The six New York-based artists Rashid Johnson, Aliza Nisenbaum, Virginia Overton, Fred Wilson, Ronny Quevedo and Mariam Ghani will attempt to enliven a new terminal at LaGuardia Airport with art. Their permanent large-scale installations, which will include sculptures, paintings and ceramic murals, are due to be unveiled this spring at Terminal C, the $4bn Delta Air Lines terminal built as part of an $8 billion renovation of the airport.
The project, part of the $12m art budget for the terminal, is the result of a collaboration between the Queens Museum, Delta Air Lines, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, and the New York governor Kathy Hochul. It is envisioned to be a “celebration of Queens as the most diverse county in the US”, with works that reflect the history of immigration in the area, and serve as “a lasting symbol of New York being the epicentre of commerce and art around the globe”, according to Hochul.
More details will be revealed closer to the opening date. Among the commissions, Overton will devise an installation of gems suspended from the ceiling of the terminal's west atrium inspired by the skylights of New York City buildings; Ghani will create a mosaic mural illustrating the diverse languages of the tri-state area; and Nisenbaum will present a humanising painting depicting airport workers.
LaGuardia already contains several notable public artworks, including the mural Flight (1942) by James Brooks, sculptures by Richard Lippold, and works by Sarah Sze, Jeppe Hein, Laura Owens and Sabine Hornig commissioned for Terminal B by the nonprofit Public Art Fund.