clayton merrell dcab - Pittsburgh International Airport

CLAYTON
MERRELL
The Sky
Beneath
Our Feet
2015
ART IN
THE AIRPORT
Pittsburgh International
Airport and Art:
A Perfect Match
The Allegheny County Airport Authority is
committed to best practices in growing and
maintaining the art collection of the airport and
does so with the guidance and assistance of the
Airport Art Advisory Committee.
Art in the Airport Program’s Purpose
To manage an art collection of style, diversity
and beauty to be enjoyed by our traveling
public and employees that promotes public art
and enhances the airport environment.
CREDIT LINES
Allegheny County Airport Authority
LGA Partners
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Roman Mosaic & Tile
West Chester, Pennsylvania
Mosites Construction Company
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Office of Public Art
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
SAI Consulting Engineers
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
The Art
Artist Clayton Merrell envisioned the circular central
hub of the airport as a spectacular sky and the
experience of striding across the surface as a beautiful
and extraordinary extension of the magic of air travel.
This 69,000 square foot (1.5 acre) endeavor has transformed
the central core of Pittsburgh International Airport into a
blue sky. The central sky is encircled by a horizon featuring
silhouettes of iconic Pittsburgh landmarks and neighborhoods.
White lines connect points around the horizon, unifying sites
and acting as pathways between locations within the airport,
implying the universal connectivity central to global air travel
today. Along these “flight paths,” travelers encounter inlaid
aluminum silhouettes of various aircraft.
As part of the $10 millon renovation of the center core into
a high-fashion hub featuring new stores and world-renowned
boutiques, this new terrazzo floor has transformed the
airside terminal. The simple act of walking across the floor
evokes the freedom, speed and openness of flight. Travelers
encounter a modern floor surface with a breathtaking
design that captures the spirit of flight and the rich heritage
of Pittsburgh.
The Artist
Clayton Merrell grew up in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
and Puerto Ordaz, Venezuela. He studied painting and
printmaking at the Yale School of Art, where he earned
a Master of Fine Arts in 1995. He received a Fulbright
Grant to Oaxaca, Mexico in 1996–1997.
His works are in the collections of the Smithsonian Museum,
the American Embassy in Belmopan, Belize and numerous
private and corporate collections. His work is exhibited widely,
with recent exhibitions at: The Westmoreland Museum of
American Art, Greensburg, PA; A+D Gallery, Chicago, IL;
The Roswell Museum and Art Center, Roswell, NM;
Concept Gallery, Pittsburgh, PA; and the Chautauqua Institute,
Chautauqua, NY.
In 2005 he was Artist of the Year at the Pittsburgh Center
for the Arts. He has received awards and grants from the
Virginia Center for the Creative Arts, Skowhegan, the Millay
Colony for the Arts, the Blue Mountain Center, the Vermont
Studio Center, ProArts, Artists Image Resource and the
Roswell Artist-in-Residence Foundation.
He is currently a Professor of art at Carnegie Mellon University.
Print design: Little Kelpie
Our
Neighborhoods:
Our History And
Future
Pittsburgh is a city
comprised of more
than 90 individual
neighborhoods, each with
distinct identities and
characteristics. Iconic places
in five neighborhoods are
depicted in skylines around
the central core. They
were carefully outlined
and fabricated by terrazzo
craftsmen.
HOMESTEAD
Carrie Furnaces
iron from 1907 to 1978. They reached their peak
production in the 1950s and 1960s when they
were producing 1,000–1,250 tons of iron a day.
Towering 92 feet over the Monongahela
River, the Carrie Furnaces were blast furnaces
used in iron-making and steel production at
the region’s largest steel mill, the Homestead
Works. Built in 1907, the furnaces produced
Since the collapse of the region’s steel industry
in the 1970s and 1980s, these are the only nonoperative blast furnaces in the Pittsburgh region
to remain standing.
The site of the former Homestead Works
is now managed by the Rivers of Steel
National Heritage Area, an organization
dedicated to education and historical and
environmental preservation.
NORTH SHORE
past, and as a transition into the topographical
map of the Monongahela Valley that meanders
through the food court area.
