Her Art Here: United Unveils Winning Designs by Female Artists for Upcoming Aircraft Paint Job

CHICAGO, May 17, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Today United Airlines revealed the two winning designs, selected through a combination of official judging and public voting, for Her Art Here, a first-of-its-kind contest designed to find and uplift underrepresented women artists by providing a chance to have their work painted on a canvas like no other — a United Airlines aircraft. While 51% of today's artists are women, less than 13% of art on display in museums is by women artists according to The National Museum of Women in the Arts. Having their designs painted on a Boeing 757 provides artists with a traveling canvas that flies on average 1.6 million miles a year and 476 cross-country trips. The aircraft is roughly 3,666 times larger than the typical 18" x 24" canvas.

Tsungwei Moo of San Francisco has been selected for her design depicting iconic landmarks as well as the palm trees and ocean that are synonymous with the state of California. On behalf of New York/New Jersey, Corinne Antonelli of Washington, New Jersey is the winner, with a design that features a globe signaling United's worldwide connectivity and classic imagery from the two states including a classic New Jersey Mill, the New York City Skyline and the Statue of Liberty. The two winners will be mentored by renowned artists prior to one aircraft per region being painted this fall.

Tsungwei Moo grew up in Taipei, Taiwan before emigrating to San Francisco, California. For the past seven years she has served as an artist in residence at Yosemite National Park. Focused on ceramics, printmaking and painting, her art is an expression of the wonders of nature and humanity.

"I believe creating and appreciating art should not be defined by gender and cultural differences. As an emerging immigrant female artist, winning Her Art Here gives me a great platform to let the world see my art," said Moo. "14 years ago, I arrived in the United States on a United Airlines flight to follow my dreams and to be an artist, so it is truly surreal to have won this contest."

Corinne Antonelli is a New Jersey native, studying illustration at Ringling College of Art and Design. Her design is a tribute to her home region, and hopes it serves as an example to young girls around the world who are interested in a career in the arts that anything is possible.

"Winning the Her Art Here contest means the world to me. When I was a young girl I had many artists I looked up to and felt inspired by and now I have the opportunity to become a role model for other young girls looking to pursue a career in the arts. It feels amazing being selected as the winner from the New York and New Jersey region– I've lived in New Jersey my entire life and have fallen in love with the state," noted Antonelli.

The Her Art Here contest was open to those who identify as a woman, including cisgender, transgender, woman-aligned or non-binary, and reside in the United States, and asked artists to 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. Entries were scored by a panel of judges based on contest criteria and winners were determined based on a combination of judging scores and public voting.

The winners, along with the top finalists, will have the opportunity for their artwork to be displayed inside United terminals throughout the remainder of 2019 with their works available to purchase. Winners and finalists all received 100,000 MileagePlus award miles and the two regional winners will be awarded a $10,000 cash prize.

United has long been committed to being a leader in advancing women in the aviation industry. Today the carrier has more women who are pilots than any other airline in the world, including Bebe O'Neil, United's System Chief Pilot, who manages the carrier's 12,600 pilots. The airline has worked with Women in Aviation, a nonprofit organization which provides networking, education, mentoring, and scholarship opportunities, for more than 25 years and Girls in Aviation Day to ensure a growing number of female pilots.

To see the winners' reaction and to download images of their designs visit: https://app.box.com/s/6afeok3w0acw46rqd6plfeti6wg72aoj

Every customer. Every flight. Every day.

In 2019, United is focusing more than ever on its commitment to its customers, looking at every aspect of its business to ensure that the carrier keeps customers' best interests at the heart of its service. In addition to today's announcement, United recently released a re-imagined version of the most downloaded app in the airline industry and made DIRECTV free for every passenger on 211 aircraft, offering more than 100 channels on seat back monitors on more than 30,000 seats. The multimillion-dollar investment in improving inflight entertainment options will benefit the more than 29 million people expected to fly United's DIRECTV-enabled planes this year.

About United

United's shared purpose is "Connecting People. Uniting the World." We are more focused than ever on our commitment to customers through a series of innovations and improvements designed to help build a great experience: Every customer. Every flight. Every day. Together, United Airlines and United Express operate approximately 4,800 flights a day to 353 airports across five continents. In 2018, United and United Express operated more than 1.7 million flights carrying more than 158 million customers. United is proud to have the world's most comprehensive route network, including U.S. mainland hubs in Chicago, Denver, Houston, Los Angeles, New York/Newark, San Francisco and Washington, D.C. United operates 770 mainline aircraft and the airline's United Express carriers operate 559 regional aircraft. United is a founding member of Star Alliance, which provides service to 193 countries via 28 member airlines. For more information, visit united.com, follow @United on Twitter and Instagram or connect on Facebook. The common stock of United's parent, United Continental Holdings, Inc., is traded on the Nasdaq under the symbol "UAL".

SOURCE United Airlines

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