Travelers will be able to experience immersive art experiences while journeying through John F. Kennedy International Air Terminal 4, as JFKIAT, the operator of Terminal 4, announced on Wednesday that it is expanding the T4 Arts & Culture program to present a curated, ongoing series of installations, exhibits and performances throughout the year that represent the full New York City experience, from local art and music, to food, culture, and beyond.
JFKIAT formed a new committee to facilitate the program, including the Museum of the City of New York (MCNY), Delta Air Lines, The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, and the Terminal Four Airline Consortium.
“As a Queens-based business and the gateway to New York City for millions of people, it is important to us that we foster a vibrant, welcoming environment within our terminal that truly embodies and celebrates the diverse communities around us,” said Roel Huinink, President and CEO of JFKIAT. “The T4 Arts & Culture program will connect passengers to New York City in the same way that Terminal 4 connects travelers to the world through an immersive art and cultural experience. We are so proud to collaborate with the Museum of the City of New York, Delta Air Lines, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, and Terminal Four Airline Consortium to bring this vision to life.”
The expansion of the T4 Arts & Culture program began on March 29 with the unveiling of MCNY’s inaugural triennial photography exhibition, titled New York Now: Home. Coinciding with the opening of the exhibition, which is on view at MCNY through August 27th, the T4 Arts & Culture program is presenting a Queens-based digital installation focusing on artists who live in Queens or who make Queens the subject of their work. New York Now: Home examines contemporary ideas of ‘home’, highlighting the dwellings and experiences of New Yorkers, encompassing a variety of viewpoints as diverse as the city itself, and invites viewers to engage with the city through a new perspective.
New York City is the world center of photography and has been a source of inspiration for generations of Image-makers going back to the advent of the medium itself,” said Dr. Sarah Henry, PhD, Chief Curator of The Museum of the City of New York.
A selection of 15 powerful images is now on display throughout Terminal 4, along with two viewing stations in the center of the Retail Hall. The viewing stations will offer a ‘home-style’ setting, furnished with a couch, television screen, house plants, and more; a space where travelers can feel at home.
“As New York City’s storyteller for the last century, it’s a thrill to partner with Terminal 4 to bring arts and culture to all who travel to and through New York City and beyond,” said Sheryl Victor Levy, Vice President Marketing Communications for MCNY. “We are inspired by their commitment to bring a fresh and accessible approach to what is presented in the Terminal and are excited to have MCNY’s photography Triennial be the launching pad for Terminal 4’s arts and culture program. “
New York Now: Home will be presented in Terminal 4 through May 2023. The T4 Arts & Culture program will showcase a diverse mix of art installations and performances representing the local community throughout the year, including a pop-up gallery featuring historical photos of New York City neighborhoods that will appear in the A and B Concourses in May and a series of summertime performances and exhibits that will spotlight performers, artists, and photographers within the T4 community.
“This new immersive art experience aims to engage and educate travelers on various experiences living in the surrounding borough of Queens, New York,” said Teresa Rizzuto, John F. Kennedy International Airport General Manager. “Integrating three local artists native to Queens provides a first-hand look at the area and subjects of each of their works. We urge those who pass through Terminal 4 to take some time to stop and view these unique works of art to get a sense of what Queens has to share.”
The featured artists include:
- Xyza Cruz Bacani, a Filipina photographer and author who shares images from the life of Farah, a survivor of labor trafficking living in Queens. The photographs document a migrant woman’s journey towards safety and security in her adopted home.
- Maureen Drennan began photographing Broad Channel, Queens in 2012. On the only inhabited island in Jamaica Bay, she encountered a small, tight-knit working-class community with a lifestyle similar to a fishing village. Drennan’s work highlights the enduring fantasy of living near the water, and the delicate balance between the community and the natural environments
- Elias Williams grew up in St. Albans, Queens, a community where Black home and business ownership has flourished. The featured photograph celebrates the pride of St. Albans during economic hardship, preserving the identity of one of New York City’s historically Black communities.
Dr. Thea Quiray Tagle, Ph.D., one of two co-curators for New York Now: Home, said at the inaugural event that the exhibition celebrates emerging and established photographers shooting in the Five Boroughs, adding, “The three photographers that have been selected have really given us extremely powerful stories of often under-looked communities in the vicinity of JFK International Airport.
JFK Terminal 4 is a true gateway to New York City and to the world, connecting a local and global audience to the eclectic cultural beauty, talent, and flavor of our New York performers,” said Frank DiMola, Executive Director, Terminal 4 Airline Consortium. “This wonderful immersive art program created by JFKIAT, in partnership with The Port Authority of New York & New Jersey, Delta Air Lines, and MCNY, promises to provide our passengers with an educational and entertainment experience and a respite from the hurried nature of an airport terminal. The Terminal 4 airlines applaud the inaugural launch of this immersive arts initiative and look forward to its continuing program.”
