A massive public artwork spanning four floors originated from humble beginnings.
“It was a doodle on a piece of paper in an office where I had a very boring job, and it just grew.”
That’s artist Jerry Gretzinger.
“I realized when I got to the edge of the paper, I needed to keep going. And so, here we
are, 63 years later.”
Now that doodle covers 2,400 8x8 inch panels running up the walls of the Ford International Airport’s soon-to-open Consolidated Rental Car Facility.
Titled Jerry’s Map, it depicts a colorful bird’s-eye view of an imaginary city.
Gretzinger says he wants people to explore and discover their own interpretation.
“I want them to be scratching their heads, and saying, What's that about? Or to dive into some little part of it, that they find interesting. There's a lot of stories in there.”
Airport President and CEO Tory Richardson says the piece showcases the intersections of travel, adventure, movement and community – a unique piece in a unique facility.
“This Consolidated Rental Car Facility is the first of its kind in the state of Michigan. Really, the importance for passenger convenience is having all of their rental car activities happening in one place that’s connected.”
The Consolidated Rental Car Facility or CONRAC is scheduled to open this summer.
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