Photographer Adriel Heisey captured images of ancient ruins in the southwest landscape from his ultra-light aircraft. The collection of these large-scale photographs now are on display at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport and Phoenix Deer Valley Airport.

The exhibition, From Above: Photographs by Adriel Heisey, is a collaborative effort between Heisey and Archaeology Southwest, a private nonprofit organization in Tucson that explores and protects ancient sites in North America. The display can be viewed in Terminal 2 through June 2; in Terminal 4, level 3 through July 21; and at Phoenix at Deer Valley Airport through June 2.

Because of the low-altitude angles, the aerial photographs reveal how the terrain and natural resources influenced where humans settled.

I fly for wonder, and I photograph for understanding, said Heisey, who lives in New Mexico. Seeing the world from above stirs me with musings on origins and meanings. These thoughts are the province of science, art, even religion, so I am not surprised when aerial photographs arouse feelings of all three.

The display merges aesthetic beauty and a record of archaeological preservation that creates a source of wonder and intriguing interest.

The exhibitions are free and coordinated by the Phoenix Airport Museum, one of the largest airport museums in the U.S.   back...