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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Getting There: New airport art lets imagination take flight

“Conversations Between Clouds,” by Louise Kodis, evokes shapes and dreams of flight.  (Colin Mulvany)

The newest installation of public art at Spokane International Airport is described as “a flock of alluring, complex, three-dimensional floating shapes.”

Spokane Arts Director Karen Mobley goes on to say the work by fabric artist Louise Kodis “brightens and brings a lively energy to the airport rotunda with shapes that suggest dreams, ideas and facts about flying.”

The kitelike flying images are fashioned from organza silk with layers of the colored fabric stitched together to create a shimmering look.

“A lot of people are calling them kites, and that’s OK with me,” Kodis said. “I really leave it to the viewer to interpret them as they wish.”

She said the art includes representations of weather maps, aviation charts, cloud formations and symbols of Native American stories about flight, among other images.

The artwork took more than 130 hours of concentrated work over a period of two years, she said. Kodis employed a studio assistant.

The longtime Spokane artist has public and private art hanging all over the country, including at Shriners Hospital for Children in Spokane and the Northwest Museum of Arts and Culture.

With more than 2 million passengers moving through the rotunda annually, the new airport work is likely to be her most widely viewed piece locally.

Kodis, who has lived in Spokane for 40 years, was among a group of artists who started the Inland Craft Warnings holiday art show and sale 27 years ago.

Now known as Inland Crafts, the show is scheduled for Nov. 12-14 at the Spokane Convention Center.

Her installation on the ceiling of the rotunda is the latest in a series of public artwork placed at the airport in the past two years under a $300,000 public art program supported by airport funds and private donations.

A floor-to-ceiling mural by artist Tom Quinn in Concourse C commemorates the 1929 flight of the Sun-God by pilots Nick Mamer and Art Walker.

Artist Ken Yuhasz installed a fanciful “Aer-O-Toaster” that is part aircraft and part toaster in the Concourse C baggage claim.

Glass artist Steve Adams is completing a series of window panels that show sculpted scenes of the Inland Northwest near the baggage claim areas for Concourses A and B.

Student art also will be displayed under the program.

Airport spokesman Todd Woodard said the art is intended to make Spokane an interesting and welcoming place for visitors as well as residents.

Bus links Spokane, Kettle Falls

The Washington Department of Transportation on Wednesday will launch new public bus service between Spokane International Airport and Kettle Falls.

The twice-daily round trips will also serve the Spokane Transit Authority Plaza and the bus and train depot at Sprague Avenue and Bernard Street.

From there the bus will take passengers to Deer Park, Loon Lake, Chewelah, Addy, Arden, Colville and Kettle Falls.

Fares run from $5 to $48.

A ribbon-cutting is planned for Sept. 18 at the information center in Kettle Falls.

The bus line will be the fourth created by DOT to provide transportation to rural areas. The Gold Line is a partnership with Greyhound.

Other lines are the Grape Line from Walla Walla to Pasco; the Dungeness Line from Sea-Tac to the Olympic Peninsula; and the Apple Line from Ellensburg to Omak.

On the Gold Line, the van-type buses will be handicap-accessible and have bike racks.

For more information, go to www.gold-line.us.

School zones get special attention

Law enforcement agencies in North Idaho will step up enforcement Tuesday at school speed zones and crosswalks to remind motorists to be careful as students return to school.

The effort will be primarily in Kootenai County, but the Coeur d’Alene Tribal Police and Idaho State Police will be involved as well.

In addition, firefighters in Coeur d’Alene will help children get through crosswalks safely at schools.

Agencies elsewhere are urging drivers to remember to slow down in school zones and stop as required when school buses are loading or unloading. Also, motorists should be aware when driving near children walking or at play.

SpokeFest takes place Sunday

The SpokeFest 2010 bike ride event arrives Sunday at 9:30 a.m. with a series of route choices for riders

The main route is a 21-mile loop from downtown through northwest Spokane along the Spokane River, including a segment of the Centennial Trail.

The first mile of the route on Main and Clarke avenues will be closed to traffic from 9:15 to 10 a.m., said Bill Bender of the SpokeFest organization.

This is the event’s third year. Last year, 1,700 riders participated.

For more information or to register, go to spokefest.org.

Thurston Avenue reopens

Thurston Avenue from Arthur to Crestline streets has reopened on Spokane’s South Hill.

Work is continuing on 37th Avenue from Grand Boulevard to Perry Street; Second Avenue from Howard Street to Sunset Highway; and Hartson and 11th Avenue from Havana to Sherman streets.

Also, work is continuing on Northwest Boulevard from Alberta to Maple streets; Addison and Standard streets from Francis Avenue to Colton Place; Nevada Street south of Broad Avenue; and Wellesley Avenue from Assembly Street to Driscoll Boulevard.