Robert Kushner’s “Welcome” at Raleigh-Durham International Airport
An eighty-foot-long marble mosaic, Welcome, was installed at the Raleigh Durham International Airport, North Carolina, in August 2010.
Passengers returning home or ending their journey at RDU will be greeted by a stone and glass mosaic mural created by Robert Kushner. The mural features a meadow of indigenous North Carolina flora and fauna. The familiar landscape of a meadow reminds travelers that they are at the end of a voyage and mimics the natural grasses found in North Carolina.
In the piece, Kushner incorporates the Terminal 2 roofline, which echoes the rolling hills of North Carolina. Beneath the hills is a close-up view of a meadow, which represents the humble elements of life that are easy to overlook in favor of more colorful events. However, when scrutinized, they yield a basic and dignified beauty that is specific and geographically unique. Kushner’s mural features five different meadow grasses that were collected after a study of native North Carolina grasses in bloom. The marble mosaic is 7-feet high by 85-feet long.
