Governor Kathy Hochul, Port Authority Executive Director Rick Cotton, Delta Air Lines, and Queens Museum President and Executive Director Sally Tallant celebrated the inauguration of Delta’s new$4 billion Terminal C at LaGuardia Airport and the unveiling of permanent large-scale art installations throughout the terminal. 

This significant partnership marks a one-of-a-kind collaboration between a museum, artists, a major airline, and an airport coming together to elevate the travel experience through visual art. When complete, the six commissioned works by artists Mariam Ghani, Rashid Johnson, Aliza Nisenbaum, Virginia Overton, Ronny Quevedo, and Fred Wilson will be permanently on view. The works include sculptures and painted ceramic murals that span the building’s multi-floor, light-filled entry space and other areas throughout the Delta terminal. 

The artworks will welcome travelers in the Terminal’s arrivals and departures halls and associated concourse, and illustrate to visitors and residents alike why New York is the most exciting cultural destination in the world. The project supports the Port Authority’s overall vision and plan to transform the customer experience across all its facilities, including at LaGuardia airport through inspirational public art, operational excellence, 21st century technology and world-class functionality. 

“It has been wonderful for the Queens Museum to work in partnership with Delta Air Lines and Port Authority on this long-term project. Commissioning permanent artworks by this incredible group of New York-based artists is an exciting way for the Museum to play a part in making the new Terminal C a world-class cultural destination” said Tallant. 

Additional information on the commissioned artworks: 

• Mariam Ghani’s The Worlds We Speak visualizes the linguistic diversity of the tri-state metropolitan area as a colorful mosaic of handmade ceramic tiles. For this commission, Ghani partnered with the Endangered Language Alliance (ELA), an organization that documents and promotes the diversity of languages spoken in New York City and beyond. The artist used data from ELA’s “NYC Language Map” to spotlight the over 700 languages and dialects spoken in the regions most served by LaGuardia Airport.  
• In “The Travelers” Broken Crowd, Rashid Johnson’s largest mural to date, he arranges sixty portraits in a grid format: some faces are obscured by sections of black wax and paint, while others are highlighted by jagged clusters of colorful tile and mirror fragments. The vibrant hum of the group reflects the energy and thrill of travel, while their direct gazes hint at the collective anxieties and concerns that connect all communities. The mural invites airport visitors to take a moment to reflect and “wander” in unexpected directions.   
• Aliza Nisenbaum’s mural, The Ones who Make it Run (Delta Terminal C, LaGuardia Airport), focuses on sixteen Delta and Port Authority employees as well as their service providers, among the many thousands who keep the terminal running smoothly each day. The painting includes pilots, flight attendants, police officers, firefighters, customer service agents, Urban Pathways staff (homeless outreach), taxi dispatchers, and individuals working in facilities and maintenance. Together, these employees represent the strength and diversity of the Delta and Port Authority community.
• For Skylight Gems, Virginia Overton repurposed salvaged skylight sections from junkyards and constructed matching halves to create new, enclosed structures illuminated from within. These jewels, suspended from each of the atrium’s three levels, are visible to travelers throughout the terminal. Conveying strength and delicacy, solidity and ephemerality, Overton’s gems celebrate the ingenuity of New York City’s architecture, while also capturing the excitement that travel—and the moment of arrival—inspires in both residents and tourists alike. 
• The gymnasium flooring in Ronny Quevedo’s Pacha Cosmopolitanism Overtime is a direct reference to soccer, the spirited games of Quevedo’s youth, and the thriving sports culture that connects travelers globally. Quevedo’s commission is an homage to the diverse communities that call New York City home, honoring their resilience amid new and changing circumstances. 
• Fred Wilson’s monumental work Mother incorporates black starlight globes and droplets, which he calls ‘drips.’ Wilson was inspired by his own experience while traveling via airplane: with the world below reduced to small dots, he reflected on humanity’s complex and enriching relationship with the earth. For Mother, Wilson has removed country names from the globes, instead using swatches of vibrant colors to distinguish land masses. Stripped of their use as maps or geographical aids, the globes illustrate instead how interconnected communities are today both locally and internationally. 

The 1.2 million square foot Terminal C at LaGuardia represents a major and historic step forward in the building of a whole new LaGuardia Airport. Delta Air Lines’ $4 billion redevelopment project, which broke ground in 2017, replaces the outdated Terminals C and D with a state-of-the-art new Terminal C. A key feature of the new terminal is that all 37 gates will be accessible through a single arrivals and departures hall rather than divided between the two structures it will replace. The opening of Delta’s new arrivals and departures hall also includes the opening of a 230,000 square foot concourse accommodating 10 new gates and featuring well known eateries and shops. 

Artworks by artists Mariam Ghani, Rashid Johnson, Virginia Overton and Ronny Quevedo are now officially open to the public. Pieces by Aliza Nisenbaum and Fred Wilson are currently under construction and set to be finalized by early Fall. 

Source: The Queens Museum (USA)