United Airlines Boeing Will Become a Flying Canvas

In recognition of March as Women’s History Month, United Airlines launched a first-of-its-kind contest to identify and lift up under-represented women artists. Supporting the contest, United said, “According to the National Museum of Women in the Arts, 51 percent of today's artists are women, but less than 13 percent of art on display in museums was created by female artists.” Contestants will all vie for a chance to paint a canvas like no other, in this case, a United Airlines Boeing 757.

Jill Kaplan, United's president for New York and New Jersey said, "When we heard the statistics about how underrepresented women are when it comes to displaying their art, we thought what better way to contribute to changing this narrative than by offering the biggest canvas we have access to – an aircraft."

To enter, individuals must identify as a woman, including cisgender, transgender, woman-aligned or non-binary residing in the United States, who can visually represent either New York/New Jersey or California, two key markets for the airline, in their own style, while combining the company's mission and what the communities in each region mean to the artist. Individuals should visit the airline's site and submit a design idea, examples of their work portfolio along with a short video by March 24, 2019.

Two winners, one representing each region, will be chosen and given a chance to work alongside renowned artist Shantell Martin to finalize a design for their respective region's aircraft. Shantell brings to the contest her talents and work, from the New York City Ballet to a collaboration with Pulitzer Prize-winning artist Kendrick Lamar, which are full of whimsical drawings and storytelling, that are dedicated to making sure other women artists are seen.

Submissions will be judged and narrowed down to three finalists by a panel of judges from each region, led by each region's president, Janet Lamkin in California and Jill Kaplan in New York/New Jersey from March 25 – April 9, 2019, followed by a public vote from April 10 – April 19, 2019 to determine the winning artists from each region.

Finalists and winners will also receive their own open gallery show, have their artwork on display inside United Airlines terminals through 2019 with their works available to purchase and they will also be awarded 100,000 MileagePlus award miles. Final designs will be selected by United customers and the public and take flight this fall.

Customers in Los Angeles and New York have an opportunity to visit murals by Shantell Martin as part of this contest. Each mural showcases interactive airplane windows that lead to videos with more information. The murals will be on display from now until March 18 at 799 West 8th Street, Los Angeles, CA and at 38 Norman Ave, Brooklyn, NY.

For additional information and complete rules, visit: united.com/HerArtHere