The scenic landscape and beauty of Alaska bring people there every year to visit, explore and simply enjoy nature. For some that experience can now start even before they leave the airport, as those arriving via the Fairbanks International Airport will be greeted by decorative glass artwork inspired by the region’s terrain. Located in the airport’s new terminal, glass artist David Ruth of Oakland, Calif., created a stainless steel and cast glass wall designed to represent a contour map of a portion of the Yukon River at Tanana, Alaska, about 125 miles from Fairbanks. Ruth says that from his initial visit to Fairbanks to discuss the idea to the installation, the project took almost two years to the day.

“The glass is re-cycled and from Gerresheimer Glass Company KG-33, a Pyrex analog. I used it because when fused it shows white veils that resemble ice; here it represents the frozen river,” says Ruth. “We ground and polished the glass; both the glass and the stainless steel were water-jet cut by Larry Berk of Creative Cutting Service/Artist Technical Service of Watsonville, Calif.”Ruth says the challenge artistically was to provide artwork that would disappear when people were looking through the piece to see their friends descend the stairs and escalators from the arriving planes.

“The piece is present when you look at it but needed to have a certain degree of transparency so you could look through it, too,” explains Ruth.
So far the project has received many positive reviews from the local population.
“It has a local theme, so even though I am an outsider, I think this piece will be particularly prized by the local community; everyone can relate to maps and the lay of the land,” says Ruth, who adds, “I love doing work that participates in the public sphere, especially pieces that are available to everyone.”