“A Picture Tells a Story” | Legacy Wall Project to Capture Antigua and Barbuda’s Aviation Past

The Antigua and Barbuda Airport Authority (ABAA) is moving ahead with an ambitious initiative aimed at preserving and showcasing the nation’s aviation heritage through a curated display of historic photographs, artwork, and personal stories from across the twin-island state.

The project, titled “Legacy Wall – Honouring Our Past, Inspiring the Future,” will transform areas within V.C. Bird International Airport into a visual archive celebrating the evolution of aviation in Antigua and Barbuda, while strengthening the cultural experience for both residents and visitors passing through the terminal.

Speaking on Antigua and Barbuda Today, ABAA Customer Experience Manager Jan Walker-Brown said the project grew out of a long-standing desire to expand the airport’s arts programme and create a meaningful way to preserve the country’s aviation history.

“We have noticed that many airports do have an arts program within their airport component, and for us it has been something that we have wanted to champion for a while but there have been many competing priorities,” Walker-Brown said.

She explained that discussions with Civil Aviation Minister Charles Fernandez helped move the concept forward after he highlighted opportunities to enhance the airport environment through historical and cultural displays.

According to Walker-Brown, the initiative began as a simple proposal to display artwork throughout the airport but quickly evolved into a much broader undertaking.

“We saw that persons were so interested, we said let’s develop it even more and let’s do it big. Let’s make it into a wall. Let’s bring some more components together,” she said.

The project will feature photographs documenting Antigua and Barbuda’s aviation journey, including images from the former Coolidge Airport, Runway 10 and Codrington Airport in Barbuda. Organizers are also hoping to include school art projects, paintings, digital art and sculpted works throughout various sections of the airport.

Administrative Assistant & Committee Lead for the Airport Legacy Wall project, Carshe’na Joseph, said members of the public may have valuable historical photographs tucked away in family collections.

“We know that there are persons who have pictures dating back to when their family members were travelling and when other people they knew were passing through the airport,” Joseph said.

She encouraged residents to submit photographs regardless of their age, adding that organizers are interested in preserving every chapter of the nation’s aviation story.

“No matter how old you think your pictures are, we would like them,” Joseph said.

Photographs submitted for the project will be scanned and with original copy returned to their owners. Contributors will also be asked to sign permission forms authorizing the airport authority to feature their images as part of the exhibition.

Organizers are currently accepting submissions through the end of June and into the first week of July 2026, with the completed project expected to be unveiled during Antigua and Barbuda’s Independence celebrations later this year.

Beyond documenting the country’s aviation history, officials believe the initiative will strengthen the visitor experience at V.C. Bird International Airport.

Walker-Brown noted that airports often provide visitors with both their first and final impressions of a destination.

“At the Airport Authority, which is the managing company of V.C. Bird International, we have recognized that the experience, for the most part, starts and ends with us, because I can’t discredit the seaport,” She said. “but it begins with the airport and it ends with the airport.” 

She added that it is important for visitors to feel welcomed from the moment they arrive.

“It’s important for us to ensure that when a visitor comes in, they feel like, ‘I have landed in some place that has welcomed me,’ that sense of place.”

The project will also include an interactive signing wall, allowing travelers to leave their names as a permanent part of the airport’s history.

“For Antiguans, for locals, we want persons to start coming back to the airport,” Walker-Brown said. “We will also have a signing wall where persons who are travelling are able to etch themselves into the history. So not just your photo, but your name will be placed there also.”

Joseph said the initiative is already teaching younger generations about the country’s aviation development and achievements.

“Right now working with this project, I’m getting a lot of history lessons. I’m learning a lot of things that I did not really know beforehand,” she said.

She added that displaying photographs and stories of Antiguans and Barbudans could inspire national pride among future generations.

“A picture tells a story. We know that there will be different stories under each photo, so you feel ‘like I did something for my nation or I’m making Antigua proud’,” Joseph said.

The Legacy Wall initiative is also expected to expand to Barbuda as plans move forward for a permanent terminal at Barbuda International Airport.

“Anything that’s done in Antigua is mirrored in Barbuda,” Walker-Brown said, noting that officials are already collecting historical material so it can be incorporated into future airport developments on the sister island.

She explained that digital artwork currently displayed at Barbuda’s airport inspired many aspects of the project and that similar features are planned for future facilities there.

Rather than being confined to a single location, the displays will be spread throughout different sections of V.C. Bird International Airport.

“We stress on Legacy Wall, but we should’ve really said Legacy Walls, because it will be in different spaces of the Airport,” Walker-Brown said.

The initiative also comes as the airport celebrates ten years since the opening of its modern terminal.

“We are now ten years old, if you can believe it, and we want to stay fresh. We want to stay ahead of the trends,” Walker-Brown said. “We want to ensure that we are not just saying we have built a terminal, it’s nice and that’s enough.”

Photographers, aviation enthusiasts, archivists, artists and members of the public interested in contributing to the project can submit photographs and artwork via email to [email protected]. Physical photographs may also be delivered directly to the Antigua and Barbuda Airport Authority addressed to Mrs. Jan Walker-Brown or Ms. Carshe’na Joseph.

For additional information, persons can contact the Airport Authority at 268-484-2332 or 268-725-4196.