Nicholas Baume On the Power of Public Art and What It’s Accomplishing in New York

We caught up with Baume to hear more about the JFK Terminal 6 art announcement and the state of public art in the city.

A few weeks ago, the news broke that John F. Kennedy International Airport’s new Terminal 6, currently under construction, would feature installations by eighteen contemporary artists, including Kerstin Brätsch, Nina Chanel Abney, Teresita Fernández, Charles Gaines and Barbara Kruger. These excellent artists were selected via collaboration between New York’s Port Authority, JFK Millennium Partners and Public Art Fund, which also worked on the art-filled LaGuardia Airport renovation.

Observer connected with Public Art Fund’s executive and artistic director Nicholas Baume to hear more about the JFK Terminal 6 art announcement and the state of public art in New York.

For those who haven’t seen the new LaGuardia yet, let’s start with a broad question: why do New York’s airports need great art?

Our functional public spaces can also be great civic spaces. When functionality, design and art come together, we’re truly building a wonderful city. To my mind, powerful, relevant public art is essential in fostering an authentic sense of community.

Art brings visitors from around the world to New York City, and our airports should reflect the awe-inspiring creativity that fuels this city’s rich cultural life and makes it a global destination. Artistic expression is a fundamental aspect of the urban fabric as it enriches our daily lives and our sense of community. Art reflects our diversity, creativity and vitality.

SEE ALSO: Marcela Guerrero and Drew Sawyer Announced as Curators for the 2026 Whitney Biennial

LaGuardia’s Terminal B demonstrated that art could completely transform the airport experience. It has gone from one of the least to one of the most celebrated, and its accolades include the highest airport ranking awards and the UNESCO Prix Versailles. I expect JFK Terminal 6 to become an art destination in and of itself, and for the art program to bring a resonant sense of place to this major international terminal.

The eighteen artists were chosen by a committee with representatives from the Port Authority and JFK Millennium Partners plus one independent art expert, and the group winnowed down from a pool of hundreds of candidates. What were some of the criteria you were looking for in your artists?

We share with our partners, the Port Authority and JFK Millennium Partners, a core belief that the Terminal 6 art program should benefit from and reflect the extraordinary richness and diversity of New York City. JFK is a global hub, a welcome point for millions traveling into and out of the United States, and Queens is famously one of the most diverse and multicultural places in the world. It was important to all of us to include artists from different backgrounds, at different stages in their careers. You will see a variety of mediums and forms, including sculptures, wall installations, suspended works and mosaics.

What kind of guidelines were the selected artists given for their contributions?

Public Art Fund put together a curatorial brief and guidelines for proposals, which included research, background, history and context on the airport and its contribution over the past 70 years. We wanted to help artists understand different aspects of the site, both architectural details and the broader cultural context. With nearly 50 years of experience in commissioning public art, we act as a resource for artists throughout the process, working closely to make sure they have what they need to create extraordinary works of art that will captivate and endure.

I read that a Queens councilwoman opposed the $22 million price tag. Though this is double what was spent at LaGuardia, it still looks pretty affordable, given the names selected. How did you explain the price to people outside the art world?

The success of both LaGuardia Terminal B and Newark Liberty International Terminal A has demonstrated the tremendous value and positive impact of great art on the passenger experience. It is commendable that the Port Authority has made public art an essential aspect of the development of all new airport terminals, and it speaks volumes about our community that New York doesn’t just pay lip service but truly values the voices of artists.

Charles Gaines and Barbara Kruger feel like bold, conceptual choices. Will they be working “friendly” at JFK?

At Public Art Fund, we have decades of experience presenting many of the world’s most significant artists to the general public. Our exhibitions have often included bold, conceptual choices when those artists truly want to reach a general audience and make their ideas accessible. New York City is bold, and we’re a city that values artists and their work. When great artists take on the challenge to create public art, they recognize that it requires a different approach from mounting a gallery or a museum show.

I think of the art program as a collective story about who and where we are told in eighteen different chapters from as many perspectives. Many of these artists are among the most groundbreaking creative figures of their generations and each has developed an artistic language, style and form of expression that is powerful and visually engaging.

The Port Authority recently announced that it will also renovate the bus terminal of the same name. It’s probably too early to say if Public Art Fund will work on that project, but is there a fundamental difference between bus art and airport art?

There are distinct differences between every location, and we believe that a successful art program captures and responds to the unique attributes of a site. Art at the Port Authority Bus Terminal would be different from work commissioned at another bus terminal, or at an airport, because it would be in dialogue with that site, history and context.

The Port Authority Bus Terminal is an essential part of millions of people’s daily lives. As a key component of New York City infrastructure, it would serve as incredibly rich soil to plant seeds of inspiration through site-specific works of art. As a young backpacker who grew up in Australia, the Port Authority was actually my first point of entry to New York City—just one example of the kind of resonance it must have for so many people.

What does the future of public art look like in New York City?

Since 1977, Public Art Fund has played a crucial role in expanding our understanding of what public art can be and the importance it can have in our daily lives. That pioneering work has helped to shape cities all over the world, and we see public art now incorporated naturally in every kind of urban development, from parks to significant infrastructure projects, stadiums, temporary exhibition programs and more. Seeing the city as a platform for artists, not only within museums and galleries but also in streets, parks and plazas brings tremendous engagement and vitality.

I think the significance of public art will only continue and grow, as we also recognize the importance of democratic access to creative expression, building community in public spaces and celebrating our diversity through the artistic imagination. As every successful art program demonstrates its value, we will see them in more localities, embraced by government authorities, private developers and philanthropic leaders eager to blaze a trail with public art!