Kerry Thompson, Flight Path, 2023, ceramic pigment on porcelain tile, PS 206 Addition, Queens​

Flight Path is a site-specific tile mural installation created by Kerry Thompson for the lobby corridor of the new P.S. 206 Addition, Queens. The artwork features over 35 local bird species arranged on two opposing walls to form a dynamic procession of magnificent aerial creatures. Thompson created the artwork by hand-painting portraits of each bird, rendering their movement, anatomy, and plumage in exacting detail. High-resolution photographs of the paintings were then digitally printed on porcelain tile. At times graceful, and at times whimsical, the birds float, hop, glide, swoop, and dive in a flight path that mimics the foot traffic of students to and from the cafeteria. Flight Path is an investigation into the delicate and complex ecosystems that abound even in the urban environs surrounding P.S. 206 and nearby Flushing Bay. The detailed images invite students to seek out connections with their natural world and consider the role they might play in preserving it through study and stewardship. The installation’s overarching theme of taking flight celebrates the role of education in lifting students up to meet their highest potential.