KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Two artwork displays at the new Kansas City International Airport have been nominated for CODAawards Top 100.
CODAawards Top 100 honor projects in public spaces across the country. The two artworks receiving the nominations are ‘Cloud Gazing’ and ‘Sky Prairie.’
Michael Szivos and his team SOFTlab created Cloud Gazing. You can find his artwork in the connecting terminal.
“It was mostly inspired by the expansive fields in the Midwest and Kansas particularly,” he said.
You’ll see cloud-shaped structures made of nylon straps from afar, but as you walk underneath, the clouds produce what Szivos calls a “patterned interference.”
“People movers act as part of the artwork as well because people move through the space at a constant speed,” he said. “They see this kind of shift in patterns.”
“People-movers” is not the only idea Szivos hopes others take away from his display.
“The hope with all our work is that people start to ask, can our public spaces be better? You know that they see something in a place that can normally be fairly banal,” he said.
Jill Anholt created ‘Sky Prairie.’ You can look up and find two suspended works that are 160 feet long when you first arrive at the airport.
“The artwork was inspired by the beautiful prairie grasses all around the landscape when you come to Kansas City,” she said.
Her art resembles grass on a prairie on every level. Its golden orange in color, like the way the sun hits a prairie, Anholt said. Her art even moves in the wind, too – just like grass on a prairie!
“They also have integrated lighting that kind of also brings different aspects of the way sunshine hits the grasses and the prairie and how people move through the space,” she said.
Anholt said she hopes Kansas City natives and first-timers alike have the same feelings when they look at all the art.
“It is a chance to celebrate this place and what it’s about and what the people are about, the culture, the light and the landscape,” she said. “So, I think it’s really important when people come up they know they’re somewhere special.”
KCI’s Arts Program Manager Mark Spencer says all of the artists have specific processes, from design to budget.
“Each of the artists, when they applied for the consideration, knew what they’d be working with. Each section had its own budget, concourse had a specific budget, and each of the major areas within the terminal, the artists knew exactly what the budget was before they applied,” he said.
But, he says the art’s diversity is what makes it all a masterpiece.
“The idea that you come into Kansas City, yes it’s known for barbecue and jazz and football, but it’s also known for the arts,” he said.
The two most voted artworks will be People’s Choice winners.
There’s also another process where a jury selects artists as winners of their specific categories. Both Szivos and Anholt are in the transportation category.
Voting remains open through Monday, July 31, and the winners will be announced at the end of August.
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