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Red Rabbit Leaps into Conversations about New Sac Airport Terminal

Meet the red rabbit. This 56-foot-long aluminum sculpture by Denver artist Lawrence Argent is a centerpiece of the Sacramento airport’s new $1 billion terminal, which opened Oct. 6. According to the Associated Press, its looming presence has already inspired the nickname “the Hare-port.”

The rabbit – who is leaping into a granite suitcase on the baggage-claim floor – is one of 12 new public art pieces displayed in the terminal, at a combined cost of $6 million. He’s also a definite talking point for locals and visitors, whose reactions range from confused to inspired.

The new Terminal B houses eight airlines – all except Delta, United/Continental and U.S. Airways. The glass-and-steel terminal includes a 45-second shuttle to get from check-in to the departure gates, perhaps the biggest difference for travelers used to the one-building convenience of Terminal A.


After the security checkpoint, the energy-efficient, high-tech terminal opens into an airy seating area near restaurants, shops and departure gates.


The shiny horn sculpture near the windows is a piece of interactive art called “Your Words are Music to My Ears” by artists Po Shu Wang and Louise Bertelsen. Travelers can compose email messages, which are then translated via computer code into musical notes and played from the horn.

Hanging above the entryway past the security checkpoint is a striking piece called “Acorn Steam” (an anagram for “Sacramento”). This sculpture by Donald Lipski combines three oak tree trunks adorned with 5,000 hand-cut Austrian crystals.

To view Sacramento Bee photos of the new terminal, click here.

To see photos and learn more about the 12 art installations contained within the terminal, click here.

Candace L. Brown has been a newspaper and magazine reporter and editor since 1992. A longtime Redding resident, she’s flown many times out of the Sacramento airport. She admits her first reaction to the red rabbit was that it made her think of Spiderman. Candace can be reached at candace.freelance@gmail.com.

A News Cafe, founded in Shasta County by Redding, CA journalist Doni Greenberg, is the place for people craving local Northern California news, commentary, food, arts and entertainment. Views and opinions expressed here are not necessarily those of anewscafe.com.

Candace L. Brown

Candace L. Brown has been a newspaper and magazine reporter and editor since 1992, including eight years at the Redding Record Searchlight. She lives in Redding and can be reached at candace.freelance@gmail.com.

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