Location
Kansas City International Airport Arrivals Roadway
Project TeamJill Anholt,
Zoë Jackson, Left Hand Lighting, Imagine Design and Production Ltd, Bryan Starr (Tarantino Engineering)
StatusCompleted January 2023
Photography & Videography by Nic Lehoux
Sky Prairie is a suspended kinetic installation located along the Arrivals Roadway of the Kansas City International Airport. The artwork offers travelers an unexpected, immersive experience as they take their first steps from the terminal into western Missouri. Inspired by the region’s rolling hills and wind-swept grasses, the installation is composed of two distinct sculptural forms, each made from thousands of aluminum tubes painted in shades of gold and orange. Suspended on aircraft cables, the tubes respond to air currents and passing traffic, shifting gently in wavelike patterns that evoke the surrounding prairie landscape. Sequenced LED lighting glows warmly, creating a dynamic, experiential gateway for arriving passengers.