The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey and New Terminal One (NTO) have revealed the artists and design vision behind the JFK New Terminal One art and cultural program, a sweeping creative initiative that will define the passenger experience at John F. Kennedy International Airport’s new all-international terminal.
Part of a $9.5 billion redevelopment, the program unites global artists, architects, and filmmakers in transforming the airport into a vibrant cultural gateway that reflects the energy and diversity of New York City and its home borough of Queens.
Turning Travel Into a Cultural Experience
Set to open its first phase in 2026, with full completion expected by 2030, the new terminal will cover 2.6 million square feet and eventually serve 23 million passengers a year across 23 gates.
Rather than treating art, branding, and design as separate features, the Port Authority and NTO have developed a single creative framework that integrates visual art, filmmaking, and digital storytelling throughout the terminal. The result aims to create a distinctly New York atmosphere — lively, diverse, and instantly recognizable.
“Public art that’s evocative of our region is central to our strategy for creating world-class airports that are destinations in their own right,” said Rick Cotton, Executive Director of the Port Authority.
A Global Team with a New York Soul
The cultural program is led by Arup, working with Pentagram, Culture Corps, Gentilhomme, Karlssonwilker, and We Should Do It All — a collective of artists, curators, designers, and filmmakers. Together, they’re developing a cohesive creative identity for the terminal, where each installation and experience contributes to a sense of arrival that could happen nowhere else but New York.
“We set out to create an experience that could only happen in New York,” said Gideon D’Arcangelo, experience design lead at Arup.
A Gallery of Global Voices Rooted in New York
The new terminal will showcase seven internationally recognized artists, each commissioned to create large-scale, site-specific installations inspired by New York’s people, energy, and stories. The works draw on themes of migration, resilience, identity, and community — transforming the terminal into a reflection of the city’s cultural mosaic.
Yinka Shonibare’s Kites for Queens features nine vivid, hand-painted batik kites soaring across the terminal. The installation celebrates Queens’ diverse cultural heritage.
Kelly Akashi’s Migration of Flora stands 18 feet tall, with bronze and glass flowers rising from a sculpted hand. It symbolizes growth, resilience, and renewal.
Tomás Saraceno’s Cloud Cities New York suspends reflective, cloudlike forms that shift with light and travelers’ movement. The piece brings an ethereal, dreamlike quality to the space.
Ilana Savdie’s mosaic Egregoros captures New York’s ever-changing rhythm through waves of color and motion. Julie Curtiss’ New York Hands adds playful mosaics of oversized hands holding iconic city foods like pretzels and pizza.
Firelei Báez’s Blue Calaibi–Yao Muzidi overlays maps of New York with sea flora and swimming figures, blending history and myth. Woody De Othello reimagines payphones and streetlamps in expressive ceramic sculptures placed in the baggage claim area. His work nods to the restless energy of the city.
Together, these installations create a unified artistic journey. The JFK New Terminal One art and cultural program becomes a living gallery that welcomes travelers with New York’s unmistakable vibrancy.
Designing an Identity That Moves
Design studio Pentagram created a visual identity that unites the terminal’s spaces, from bold signage to detailed floor inlays. Their design weaves New York’s visual language into the terminal’s architecture.
Highlights include the world’s largest split-flap display in the departures hall and The City in Bloom, a massive lenticular artwork.
“At JFK’s New Terminal One, brand and art work together to celebrate travel as a story of connection,” said Eddie Opara, Partner at Pentagram. “It’s a design that links New York to the world.”
Film and Digital Storytelling at Global Scale
The terminal will also feature original short films conceived as Love Letters to New York, created by local Queens filmmakers under the direction of Gentilhomme. Displayed in passenger waiting areas, the films spotlight the city’s authentic neighborhoods and voices.
“Design, emotion, and cinema converge here to bring New York to life,” said Thibaut Duverneix, Founder and Creative Director at Gentilhomme.
In addition, large-scale digital installations designed by Arup and Pentagram will create immersive experiences throughout the terminal. The Leaving New York sequence in the departures hall uses synchronized wall and ceiling displays to tell the story of how people have departed the city — by air, rail, and sea — across time.
Arriving passengers will hear a soundscape of New York, blending the city’s ambient rhythms with serene visuals from upstate to Jamaica Bay. A dramatic wraparound digital screen near the exit creates a 3D illusion, giving travelers one last visual encounter with the city’s signature energy.
Anchoring JFK’s Wider Redevelopment
The New Terminal One project anchors the Port Authority’s $19B plan to completely transform JFK into a modern global hub. It complements the $4.2B Terminal 6, $1.5B Terminal 4 expansion, and $400M Terminal 8 upgrade. Together, they represent one of the largest public–private airport redevelopments in U.S. history, with a Port Authority investment of $3.9 billion leveraging over $15 billion in private funding.
Originally launched under the JFK Vision Plan in 2017, the transformation seeks to redefine what a world-class airport means. One where functionality meets culture.
“The artists, filmmakers, and designers contributing to this project reflect the diversity and creativity that define our region,” said Port Authority Chairman Kevin O’Toole. “Their work transforms JFK into a gateway that embodies the best of New York and New Jersey.”
Where Art Meets Aviation
When it opens, the JFK New Terminal One art and cultural program will stand as one of the most ambitious airport art initiatives in the world — a fusion of architecture, storytelling, and public art designed to immerse travelers in New York’s creative spirit from the moment they arrive.
In doing so, it redefines what a global airport can be: not just a place of transit, but a celebration of the city it serves.
JFK New Terminal One: Art & Cultural Program: Project Factsheet
Project Overview
Name: JFK New Terminal One Art & Cultural Program
Location: John F. Kennedy International Airport, Queens, New York
Timeline: Phase 1 opens 2026 | Full completion 2030
Terminal Investment: $9.5 billion (overall terminal redevelopment)
Facility Specifications
Total Area: 2.6 million square feet
Annual Capacity: 23 million passengers
Gates: 23 (all-international terminal)
Function: All-international gateway terminal
Creative Vision
A unified cultural framework integrating visual art, film, digital storytelling, and design to create a distinctly New York passenger experience that reflects the city’s energy, diversity, and creative spirit.
Creative Team
Lead: Arup (Experience Design)
Partners:
Pentagram (Visual Identity & Design)
Culture Corps (Curation)
Gentilhomme (Film)
Karlssonwilker (Design)
We Should Do It All (Multidisciplinary)
Featured Artists & Works
Yinka Shonibare – Kites for Queens (9 hand-painted batik kites)
Kelly Akashi – Migration of Flora (18-foot bronze sculpture)
Tomás Saraceno – Cloud Cities New York (suspended reflective forms)
Ilana Savdie – Egregoros (mosaic installation)
Julie Curtiss – New York Hands (playful mosaic artworks)
Firelei Báez – Blue Calaibi–Yao Muzidi (map-based installation)
Woody De Othello – Sculptures of payphones and streetlamps
Signature Experiences
World’s largest split-flap display (departures hall)
“The City in Bloom” – One of the world’s largest lenticular artworks
Love Letters to New York – Original short films by Queens filmmakers
Leaving New York – Synchronized digital departure sequence
Arrival soundscape – Immersive audio journey through NYC
3D wraparound digital screen – Dramatic exit experience
Broader Context
Part of the Port Authority’s comprehensive JFK transformation, launched under the 2017 JFK Vision Plan:
$19 billion total airport redevelopment
$3.9 billion Port Authority investment
$15+ billion private sector funding
Includes Terminal 6 ($4.2B), Terminal 4 expansion ($1.5B), Terminal 8 improvements ($400M)
