In Their Words: Stories by Women on the Ground and In the Air​

In Their Words: Stories by Women on the Ground and in the Air is an exhibition at the Anderson Abruzzo Albuquerque International Balloon Museum that explores the ways in which women in ballooning are connected to the past through stories, records, family traditions, and magical feats. The exhibition features first-hand accounts and personal objects from women who have played critical roles in ballooning from the very beginning of the sport. In Their Words also explores how these women continue to make an impact.

Curators conducted interviews with twenty-four women, locally and internationally, to capture their personal experiences and stories as pilots, crew members, and administrators. These first-person accounts are woven throughout the exhibit narrative to provide the visitor with an immersive experience of the magic of ballooning.

In Their Words features sound clips from the interview content in a surround sound installation by Mirabelle Jones, a creative technologist who utilizes a narrative-centered design process to develop immersive art installations. Selected objects, both from the Museum's collection and borrowed from local women, bring more context to the exhibition.

In addition to historical and contemporary artifacts, the visual focal point of the exhibition is a large-scale mural by artist and educator, Haley Greenfeather English (Ojibwe). Her mural utilizes whimsical graphics and vibrant colors and features portraits of eleven diverse women from all eras of ballooning. A soundscape and visual projection brings the mural, and the women in it, to life.

Recognizing that not every woman in ballooning could be included in one exhibition, In Their Words also includes a slide show of significant female balloonists through the years.