Wingspun
Location: International Arrivals Corridor
Artist: Ellen Driscoll of Brooklyn, N.Y.
Installation: October 2008

Ellen Driscoll's glass installation extends 780 feet along the international arrivals corridor, which overlooks concourse C. The piece provides visitors with a poetic set of coordinates to guide them as they disembark from their international flight and walk to U.S. Customs.

The design complements the “over-under” gesture of the terminal roof and mimics the movement of a bird's wing, as well as the interaction between the warp and weft in weaving, which is also a Terminal 2 design theme. A horizontal band traverses the mid-section of each glass panel and is a repeat pattern of a simple “basketweave” structure.

Driscoll's piece combines large gestures easily caught by those walking at a quick pace, as well as more detailed “micro gestures” that repeat travelers will discover. The larger gestures of the motion of a bird's wing in flight, along with an insect wing in flight, and the helix of DNA are linked to each other, while being informally linked to the roof structure.

Gate of Earth
Location: North Terminal Entry
Artist: Lydia Rubio; Miami, FL
Installation: October 2008

Artist Lydia Rubio's commission consists of two pieces featured in light wells located at the entrance to Terminal 2. The first piece “Gate of Earth” is an aluminum and steel tree that begins outside and appears to enter the inside of the terminal.

The artwork considers feelings associated with leaving or returning home or traveling into the world. Traditional North Carolina symbols — trees and birds — are combined with the words of North Carolina writer Thomas Wolfe.

The south light well work will represent the elements of air and water, which are symbolized by a spiral that builds upward from a sea shell. This sculpture evokes an upward growth, a transformation from solid to light. This piece will be installed in the winter of 2011.

The Triangle Icon: A Symbol for the Region

As motorists approach RDU they are greeted by an outdoor sculpture that is a symbol of flight and North Carolina's role in aviation history. RDU's Triangle Icon commemorates the 100th anniversary of powered flight by Orville and Wilbur Wright on December 17, 1903. The sculpture evokes the spirit of invention and serves as a symbol for the Raleigh-Durham region.

A 50-foot tower anchors the work and points skyward, symbolizing man's aspiration to fly. The pair of intersecting wings represents the Wright Brothers and the notion of flight. The 120-foot elliptical ring represents the length of the Wright Brothers' first flight and the circuitous nature of air travel involving time, movement and return.

The Icon is a joint project of the Raleigh-Durham Airport Authority, Durham and Wake Counties and the cities of Durham and Raleigh.

The Triangle Icon was designed by Wellington Reiter of Urban Instruments, Inc. of Boston.

GA Terminal Art Reflects on Power of Flight

“Dream of Flight” is a permanent sculpture in the general aviation terminal. It completes a four year project to have artwork that compliments the design of the airport's newest terminal building. Raleigh native Heath Satow created the sculpture that graces the lobby of the 22,000 square foot building.

“This piece is intended to remind visitors of a time before we soared among the clouds,” said Satow. “A time when our ancestors dreamed of reaching the heavens, and for us as children, the awe we had for flight before experiencing our first take-off.”

The sculpture includes large stainless steel “figures” looking wistfully to the heavens. A mobile above the figures consists of 1,000 pieces of cut stained glass in cobalt and light blue symbolizing the images of flight found in the clouds.

Satow's team spent three days installing the elaborate mobile. Each piece of glass was attached by hand to fine stainless steel thread and hung from the metal frame. The final day of installation included the placement of the figures in position below the mobile.

An Education Can be Found in RDU Murals

The airport's first permanent work of art — a 2,500-piece ceramic tile mural depicting North Carolina's ecosystems — is a lesson in art, history and science, providing a visually-pleasing educational experience as passengers use the pedestrian tunnel connecting the airport's parking garage with Terminal A.

The work consists of six clay murals with two scenes each from the Mountain, Piedmont and Coastal regions of the state. The scenes include the Neuse River, Mt. Mitchell, Sandhills, Pea Island, the Eno River and the Joyce Kilmer Memorial Forest.

Each mural is composed of 70-pound sections measuring 4 feet by 2 feet that were hand-made by Seagrove, N.C. artists Linda and Drew Krouse of LDDK Studios. Robert Johnson, a Burnsville, N.C. painter of the natural environment, researched and painted landscapes for the work.

The murals tell a story of the state's natural resources and of the on-going efforts to preserve these treasures.