RIC officials dedicate inaugural public, nature-inspired art

Dogwood flowers now bloom year-round at Richmond International Airport.

On Tuesday, airport leaders officially unveiled a 24-foot sculpture of a dogwood tree in bloom. The bright, larger-than-life depiction of Virginia’s state tree in full bloom with three different types of hummingbirds gives visitors and residents who are setting off or returning from a journey a sense of place, officials said.

“We're entering an era of transformation at the Richmond International Airport, and one of the key focuses of our five-pillar strategic plan is elevating the passenger journey and modernizing and personalizing their experience,” Perry Miller airport CEO said at the ribbon cutting.

“Today's ribbon cutting is the first public art installation and only a start to the many enhancements you'll see over the next few years. As part of the vision towards Richmond International Airport to become the region’s preferred gateway of the world and delivering world-class customer service and experience.”

Miller said the airport is committed to a welcoming atmosphere filled with beautiful and inviting spaces throughout the airport for passengers and visitors to relax and enjoy.

“I am confident that this new green space anchored by the striking piece of art will be visited frequently by passengers and visitors alike, to take pictures and to well wish and initiate their goodbyes and hellos, by community members,” Miller said.

The art installation called Travel Companions was a part of the airport’s center core construction project that renovated the triangular-shaped open parking area that will soon include electric vehicle charging stations. Officials said the renovation was part of an investment to beautify and improve public spaces, to make the airport welcoming for arrivals and memorable for people departing, highlighting local and regional features that make the area unique.

The sculpture with large, bright green petals surrounding it on the ground along with seating, had a total price tag of $400,000. Last July the Capital Region Airport Commission voted to endorse a $4.49-million contract for the entire center core project with ARW Contracting in Chester, which was the lowest bidder.

The airport’s center core renovation includes storm drainage improvements, a concrete walkway, pavers and lighting. Landscaping elements of the space include plantings, mulch, turf and an automatic irrigation system.

“We are thrilled to know that the inviting space we dreamed of creating has come to fruition and is available for our community at large to enjoy,” said Henrico County Supervisor and Capital Region Airport Commission Vice Chair Tyrone Nelson. “And at the center of it, Travel Companions represents the essence of the airport and of the Commonwealth of Virginia.”

The Travel Companions sculpture draws parallels between the dogwood and the airport as travel hubs and the hummingbirds and passengers as travelers journeying to their next destination, according to a press release.

“Just like us, we travel all around. These birds travel from Mexico all the way up to Canada, and they stop through here. I see this project as ‘the airport brings in people, as the dogwood brings in the hummingbird,’” said Travel Companions artist Matthew Mazzotta at the ribbon cutting. “This project is about ecology, the relationship with animals and plants, but it's also about our multicultural shared world. It's about all of us living together.”

Mazzotta makes public art that he describes as playing a role in shaping identity, giving people something to relate to or telling a location’s larger story. Travel Companions is made from commercial grade structural steel with automotive paint that Mazzotta said will last for decades.

The bright colors are inspired by the diverse species and local ecology of Virginia and are a metaphor for the region’s vibrant multicultural community. The airport engaged the community to name the birds after local historical and current human and animal residents and iconic locations.

RIC asked social media fans to suggest names for the birds that fans later voted on. They selected Henry, after Patrick Henry, who delivered the famous revolutionary war era "Give Me Liberty or Give Me Death" speech at St. John's Church; Hollywood, after the historic cemetery overlooking the James River; and Hummie Mae, a variation of the runner-up name, Hammie Mae, for a pygmy hippopotamus born at the Metro Richmond Zoo.

“Travel Companions is a celebration of nature, culture, and diversity, reflecting the rich ecological and social tapestry of Virginia,” said Mazzotta. “These winged travelers often share the very same flight paths we do, serving as a beautiful reminder of our coexistence within a shared world.”

Richmond Audubon Society President Alan Wingfield stood by a table with a display board showing the migration patterns of the ruby throated hummingbird – the only breeding hummingbird of the eastern coast of Virginia, which is about as heavy as the weight of a penny and can fly 500 miles on a single flight from the United States to Central America.

“It's wonderful that the artist was inspired by the iconic dogwoods and hummingbirds. I was really excited. He got inspiration from two awesome parts of our nature in general,” Wingfield said.

“The sculpture's called Traveling Companion. The hummingbird's a good one to pick, if you want a bird to illustrate what nature can do in terms of flight. A hummingbird is such a small bird, that is able to travel such long distances without feeding or anything. It's amazing.”

“I think it is a great start to our intentional focus on trying to make the airport more culturally forward intentionally including art,” said Three Chopt District Supervisor Misty Roundtree, who sits on the CRAC. “We talked about that in other features of the airport, where we want to make it an aesthetically pleasing place to be. We visited airports all over the country, and it makes a difference.”

Roundtree’s son flies in from the Philippines next week.

“The first thing I'm going to have him do is come here, and take a picture in one of the leaves,” Roundtree said. “We're glad to have the construction over for sure and we can't wait to see the community using it.”

“We're excited about the millions of dollars of improvements that are coming to the airport,” Nelson said.

Travelers can expect more art as RIC prepares for considerable construction in the coming years as the RIC Commission plans for more artistic means to give people a sense of the appeal and richness of the area.

Last November , the airport consulting firm Kutchins & Groh, LLC, was awarded a contract estimated to amount to nearly $3.2 million for planning and engineering services for RIC’s planned consolidated security checkpoint. Consolidated checkpoint design charrette presentations at the CRAC have shown artistic design elements that reflect the area’s environmental features such as the James River.

At the CRAC’s two-day retreat this summer, a document outlining the airport’s planned capital improvements listed the cost of the consolidated security checkpoint design at $13.8 million. Construction of the consolidated security checkpoint is budgeted at $252 million, and the total amount for the capital improvement projects at RIC this year totals $365 million. Not all of the construction projects will be visible to the public.

“A “rule of thumb” for RIC is that the airport intends to set aside approximately 1% of capital development costs for future public art projects,” Troy Bell, RIC communications director, wrote in an email.

This year so far, 2.3 million passengers have used Richmond International Airport, with 4.9 million flyers using the airport in FY 2026. Currently, those flying south to Mexico and Central America, like the hummingbirds’ migration path in the winter, must connect at another airport.

But starting on Jan. 8, 2027, paying passengers will be able to fly directly from RIC to Cancún, Mexico with Breeze Airways.

Dina Weinstein is the Citizen’s community vitality reporter and a Report for America corps member, covering housing, health and transportation. Support her work and articles like this one by making a contribution to the Citizen.