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Steamboat Springs — As flight operations powered down at Yampa Valley Regional Airport on Thursday afternoon, gates five and six were quiet except for the hum of a vacuum cleaner and the occasional interruption of a prerecorded safety message from the Transportation Security Administration.

Sitting in a long row of empty seats near the gates, YVRA Business Manager Doris Mayhan examined a row of the quilts hanging around her that was as diverse and detailed as the waiting area was clean and controlled.

“It can be kind of stressful to be in an airport,” Mayhan said. “You don’t know if your flights are going to be on time and when you’ll make it home. These quilts give the mind something else to think about. They help create a homey, soothing atmosphere.”

The quilts, which were stitched by “quilting bees” from the Yampa Valley and from quilting guilds in Steamboat and Craig, are an early step in Mayhan’s plan to land more artwork in the airport to ultimately give it a stronger identity.

Gates two and three soon could host rotating exhibits from local artists, Mayhan said, and gate four has the potential to add a leatherworking and braiding exhibit.

“And the security screeners have approached me saying they would like something put on the blank walls near their screening area,” she added. “There is a lot of wall space in this airport.”

She said the future artwork will bolster what already has been added to the airport this year. A Tread of Pioneers Museum exhibit focusing on the history of Carl Howelsen was installed Friday near the security checkpoint, and passengers waiting for bags now will notice a glass case chronicling the importance of the quarter horse to Hayden.

“I think there is a fairly diverse population that comes into (YVRA) for a variety of reasons, and I would like them to be drawn in by the pieces of artwork in there,” said Amy Laugesen, an artist from Denver who in September 2010 created the ceramic horses that make up the recently installed “Hayden Herd” exhibit at YVRA. “It gives them a taste of the American West, and hopefully they find it interesting.”

Laugesen sculpted the horses that create the herd inside a historic barn in Hayden. She said she was able to open the doors to the wooden structure and pull inspiration from the rustic scenes in front of her.

Mayhan said Laugesen’s exhibit is an example of how artwork can help tell the story of the Yampa Valley to passengers right out of the gate.

“I’m very proud of our local heritage and culture, and I want to share that with the guests who come in here,” Mayhan said. “I also want the community to buy into the fact that the airport is something for the local community as well as for the guests who fly into the valley. We’re trying to hold everybody’s interest.”

To reach Scott Franz, call 970-871-4210 or email scottfranz@SteamboatToday.com