Client: Salt Lake City International Airport
Location: Salt Lake City, UT, United States
Completion date: 2020
Artwork budget: $119,000
Project Team
Artist
Traci O'Very Covey
Traci O'Very Covey LLC
Art Masterplan Consultant
Gordon Huether
Gordon Huether Studio
Project Manager
Nancy Volmer
Salt Lake City Department of Airports
Deputy Director Design and Scope Delivery
Tad Kaczor
Airport Redevelopment Program
Overview
Experiencing the beauty of the four seasons in Utah was the project criteria for murals in the underground Mid-Concourse Tunnel at the new Salt Lake City International Airport. Inspired by both the mountain and desert landscapes of Utah, Traci’s design incorporates both flora and fauna artfully overlapping and interweaving their lines and shapes into the landscape offering a lyrical sense of discovery. She and her team painted the two beautiful 13 x 154 foot murals in a palette of rich earth tones. The art evokes memories of places the viewer may have experienced while also appealing to their sense of wonder about new places to explore in Utah.
Goals
The goal of the two murals was to enhance the experience for travelers walking through the 990-foot-long underground Mid-Concourse Tunnel that connects the A and B concourses. Traci’s imaginative portrayal of Utah’s beautiful natural scenery during the seasons of Summer and Autumn (Spring and Winter were commissioned by a separate muralist) were inspired by her travels through the regions of Utah and creating a stylized interpretation as filtered through her imagination in her signature style.
Process
As a finalist in the commissioning process Traci presented a full-color mock-up of the mural design to the airport Design Committee for approval and received the commission. The murals were to be painted during the final construction interior finishing phase of the airport. She and her team went through Safety Training and painted on site each weekday for 6 1/2 weeks. The wall was primed by the airport painting crew then Traci and her team projected sections of the mural design one by one to get the line work on the wall. They then painted the mural in at least twenty-one colors with brushes and rollers using high quality interior acrylic latex. The completed murals were then sprayed with a clear top coat by the airport painting crew.
Additional Information
Listen to Traci talk about the mural while it was in-progress on her website on the airport mural project page.