Look Closely at the Petals - San Antonio International Airport (SAT)

San Antonio International Airport (SAT) celebrated National Breast Cancer Awareness Month in high fashion this year with a sculpture made of 250 bras and ties. The airport displayed Don’t Leave it to Chance near the Terminal B baggage claim throughout October to help spark conversation about the importance of regular breast cancer screenings.

Methodist Healthcare Ministries of South Texas launched the project in 2021, when breast cancer screenings dropped dramatically due to the COVID pandemic. The organization set up donation bins throughout the airport and at local cancer treatment clinics, with signs asking those affected by the disease to donate their bras and ties. It then commissioned SAY Si, a nonprofit program for students from marginalized communities, to create a piece of artwork using the collected items. Including ties in the project was a way to expand the focus beyond women and encourage screenings throughout the entire gender spectrum.

Student artists fashioned the bras and ties into an optimistic flower sculpture. One of the flower’s eight petals is pink to illustrate the statistic that one in eight women will be diagnosed with breast cancer. The center of the flower is shaped like a single breast.

In addition to displaying the brightly colored sculpture, SAT switched the exterior lighting on its Consolidated Rental Car Facility to pink, the signature color for breast cancer awareness. Because October is also Domestic Violence Awareness Month, the lights alternated from pink to purple, the designated color for the Purple Porch Initiative, which shines the light on domestic violence.