Heinz Field, PNC Park,
Carnegie Science Center
The Homestead skyline and Carrie Furnaces
serve as a reminder of Pittsburgh’s industrial
Concourse
Concourse
D
A
The North Shore has two world-class
sports stadiums: PNC Park, home
of the Pittsburgh Pirates, and Heinz
Field, home of the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Also located on the North Shore are
several cultural institutions such as
The Carnegie Science Center, The Andy
Warhol Museum, and concert venue
Stage AE.
Major riverfront improvements and
trail construction make the North
Shore a popular destination for
millions of sports fans, concertgoers
and tourists each year.
Food court
OAKLAND
Carnegie Museums,
Phipps Conservatory and
Botanical Gardens
DOWNTOWN
The Oakland neighborhood is known
as the education and healthcare
hub of the city. It is home to several
universities including the University of
Pittsburgh, Carnegie Mellon University
and Carlow University.
Shopping
Downtown boasts one of the most
beautiful views in the country. Often
referred to as the Golden Triangle,
Downtown is home to many of
Pittsburgh’s major corporations,
colleges and universities, Cultural
District, historic courthouse and
administrative offices. Downtown
is located at the confluence of the
Allegheny and the Monongahela
Rivers, which merge to form the Ohio.
Shopping
SOUTH SIDE
Smithfield Street Bridge,
Duquesne Incline
Once home to many steel-producing
companies, the South Side has been
redeveloped into riverfront trails,
parks, retail plazas and commercial
offices. The neighborhood features
steep slopes, where public stairways
and a historic incline lead to amazing
vistas of Downtown. Currently the
second oldest bridge made of steel
in the country, the Smithfield Street
Bridge crosses the Monongahela,
linking Downtown to the South Side.
The Duquesne Incline was originally
built to carry freight but now serves
as a functional mode of public transit.
The main branch of the Carnegie
Library of Pittsburgh is also
located in this neighborhood, with
branches extending into many city
neighborhoods.
Shopping
Concourse
C
The Carnegie Museums are also
headquartered in Oakland. This
institution includes the Carnegie
Museum of Natural History, Carnegie
Museum of Art, as well as The Andy
Warhol Museum and the Carnegie
Science Center, which are located
on the North Shore. The Carnegie
Museum of Art was founded in
1895 and continues to house a
permanent collection, while hosting
a contemporary survey called ‘The
Carnegie International’, the oldest
recurring contemporary art exhibition
in North America. These museums
draw more than a million visitors and
program participants each year.
Concourse
B
Phipps Conservatory and Botanical
Gardens is an institution dedicated
to educating the public about the
importance of conservation and
sustainability. Meeting Living Building
certification, the Conservatory offers
educational programming for youth
and adults, as well as supports
research in the fields of ethnobotany,
biodiversity and conservation,
landscape and brownfield restoration,
and sustainable landscapes.
TERRAZZO:
THE STANDARD
FOR BEAUTY AND
FUNCTIONALITY
The process of translating this twodimensional design into an area larger
than a football field relied on a unique
partnership and collaboration between
artist, architects and terrazzo craftsmen.
The process began with detailed floor
preparation. The substrate concrete
was patched and coated with a flexible
epoxy to ensure that the terrazzo would
not shift with the movement of the
foundation. This was completed in
multiple phases in order for the airport to
retain functionality.
The design was stenciled onto the floor,
then craftsmen outlined the shapes with
thin zinc dividers. The terrazzo aggregate,
a mixture of marble, quartz, granite,
glass, and other chips, and an epoxy
resin binding agent was custom-mixed
to match the design colors. Similar to
a paint-by-numbers exercise, each color
was carefully troweled by hand to fill
precise areas according to the design.
Once the colors were laid out and
curing complete, the surface was ground
to a high polish. Multiple sealers were
then applied, giving the colors added
luminosity.
SMITHFIELD STREET BRIDGE
BOEING 737
HAMERSCHLAG HALL, CARNEGIE MELLON UNIVERSITY
DUQUESNE INCLINE
WRIGHT FLYER
DOWNTOWN
NORTH SHORE
COMMUNICATIONS SATELLITE
“The
intended
effect is
to defy
gravity
and
induce a
feeling of
flying—a
bit like
being a kid
lying on
the ground
gazing up
into the
clouds.”
Clayton Merrell
ARTIST