CASCADE TOWNSHIP, Mich. (WOOD) — Gerald R. Ford Airport has chosen four local West Michigan artists to design their own terrazzo floor art in its new expansion.

The Concourse A extension will feature local art on the walls, floors, and suspended in the air. George Eberthardt III, Kim Nguyen, Maureen Nollette and Michael Pfleghaar are the artists Ford Airport has selected to install their floor designs.

The airport says each artist brings a unique viewpoint of West Michigan, “from the blues of Lake Michigan to the natural tans of the dunes, the grays and purples of the urban core to the greens of the forests and farmland in between,” according to a press release.

George Eberhardt III’s design takes inspiration from Katsushika Hokusai’s well-known “The Great Wave off Kanagawa,” to depict Lake Michigan and its water elements. He has experience as an artist, muralist and art teacher. He is also a previous ArtPrize winner.

Kim Nguyen’s art brings references to the cities and towns of Grand Rapids and West Michigan, honoring the community’s ties to the furniture industry. She has a personal tie to the airport.

“I have a photograph where I am two years old and meeting my three older brothers at Ford International Airport, it is there that I met them and my grandparents for the very first time. Though I was born in Grand Rapids, my family are refugees and immigrants from Vietnam, and I can’t imagine what they felt when they landed here in West Michigan,” Nguyen said in a statement.

Ford Airport has chosen Michael Pfleghaar, George Eberhardt III, Kim Nguyen and Maureen Nollette to design floor art in the new Concourse A expansion. (Courtesy Gerald R. Ford Airport)

Maureen Nollette has designed art to capture the Lake Michigan Dunes and the local plant life. She is a visiting assistant professor at Grand Valley State University in the Visual and Media Arts department.

Michael Pfleghaar’s paintings, which he created outdoors, were translated into flooring designs to represent West Michigan’s agriculture and forests. Some of his collections are featured around the area, including Grand Rapids Art Museum, Frederik Meijer Gardens and Sculpture Park and Steelcase, among other places.

The four terrazzo art pieces are expected to be installed completely by June 2023.