the 1915 Panama-Pacific International Exposition to today’s ongoing revival of tropicalthemed bars and restaurants.

The exhibition presents over 200 objects - including sheet music, postcards, menus, mugs and Tiki torches - to examine the development of Tiki culture in the mainland states, and in particular California. Significant milestones, such as the creation of the legendary Tiki bars “Trader Vic’s” and “Don’s Beachcomber” during the 1920s and 1930s; as well as the rise of Tiki culture in books, movies and television from the 1940s through the 1960s, are featured. The exhibition also presents the recent renewal of interest in Tiki culture, including current efforts to collect and preserve Tiki-associated objects and landmarks.

Reflections of Paradise: Tiki Culture on the Mainland is located pre-security on the Departures/Ticketing Level of the International Terminal in Gallery A1. The exhibition is open to the public, free of charge, twenty-four hours a day, through October 25, 2006.

San Francisco Airport Museums

The San Francisco Airport Museums program was established by the Airport Commission in 1980 for the purposes of humanizing the Airport environment, providing visibility for the unique cultural life of San Francisco, and providing educational services for the traveling public. The Museum was granted initial accreditation from the American Association of Museums in 1999, reaccredited in 2005, and has the distinction of being the only accredited museum in an airport. Today, the San Francisco Airport Museums features approximately twenty galleries throughout the Airport terminals displaying a rotating schedule of art, history, science, and cultural exhibitions, as well as the San Francisco Airport Commission Aviation Library and Louis A. Turpen Aviation Museum, a permanent collection dedicated to the history of commercial aviation.

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About San Francisco International Airport

San Francisco International Airport SFO (www.flysfo.com) offers non-stop links with more than 29 international points on 25 international carriers. The Bay Area’s Airport of Choice connects non-stop with more than 60 cities in the United States on 20 domestic airlines, including more than twice as many non-stop flights to the New York area than other Bay Area airports combined.