The Salt Lake City Department of Airports marked the completion of The New SLC on Oct. 23 by unveiling "Crossroads to the World." This suspended installation, consisting of about 2,500 colorful, laser-cut acrylic airplanes, serves as the final art piece in the airport’s 12-year rebuild.
The new installation is fabricated from acrylic and coated with dichroic film, a light-sensitive, reflective coating that creates dynamic shades of color as lighting shifts throughout the day. The pieces are hung on stainless steel cables and from a stainless-steel mesh supported by a 24-foot diameter stainless-steel ring. The work mirrors the "Swallows in Flight" installation in Concourse B-west, which opened in 2025, and includes thousands of laser-cut acrylic bird shapes in recognition of the Great Salt Lake located north of the airport.
Artist Gordon Huether, who was commissioned early in the program to design several major, structurally integrated art pieces, described the project as one of the great honors of his career. Huether's contributions to the airport include "The Canyon," a 400-foot-long by 22-foot-tall installation depicting Utah’s slot canyon landscape, and "The Falls," which cascades 65 feet from the ceiling to the floor of the central escalators.
Other major works by Huether include "The Column Plates and Benches," which echo the theme of The Canyon, and "The River Tunnel," a 1,000-foot-long tunnel connecting A and B concourses that is reminiscent of a dry riverbed. Additionally, "The Northern Light" is a suspended spherical sculpture in Concourse B Plaza, while "The Peaks" consists of five weathered steel mountainous sculptures at the airport campus entrance, the tallest reaching 90 feet.
Additional interior art includes "Whimsy Walls" in restrooms, a 38-foot-by-38-foot "World Map" from the original airport, and "Near Distance" near the TSA security checkpoint exit, which was fabricated from plaster, salt from the Great Salt Lake, charcoal, and cast copper alloy. Other works include "The Four Seasons" murals in the Mid-Concourse Tunnel and the stained-glass installation "You Are Here," which was moved from the legacy airport to the Gateway.
The New SLC Redevelopment Program began in July 2014 as a $5.1 billion project to replace three aging terminals with a central terminal and two linear concourses. The project has seen several milestones, including Phase 1 in September 2020, Phase 2 in October 2023, and Phase 3 in October 2024. Following the opening of four gates in July 2026, the remaining seven gates and six concessions are scheduled to open on October 27, 2026. The completed airport will feature 94 aircraft gates and 101 concessions.
The remaining seven gates and six concessions for The New SLC are scheduled to open on October 27, 2026.
