Artwork Highlights Terminal's Handmade, Mind Made Themes

In conceiving Terminal 2, officials at Raleigh-Durham International Airport strived to highlight North Carolina's tradition of handmade craftsmanship as well as its mind made technological innovations. Eight large-scale artworks commissioned for the new terminal reflect one or both themes.

Ed Carpenter's Triplet hangs high in the ceiling of the tall central atrium. Hand-finished wood masts tipped with dichroic glass and LED lighting pay homage to North Carolina's legacy of craftsmanship.

Suspended from steel cables, the sculpture creates triangular forms on the ceiling and floor in tribute to the Research Triangle region.

Jane Filer's 45-foot mural titled Friendly Folks features the Research Triangle Region's 13 international sister cities.

The painting is displayed near the international baggage claim. The area remains open to the general public whenever an international flight is not being processed.

In the ticketing lobby, a work by Dunne Dittman features more than 5,000 signatures of citizens who visited the terminal during the Phase One open house. The signatures are digitally etched onto a 6-foot-by-four-foot section of seafoam glass.

The glass is illuminated by LED lights and encased in a contemporary stand made of reclaimed ambrosia maple and walnut wood.

Ellen Driscoll's massive Wingspun extends 780 feet along the international arrivals corridor.

The glass installation offers visitors a poetic set of coordinates to guide them as they disembark international flights and walk to U.S. Customs.

Driscoll's piece combines large gestures easily caught by those walking at a quick pace, as well as more detailed "micro gestures" that repeat travelers will discover.