"Sea-Tac wows public"

Sunday, June 13, 2004

Sea-Tac wows public 
Olympia artist's work seen on tour of colorful art
The Olympian (WA)


SEATAC -- Even a traveler running late for a flight will find it hard to
miss the imaginative art in Seattle-Tacoma International Airport's new $587
million concourse. 

The 2,100-feet-long Concourse A opens to travelers Tuesday. On Saturday, the
airport invited the public to enjoy the art and other highlights of the
project before restricting it to ticket-only passengers when flights start
rolling up. 

The open house provided a chance for those who might not fly to gaze at the
amber glass wall made up of 82 painted silk-screened panels called
"Traveling Light." And they could enjoy the 200-foot-long copper wall
sculpture and the mosaic columns colorfully rising to the ceiling. 

"This was our way of saying to the public, 'We hope you travel, but in case
you don't, you can come in and see it anyway,' " airport spokeswoman Rachel
Garson said. 

Grabbing a lot of attention was the 90-by-33-foot stained-glass painting
dominating the windows at the far end of the concourse. The artist, Cappy
Thompson, is a graduate of The Evergreen State College who alternates time
between her home in Olympia and her studio in Seattle. 

The hand-painted glass enamel work called "I Was Dreaming of Spirit Animals"
is a wedge-shaped midnight-blue sky, swirling with animal constellations. A
sun and moon deity glides across, with a stream of golden blessings dropping
to artistic versions of Thompson and her husband, Olympia attorney Charlie
Williams, who are asleep in bed. 

"I worked for about a year on it," said Thompson, 52, who got a chance to
appreciate her own work Saturday as she stood at the carpeted gate area
where it's displayed and accepted accolades from spectators. 

The Port of Seattle commissioned $1.8 million worth of art for the new
concourse. Members of the public could join guided tours of all the new
sights provided by Port of Seattle officials. 

Thompson spent three months in Germany, where the glass was fabricated. The
inspiration came to her in a series of dreams over the years, she said. 

Airport buzz 

The airport was abuzz with enthusiasm. A jazz band played at one end of the
concourse, and the scent of lattes and new carpet wafted into the air. 

"We're really proud to be Seattle-ites in this place," said Joan Loop, who
added that she came to see the art. 

Construction began on the project in February 2001, although it has been in
the works for about eight years. The project finished on time but with
budget overruns, including $122 million in additional costs due to new
standards for baggage-scanning systems imposed after the Sept. 11, 2001,
attacks. Those still are under construction, airport spokesman Bob Parker
said. 

It was the first major construction project completed since the 1970s, he
said. 

The concourse branches off a towering atrium with 70-foot high ceilings,
where travelers will greet those awaiting their arrival. And standing
conspicuously quiet were a row of new baggage claim carousels and 31 new
ticket counters. The ticketing booths are equipped with a new computer
system that should get passengers through more quickly. 

And for the first time, the corridors were wide and long enough for the
airport to install conveyor-belt sidewalks to carry travelers to and from
the concourse's 14 gates. The concourse is equal to the length of about
seven football fields. 

Sea-Tac is the 16th busiest airport in the country, with about 27 million
passengers annually. 

"I think it's been a long time coming," said Ray Hedzick of Everett, who
drove down with his wife, Darlene, to meander through the new concourse. "I
think we've really needed something like this." 

Hedzick marveled at the high ceilings and how light and airy the concourse
seemed. His wife was impressed with the large, elegant bathrooms and the
addition of several new food concessions and shops. 

About 25 percent of the new bars, shops and concession stands belong to
small-business owners, Parker said. 

The concourse is only the beginning of about $4 billion in improvements
slated for the airport, including a new central terminal and the addition of
a controversial third runway, which is scheduled for completion in 2008,
Parker said. 

There are some drawbacks to having a spacious new concourse. 

"For me, it's going to be a very long walk," said Officer Anthony Young, a
15-year veteran with the Port of Seattle Police Department, who also is a
bomb-disposal technician. "But we'll adapt as we go." 

Attached Photo's:

Visitors walk past the "Voyager" exhibit in the atrium of Seattle-Tacoma
International Airport's Concourse A during a grand opening celebration
Saturday. The event allowed nonpassengers to explore before security
restrictions begin Tuesday. 

Olympia resident Cappy Thompson's stained-glass painting called "I Was
Dreaming of Spirit Animals" drew a crowd.

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