The next time you are flying out of Memphis International Airport, and are eagerly bustling your carry-on luggage through the X-ray conveyor belt at security, take a moment to look up. You will see the “Heartbeat & Soul” of this city looming large over your departure.

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The vibrant mural (2021), created using stained glass, acrylic and spray paint, reminds us of this city’s endeavors and successes, landmarks and incredible people. On our way back to Memphis, as we enter the baggage claim, its second part will welcome us into the city’s fold.

A collaboration between Memphis-based artist Jamond Bullock and Philadelphia-based artist Eric Okdeh, this mesmerizing work is a part of the fascinating initiative led by the UrbanArt Commission (UAC) that has transformed the airport’s Concourse B into a world-class art gallery. An art gallery, as the UAC’s Executive Director Lauren Kennedy told me, that you can literally fly out of.

The 61 art pieces by 62 artists spread throughout the concourse include sculpture, glass, painting, drawing, photography, fiber, mosaic, mixed media and digital media by emerging and established artists currently based in Memphis or connected to our city. The exhibit feels robust and diverse, and the pieces are skillfully curated to be in conversation with their viewers and each other.

As we enter the concourse, we see the earnest vulnerability of Jarvis Boyland’s “Fool’s Errand” (2021). The domesticity of the young man’s pink dishwashing gloves as he holds a bouquet of tulips seemingly purchased at an airport store is utterly relatable. But his facial expression is hard to read — is our loved one happy to see us as we return? Are those flowers just a feeble attempt to fix what we know is broken? There is something so heartbreakingly generic about that barcode on the cellophane wrapping.

Jared Small’s “Untitled (White House/Roses)” (2020) is on one side of the “Fool’s Errand.” The worn-out, decaying house in his painting presents itself as a metaphor for the possible state of the relationship depicted next to it. But the spontaneity of the wild white roses that are starting to envelop the house is a far cry from the generic desperation of airport-purchased flowers branded by a bar code. Young love, eternal loyalty and new beginnings — maybe there is some hope for the house’s inhabitants yet!

On the other side, Beth Edwards’ “Hydrangea XIV” (2020) is pure life. Its sensual, metaphorical realism of the namesake flowering plant awakens our senses.

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If Boyd’s “Fool’s Errand” is about what is now, the surrounding works, Small’s “Untitled (White House/Roses)” and Edwards’ “Hydrangea XIV” are about what might be.

As we walk through the concourse, the eye is inevitably attracted by the large restroom areas turned into works of art themselves. They are a result of a design-only call where the artists were commissioned to create works in the size of their choosing, and then a team led by the UAC found a way to install them and fit them into a desired space.

An excellent example of such work is Melissa Dunn’s “Waterfall” (2021), initially created in acrylic and mixed media on paper. The work was later scanned in a very high resolution and printed on glass using ceramic ink. A framing system was built to mirror the frames of the large window walls, then the work was installed. The results are indeed remarkable. The “Waterfall” is now an immersive visual experience formed through color, shape, line and light. Backlit by natural light, this work changes throughout the day, as shifts in light and weather profoundly affect the colors.

Lauren Kennedy told me that some of the most touching moments while building the exhibit were witnessing the artists’ reactions upon seeing their works on this scale and in this way. I would certainly think that this is an amazement that all viewers share.

Carl E. Moore’s multi-panel painting “My South” (2021) is another stunning work on display. Through his style of solid colors and bold outlines, the artist explores his memories of growing up in the South. Moore’s serene figures are set against rural and urban backgrounds and are often surrounded by nature’s bounty. The sense here is of a personal life story and a universal human experience.

One of the collection’s crown jewels is a sprawling sculpture from Yancy Villa and brg3s. Titled “Intertwining” (2021), the sculpture is suspended from the ceiling and uses the metaphor of weaving to symbolize Memphis’s history and significance, with all its discord and harmony. The sculpture’s multi-colored threads represent various aspects of the city; using suspended acrylic slats, the artists created a network of fragmented strands that converge to form a dynamic, complex tapestry. Villa worked with the architectural firm brg3s, which developed an intricate system for installing the sculpture. The process took about three months. This is a piece not to be missed.

As I walked through the airport concourse surrounded by many terrific, original works of art, it was hard not to be filled with pride and excitement. Pride because having airport art collections of this level is a feature reserved for the world’s pre-eminent centers. And excited because this is only one of the pockets of brilliance in our remarkable city.