The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey and JFK Millennium Partners (JMP), the company selected to build and operate the highly anticipated $4.2 billion Terminal 6 (T6) at John F. Kennedy International Airport, set to open to passengers in 2026, announced that an additional public art commission has been awarded. Artist Jane Dickson has been selected to create a bronze medallion for the arrivals plaza, where arriving passengers will first set foot in New York City as they depart the terminal. The art program is led by Public Art Fund, the independent nonprofit organization dedicated to art in public spaces. 

Dickson, who lives and works in New York City, joins 18 featured artists (including 10 others from New York) who will capture the spirit of the city with a diverse range of artworks seamlessly integrated into the terminal. The exterior medallion, located at the arrivals plaza, will welcome visitors and will be located near a terrace with greenery. The 14-foot-diameter circular medallion will be fabricated in durable cast bronze using low-relief casting techniques. Masterwork Plaques, known for their expertise in ground-based artwork, will collaborate with Dickson to translate her vision into bronze.

Dickson frequently makes New York City her subject and has been a pioneer in the exhibition of digital public artworks in New York City. In 1982, she initiated the Public Art Fund series, Messages to the Public, which displayed works by artists including Keith Haring, David Hammons, and Jenny Holzer on Times Square's Spectacolor billboard.

The Terminal 6 art program supports the Port Authority's vision to create a world-class passenger experience at JFK, through inspirational public art, operational excellence, 21st century technology and world-class functionality. Following successful prior partnerships at the award-winning, internationally recognized terminals at LaGuardia Airport's Terminal B and Newark Liberty International Airport's Terminal A, Public Art Fund was selected by JFK Millennium Partners to develop the JFK Terminal 6 art program.

Public Art Fund has worked collaboratively to develop the art program with key stakeholders including The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, and JFK Millennium Partners' consulting architect Stanis Smith. Site-specific public art commissions by 19 leading artists drawn from New York, as well as national and international communities, will be integrated throughout the new terminal.

JFK Millennium Partners is developing Terminal 6 in two phases, with the opening of the first section expected in 2026 and construction completion in 2028. New York Gov. Hochul celebrated the placement of the last piece of structural steel for the new terminal in October 2024.

Transforming JFK into a world-class global gateway

In January 2017, the JFK Vision Plan was announced to transform JFK into the world-class airport that New Yorkers deserve. The vision plan provides a strategic framework for the Port Authority and its partners to completely redevelop, modify and expand existing facilities and infrastructure. The $9.5 billion development of a state-of-the-art New Terminal One that will anchor the airport's south side broke ground in September 2022. A new $4.2 billion Terminal 6, which will connect seamlessly with Terminal 5 to create an anchor terminal on the airport's north side, broke ground in February 2023. The $1.5 billion expansion of Terminal 4, led by Delta Air Lines and JFK International Air Terminal (JFKIAT), is substantially complete. Additionally, the $400 million expansion of Terminal 8, led by American Airlines, which operates the terminal, was completed in November 2022.

All of the privately financed terminal projects combined with the Port Authority's roadway, parking and infrastructure projects represent a $19 billion transformation of JFK and an extraordinary series of public-private partnerships. The Port Authority's capital investment of $3.9 billion is leveraging private investment at a rate of nearly four to one when taking into account the full private investment of more than $15 billion that has been committed to the four projects comprising the full redevelopment of JFK.