CASCADE TOWNSHIP, Mich. -- The Gerald R. Ford International Airport says that Grand Rapids native Jerry Gretzinger's art installation "Jerry's Map" will be displayed in the Consolidated Rental Car Facility that will open at the airport in the spring of 2026.
Jerry's Map is an abstract mixed-medium map of an imaginary city that he began drawing in 1963 and resumed years later. The two-dimensional art project is comprised of more than four-thousand 8-by-10-inch panels that form a circle. More than 2,400 of those panels will be used to span all four stories of the customer service building.
Here are more details from an airport news release:
Gretzinger’s renowned work, Jerry’s Map, will be displayed in the new Consolidated Rental Car Facility (CONRAC), which is expected to open in Spring 2026.
The installation at the Airport will feature a monumental selection from Jerry’s Map, including 2,441 panels, each measuring 8" x 10". This mural represents the 2015 stage of Gretzinger’s evolving artwork. The panels, printed on aluminum composite, will span the entire four stories of the CONRAC’s customer service building, capturing the intricate and generative nature of the map. The work blends cartography with abstract composition, inviting viewers to engage with a world of dynamic color and structure. The intricate process involves acrylic paint, markers, colored pencils, ink and inkjet prints.
"We are excited to showcase Jerry's exceptional artwork at the Ford International Airport," said Casey Ries, chief asset development officer for the Gerald R. Ford International Airport Authority. "His work not only reflects the history and character of our community but also offers travelers a unique and immersive artistic experience.
“Jerry’s Map will serve as an exciting introduction to the creativity and culture of West Michigan when the CONRAC opens in 2026, and we’re proud to share it with visitors from around the world."
Gretzinger, born in Grand Rapids in 1942, has spent decades developing Jerry’s Map, which began in 1963, as a representation of an imaginary place. Since then, it has evolved into an abstract composition, with changes determined by an elaborate set of rules and randomly generated instructions. The installation at the Airport will capture one of the most significant stages of this ongoing work.
"When I greeted my father at the old Kent County Airport on his return from the Navy in late 1945, I could never have imagined that 80 years later, I would be asked to provide artwork to adorn the walls of today's Airport,” said Gretzinger. “I am particularly honored that while having shown this work internationally, it has never before been permanently installed in a public building.
"That this should happen in my hometown is especially gratifying as the Airport was a magical place for me as a child, evoking images of maps and distant places."
Gretzinger’s artwork has been exhibited internationally, but this installation marks its first permanent public display. The Ford International Airport is proud to bring this extraordinary piece of art to the West Michigan community and to travelers from around the world.
For more information about the Ford International Airport Art Program, please visit FlyFord.org/art.
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Photo: Source: GFIA