Bloomington, Ind.-based artist Dale Enochs, with help from workers with Purdy Masonry, recently installed a bronze-and-limestone composition at the New Indianapolis Airport. The sculpture, which was commissioned by the Indianapolis Airport Authority and created by Enochs, will be featured prominently in the departures area of the airport's new midfield terminal.
The centerpiece images of "Elemental Indiana" are of four basic geometric shapes, traditional in both Eastern and Western culture, to signify the four elements of earth, water, fire, and air that compose the human spirit. Enochs says the shapes of his sculpture evoke mankind's desire to fly; small images and texts scattered throughout the compositions refer to the geography of the state, indigenous peoples and their mark on the state, and humorous vignettes for individual discovery.
The composition will flank the portal from the ticket hall into the Civic Plaza, the main shopping and dining area of the new terminal.
Through commissioned, site-specific and/or architecturally integrated works of art, the New Indianapolis Airport will provide its visitors from the global community access to a wide variety of artists and art from Indianapolis, the United States and the world. The $3.9-million Airport Arts & Culture Program seeks to raise the level of interest and enjoyment of art and artists on the part of guests and residents alike.
According to Blackburn Architects, the architectural consultant for the project, numerous art projects will be featured in the new terminal at the $1.1-billion New Indianapolis Airport, which is scheduled to open in late 2008. The terminal is being built between the two existing main runways. The project also includes new highway access, new and improved parking and support facilities, and improved utilities and airside operations.
