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Art-Lovers, Aviation Buffs Can Enjoy STL’s Lambert Airport Without Leaving Home

The Lambert International Airport roof was installed in 1956 and sustained damage from a tornado in 2011.
NikonHiker | Flickr |2011

The old copper roof at Lambert airport is enjoying a revival on the walls of St. Louis homes and businesses.

Detail from Honeymoon by Firecracker Press offset plate made from Lambert roof copper
Credit Provided by Lambert International Airport
Detail from Honeymoon by Firecracker Press

The roof was installed in 1956 and replaced last year. Lambert officials asked local presses to create printmaking plates from the discarded copper tile, and artists came up with three sets of limited-edition prints with nostalgic themes. One, by Firecracker press, shows a young, mid-century couple happily heading for their honeymoon.

Another, by Artist Amanda Verbank of Pele Prints, depicts flight paths printed on paper airplanes. Airport director Rhonda Hamm-Niebruegge remembered one buyer who was reminded of a childhood obsession.

“He said, ‘I just love paper airplanes. I was a kid and I flew paper airplanes,’” Hamm-Niebruegge said. “So I think it’s just a wide range of interests.”

Take Flight by Amanda Verbank offset sheet made from Lambert roof copper
Credit Provided by Lambert International Airport
Take Flight by Amanda Verbank

Each of the three presses made 25 prints. About half of them are still for sale, on the Etsy site, for around $125.

The presses were paid a stipend. Money from sales goes to the Lambert Art and Culture Program, which funds the display of art at the airport. There are currently 18 works exhibited at Lambert, some permanent installations, others on loan. In about a month, two pieces from Laumeier Sculpture Park will have a new temporary home inside the airport.

Architectural Significance

Some people are buying the roof-inspired pieces for their architectural interest. The Lambert terminal was designed by Minoru Yamasaki, who also planned the World Trade Center Towers and St. Louis’ Pruitt-Igoe housing project, among others structures.

Others are drawn by an appreciation for the art-making.

I Remember When by Gina Alvarez offset plate made from Lambert copper roof
Credit Provided by Lambert International Airport
I Remember When by Gina Alvarez

“What it took to make these prints, and the process these three individual companies went through to be able to actually take a piece of the roof, and turn it into something,” Hamm-Niebruegge explained.

When Lambert approached printmaker Gina Alvarez of Yellow Bear Prints about the project, she thought it was a cool idea. To Alvarez, the wear and tear on the roof’s copper tiles suggested clouds.

“When I travel, I always notice the clouds,” Alvarez noted. “Flight is a unique opportunity to be above them.”

Her title, “I Remember When” references an era when air travel was considered chic.

“So my work is on the nostalgic side and as well as a personal reflection,” Alvarez said.

Follow Nancy Fowler on Twitter: @NancyFowlerSTL

Nancy is a veteran journalist whose career spans television, radio, print and online media. Her passions include the arts and social justice, and she particularly delights in the stories of people living and working in that intersection.