Flights of Fancy

These two ceramic mosaic installations were created as a welcoming gesture for every visitor to the Sioux Falls Regional Airport. Installed on each side of the entrance to the concourses from the main terminal, these mosaics are seen by all arriving and departing passengers as well as those coming to meet the arrivals.

All journeys, both planned and unexpected, begin with once upon a time. And time, of course, is the primary concern from the moment you step into an airport. These mosaics explore time in a finite sense: flight times, schedules, the departure board, and move these visually into something with more of a sense of timelessness: the stars, and the people who have danced on the prairie for countless generations. I combined this with a geologic sense of permanence, drawn from the landscapes of some of my favorite places around Sioux Falls. And I wanted to play with things that fly, that lift off, that go up into the sky. Together, these elements dance across both mosaics, between flight and time, the immediate and the ancient, the local and the everywhere.

Special thanks to Katy Isennock (Lakota), champion Fancy Shawl Dancer, and Cliff Matias (Kichwa, Taíno), Director of Redhawk Native American Arts Council.