GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — A new art program at the Gerald R. Ford International Airport will feature local artists' work for thousands of travelers to see.
The Airport Art Program was created in partnership with the Frey Foundation. It was made possible by a donation from the Gateway Transformation Project.
West Michigan artists' work will be displayed throughout the airport's hallways. Two Grand Rapids native artists will kickstart the project.
Nick Nortier will paint a mural of a blue heron on a Michigan waterway with a purple and orange sunset in the background. Nortier said "The Great Blue" is one of the largest interior walls he has ever painted.
"I'm excited to have this opportunity to leave my mark at the Gerald R. Ford International Airport," he said.
Nortier's mural will be along the concourse B walkway in the post-security area.
Kyle DeGroff's mural will feature bold, bright colors and animals in slumber. It will be on the walkway to concourse A.
Funding from the Gateway Transformation Project added over 59,000 square feet to the airport. The artists will work in these newly-renovated spaces and "liven up [the walls, transform the guest experience and showcase the talented artists we have here in West Michigan," according to the airport CEO, Tory Richardson.
The art program will feature rotating exhibitions and the initial mural space will change periodically. In the spring, "The President Ford Mural" will be re-installed on the east end of the airport lobby near the valet parking and a replica of "Le Grande Vitesse" will be placed in the front lobby areas after phase two of the project is complete in August of 2020.
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