Queens Museum

Our new digital series "What's On!" offers an inside look at our current exhibitions by focusing on a single object or artwork. This first episode presents "The Future's Vessel: Glass at the 1939-40 World's Fair." and an artifact that inspired the exhibition. Lynn Maliszewski, Assistant Director of Archives and Collections, explains how the popularity of glass-as-keepsake alongside the dazzling architectural elements were present at the 1939–1940's World’s Fair.

Delta Air Lines, in collaboration with Queens Museum, has commissioned six permanent art installations from renowned artists Mariam Ghani, Rashid Johnson, Aliza Nisenbaum, Virginia Overton, Ronny Quevedo, and Fred Wilson for the new Terminal C at LaGuardia Airport. Fred Wilson creates artworks that challenge established concepts of history, culture, and race. This 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 corresponding drips resemble water, oil, and tar and reference the Earth’s natural resources, as well as the otherworldly atmosphere of the universe. Wilson hopes travelers might spot their home countries as they pass through the terminal, and feel the awe and collective responsibility owed to Mother Earth. "Mother" will open to the public in early Fall 2022. Click here to learn more about the Queens Museum x Delta Air Lines commissions: https://qnsmu.se/TerminalCCommissionsLGA

Delta Air Lines, in collaboration with Queens Museum, has commissioned six permanent art installations from renowned artists Mariam Ghani, Rashid Johnson, Aliza Nisenbaum, Virginia Overton, Ronny Quevedo, and Fred Wilson for the new Terminal C at LaGuardia Airport. 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. The mural is composed of six spherical clusters, representing from left to right: Brooklyn, Queens and Long Island, Manhattan, the Bronx, the greater tri-state metro area, and Staten Island. Each individual tile within the clusters refers to one linguistic community in that area, and is inscribed with an "endonym" – the name used by a community to refer to their own language in their own script. The sizes of circular tiles correspond to local speaking populations, while their colors represent language families. Curved "flight paths" connect several of the endonyms to words underneath the clusters, which indicate points of origin for those languages. Ghani’s mural emphasizes language’s ability to move beyond borders, and the wealth of knowledge that diversity brings to the city. Click here to learn more about the Queens Museum x Delta Air Lines commissions: https://qnsmu.se/TerminalCCommissionsLGA

Delta Air Lines, in collaboration with Queens Museum, has commissioned six permanent art installations from renowned artists Mariam Ghani, Rashid Johnson, Aliza Nisenbaum, Virginia Overton, Ronny Quevedo, and Fred Wilson for the new Terminal C at LaGuardia Airport. In the last decade, Rashid Johnson has melded abstraction and figuration to create a series of individual and group portraits that he calls “Broken Men,”: faces and forms filled at once with electric and frenetic tension. He employs ceramic tiles, eclectic materials (including oyster shells, soap, and mirrors), and scrawled lines to develop dynamic surfaces that shimmer against the watchful presence of his humanoid figures. In " 'The Travelers' Broken Crowd", 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. For Johnson, abstraction can serve as a vehicle for conversation. The mural invites airport visitors to take a moment to reflect and “wander” in unexpected directions. Click here to learn more about the Queens Museum x Delta Air Lines commissions: https://qnsmu.se/TerminalCCommissionsLGA

Delta Air Lines, in collaboration with Queens Museum, has commissioned six permanent art installations from renowned artists Mariam Ghani, Rashid Johnson, Aliza Nisenbaum, Virginia Overton, Ronny Quevedo, and Fred Wilson for the new Terminal C at LaGuardia Airport. The new works are located in the terminal’s multiple-floor spanning atriums and elevator walls, as well as the baggage claim area and concession space. Ranging from sculptures made of stainless steel, aluminum, and glass to intricate Italian mosaic murals, and even gymnasium flooring, the Queens Museum x Delta Air Lines commissions encompass the movement, vibrancy, and architectural ingenuity of Queens and highlights the diverse communities that call the borough home. Click here to learn more about these six commissions: https://qnsmu.se/TerminalCCommissionsLGA

Delta Air Lines, in collaboration with Queens Museum, has commissioned six permanent art installations from renowned artists Mariam Ghani, Rashid Johnson, Aliza Nisenbaum, Virginia Overton, Ronny Quevedo, and Fred Wilson for the new Terminal C at LaGuardia Airport. Born in Ecuador and raised in the Bronx, Ronny Quevedo draws on his own history of migration to explore notions of identity, displacement, and community. Quevedo attended indoor soccer games throughout New York City with his father, a former professional player and referee, where he witnessed people from various backgrounds bond through sport. Soccer and other group activities create a space for community and celebration–and this remains an inspiration for Quevedo's practice. The gymnasium flooring in "Pacha Cosmopolitanism Overtime" is a direct reference to the spirited games of Quevedo’s youth and the thriving sports culture that connects travelers globally. The colorful, fractured game lines that intersect and overlap across the wooden surface recall athletic movement and represent migration across local and international borders. Quevedo’s commission is an homage to the diverse communities that call New York City home, honoring their resilience amid new and changing circumstances. Click here to learn more about the Queens Museum x Delta Air Lines commissions: https://qnsmu.se/TerminalCCommissionsLGA