Reno-Tahoe Airport Authority Selects Artist for New Headquarters Building Public Art Installation

RENO, Nev. (Aug. 19, 2026) – The Reno-Tahoe Airport Authority (RTAA) has selected nationally-recognized artist Jason Hoelscher to create the next major installation in its growing Arts at the Airport program.

Hoelscher’s work titled, “Open Ascent,” will be installed in the interior entryway lobby on the ground floor of the new Police and Airport Authority Headquarters (The HQ) at the Reno-Tahoe International Airport (RNO), along with five exterior concrete walkway artworks. Through a competitive RFQ process, Hoelscher’s work was selected by the RTAA Arts Advisory Committee and approved by the RTAA Board of Trustees.

Hoelscher has partnered with Corradini Corp., a professional terrazzo contractor, and BayStone Inc., a local Reno-based concrete fabrication and installation company, to professionally fabricate and integrate the custom artwork in the new HQ walkways

This custom terrazzo floor will include an aviation-themed medallion centered in the lobby, evoking “ground to sky, landscape to flight,” with three wave forms suggesting river channels, air currents and the lift of wind crossing the Sierra Nevadas. Together, they act as visual cues that guide visitors and staff through the lobby. Exterior concrete inlays tell the Modern Mountain story as visitors and staff arrive, tying to the overall design theme used throughout MoreRNO projects.

“Airports are fundamentally about movement and connection, and Reno-Tahoe’s high desert, mountains and open sky offered a rich place to start,” said Hoelscher. “With ‘Open Ascent,’ I wanted to translate the Sierra, the Truckee River, and the region’s aviation history into a unified visual language, stretching from the five plaza inlays outside into the terrazzo lobby within. My hope is that the artwork feels genuinely connected to the building’s visitors and to the officers and staff who keep the airport running day to day.”

The HQ building is scheduled for completion in summer 2027. Through the MoreRNO program, the RTAA is creating a modern, meaningful sense of place across both airports through high-quality public art that reflects northern Nevada’s natural beauty, culture and rich aviation history. Hoelscher’s installation represents the next evolution of the Arts at the Airport program and the airport’s commitment in dedicating a minimum of 1% of design and construction costs for capital improvement projects to public art at RNO and Reno-Stead Airport.

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About Arts at the Airport
The Reno-Tahoe Airport Authority (RTAA) Board of Trustees have pledged a minimum one percent of design and construction costs for capital improvement projects in public spaces from RTAA funds for art at Reno-Tahoe International Airport (RNO) and Reno-Stead Airport (RTS). RNO strives to engage passengers, enrich the travel experience and reflect the vibrant culture of the region through all forms of art. For more details, visit renoairport.com/arts. 

About Jason Hoelscher Studio  
Jason Hoelscher an artist, curator, and professor with 30 years of international exhibitions and public art experience, from Los Angeles to New York City, and from Berlin to Hong Kong. Hoelscher holds a BFA and MFA in studio art, a PhD in aesthetics, and certificate training in Design Thinking & Innovation from Harvard Business School Online. Since the late 1990s, he’s conceived, budgeted, and delivered over 200 installations, from gallery exhibitions to complex multi-site projects requiring cranes, forklifts, and close stakeholder coordination. Hoelscher is currently a Professor of Interdisciplinary Art at Georgia Southern University in Savannah, where he teaches everything from freshman color theory and 2D design through MFA thesis.