SLC International Airport Hosts Art Open House to Preview Gordon Huether’s “Swallows in Flight” Art Installation

The Salt Lake City Department of Airports (SLCDA) hosted an Art Open House on Saturday November 8 to highlight the latest large-scale art installation by Artist Gordon Huether titled “Swallows in Flight.”

“Swallows in Flight” is suspended from the ceiling of the terminus of Concourse B West and is comprised of a stainless-steel ring 24-feet in diameter with 2,051 laser-cut acrylic swallow forms, each laminated with a light-reflective, color-changing dichroic film and strung along hundreds of stainless-steel cable “necklaces.” Each swallow weighs approximately 4 oz., with the entire installation weighing in at approximately 513 lbs.

For this installation, Huether drew inspiration from the shape and dynamism of the common barn swallow, a ubiquitous sight in summer months when flying insects are plentiful above the Great Salt Lake. With their swept-back wings and forked tails, these birds are the pinnacle of aeronautical efficiency and are the inspiration behind countless developments in modern aviation.

In addition to the Artwork Preview, the SLC DA offices were open to the public to view the nearly 250 pieces of art on display that were once housed in the previous airport. Works by artists such as David Adams, Marianne Cone, Toni Doilney, Susan Gallacher, Anton Rasmussen, Douglas Snow, Trevor Southey and LeConte Stewart were on display.

“Swallows in Flight” will be joined by its companion piece “Crossroads to the World,” a similar array of thousands of laser-cut acrylic planes with dichroic film, to be installed at the terminus of Concourse B East in the spring of 2026.

Based in Napa, CA, Huether was named the “Top Public Art Star” earlier this year by CODAworx, the leading organization for the industry.

About Gordon Huether
Gordon Huether is a Napa, CA-based artist specializing in large-scale, site-specific permanent art installations. With hundreds of projects across a decades-long career, Huether’s most complex commission to date is a series of architecturally integrated installations for the Salt Lake City International Airport, completing in stages from 2015 to 2025. His work can also be found in colleges, universities, libraries, civic, state and federal government buildings, transit centers, airports, and corporate headquarters throughout the United States and around the world. For more information, visit us at https://gordonhuether.com

Darcy Huether
Gordon Huether Studio
+1 707-255-5954

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