SLC Airport unveils final art piece in 12-year rebuild

Salt Lake City International Airport has completed its 12-year rebuild with the unveiling of “Crossroads to the World,” a suspended installation by artist Gordon Huether made of about 2,500 acrylic airplanes. The work is designed to reinforce a sense of place and is the last of more than 10 major art projects built into the airport.

Why it matters: - The new installation closes out the airport’s long redevelopment and gives the terminal a final signature artwork. - The art program was built into the airport design to shape passenger experience and create a stronger Utah identity. - The project adds another large-scale public artwork to one of the region’s most visible transportation hubs.

What happened: - Salt Lake City Department of Airports marked completion of The New SLC on Oct. 23 with the unveiling of “Crossroads to the World.” - Artist Gordon Huether created the suspended piece, which features about 2,500 colorful, laser-cut acrylic airplanes. - The installation is the final art piece in the airport’s 12-year rebuild.

The details: - SLCDA commissioned Huether early in the program to design, create and install several major, structurally integrated art pieces for The New SLC. - The airport placed the art program into the project from the earliest design stages. - The goal was to create a strong identity and sense of place while enhancing the passenger experience. - Bill Wyatt, executive director of SLCDA, said the installations represent the beauty of Utah from the moment passengers enter the airport until they board their flights. - Wyatt said the shapes, colors and creative vision “captivates the senses from curb to gate” and leave little doubt that travelers are in Utah. - “Crossroads to the World” is fabricated in acrylic and coated with dichroic film. - The reflective coating changes color as lighting shifts throughout the day. - The planes hang on stainless steel cables from a stainless-steel mesh supported by a 24-foot-diameter stainless-steel ring. - The new work mirrors “Swallows in Flight,” a Concourse B-west installation that opened in 2025. - “Swallows in Flight” also uses thousands of laser-cut acrylic bird shapes and nods to the Great Salt Lake north of the airport. - Huether said the project was one of the great honors of his artistic career. - Huether said “Crossroads to the World” is the latest of more than 10 major art projects for the airport.

Between the lines: - The airport is using art as part of the passenger journey, not as decoration added after construction. - The repeated use of Utah landscapes, water, birds and mountain forms turns the terminal into a visual summary of the state. - The scale of the installations suggests the airport wants the building itself to function as a civic landmark, not just a transit facility.

What's next: - Airport visitors will continue to encounter Huether’s other installations throughout The New SLC. - Those works include “The Canyon,” “The Falls,” “The Column Plates and Benches,” “The River Tunnel,” “The Northern Light” and “The Peaks.” - More information and photos are available at Gordon Huether’s airport project page and on the SLC airport artwork page.

The bottom line: - Salt Lake City’s new airport is making art a core part of its identity, and “Crossroads to the World” is the final statement in that effort.