Dynamic Digital Displays Throughout Airport Terminal Exemplify Latest in Multimedia Technology to Provide Immersive Journey and Enhance Customer Experience
Images of New Digital Artworks and Photos of Terminal A are Available Here
The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey today announced the activation of 20 new digital artworks by local artists now on display throughout Newark Liberty International Airport’s award-winning Terminal A in the first rotation of new artwork added to digital screens since the terminal opened a year ago. Digital artwork at the terminal is refreshed annually to highlight local art through a program led by the New Jersey State Council on the Arts and to prioritize the New Jersey sense of place that is distinct to the aesthetic and design of Terminal A.
The artworks by 20 artists were selected after a 6-month process initiated via outreach by the EWR Terminal A Art Advisory Council, comprising members of the statewide arts community. The council made recommendations based primarily on the artwork, the artist’s roots to the New York/New Jersey region, and connection to the airport’s host communities of Newark and Elizabeth. The Port Authority and the operator of Terminal A, Munich Airport NJ, selected the artworks based on the council’s recommendations.
“We are proud to provide a showcase to highlight the vast and diverse arts community that find inspiration in Newark Liberty’s home state, just as we do,” said Port Authority Chairman Kevin O’Toole. “The inclusion of an ever-expanding digital art program on our screens throughout Terminal A exposes the talents of our homegrown artists to millions of travelers from around the world who use our terminal, while also telling the story of New Jersey through the lens of the state’s most creative residents.”
“Dynamic digital displays that assist customers with their journey and create space for inspiration through public art are vital to our goals of enhancing our customers’ journeys while they’re at our airports,” said Port Authority Executive Director Rick Cotton. “Multimedia screens that are informative, creative and innovative are part of the 21st century travel experience, and our updated digital art program led by local experts adds to that experience.”
“Aside from the immediate aesthetic appeal of this digital art, the Terminal A Digital Art Program connects passengers in the terminal with select artists from across the state, creating a new and different perception of New Jersey,” said Michael Kunz, CEO of Munich Airport NJ LLC, the operator of Terminal A. “We are so proud to be part of a program that recognizes local artists, provides a showcase for new talent and rewards artists for their creativity. A special thanks to the Port Authority and the New Jersey State Council of the Arts for making this program possible."
“Providing opportunities for individual artists is a longstanding priority of the council, and there is no shortage of talent in our state,” said Danielle Bursk, director of community partnerships & artist services at the New Jersey State Council on the Arts. “For this exhibition alone, the advisory council reviewed over 1,000 submissions. We are honored to help lead this annual open call for New Jersey artists, bringing a diverse, vibrant showcase of art to a global audience.”
The Port Authority prioritized the inclusion of inspiring public art in the transformation of Newark Liberty International Airport, in particular Terminal A, to elevate the customer experience through sense of place, operational excellence, 21st century technology and world-class functionality. To complement Terminal A’s unique permanent art collection by 29 local artists, the Port Authority collaborated with the multimedia studio Moment Factory to create an immersive digital journey through the use of the terminal’s extensive network of large-scale multimedia screens. Within the central terminal area, eight towering LED pillars capture the state’s spirit of innovation. At the boarding gates, informative pylons bridge the threshold between New Jersey and the next destination with a mix of practical flight information, intuitive boarding queues and fun Jersey trivia. Large digital screens and totems throughout the terminal use the latest in digital and printed display technology to reach millions of passengers who use the airport terminal.
To ensure the digital programming is updated, the artworks displayed on the screens are refreshed annually, which also provides opportunities for the inclusion of more local artists to the terminal’s art program. The 2024 rotation of artists and their artworks include:
ARTIST |
HOMETOWN |
TITLE |
DESCRIPTION |
Amber Koko Allen |
Howell, N.J. |
“The World is Your Canvas” |
Digital collage |
Festina Amaturo |
Rahway, N.J. |
“Michael” |
Digital art made specifically using an iPad app called Sketch Club |
Matthew Barry |
Madison, N.J. |
“Cylindrical Variations” |
Black and white photograph of grain bins in Alexandria Township, N.J. |
Kathleen Beausoleil |
Fair Haven, N.J. |
“Summer Echo” |
Oil painting |
Emily Beezley |
Manasquan, N.J. |
“Ocean Dreaming” |
Oil painting on canvas, part of a series of oil paintings depicting the Jersey Shore at different times of the day. |
Jagdish Bhavsar |
Basking Ridge, N.J. |
“Long Branch Pier” |
Photographic digital painting |
Phil Cantor |
Verona, N.J. |
“Mail Carrier” |
Photograph from a series titled “LINE OF WORK” documenting the denizens of a New Jersey town in the 21st century |
David DesRochers |
Somerset, N.J. |
“Spring” |
Photograph printed on metal |
Johanna Foster |
Montclair, N.J. |
“Pride of Place” |
Oil painting on canvas |
Gary Godbee |
Westfield, N.J. |
“Meadowlands View of NYC” |
Oil painting on canvas |
Jeff Gola |
Moorestown, N.J. |
“Morey's Pier” |
Egg tempera painting |
Catherine Kuzma |
Marlton, N.J. |
“The Boxer” |
Oil painting |
Maria Mijares |
Plainfield, N.J. |
“Across the Street” |
Acrylic painting on linen |
Ellen Mitchell |
Ortley Beach, N.J. |
“Island Beach State Park” |
Digital photograph |
Mark Oberndorf |
Wyckoff, N.J. |
“Lincoln Tunnel” |
Oil painting on linen |
Steven Richman |
Plainsboro, N.J. |
“Arthur Kill Cranes” |
Digital photograph from series highlighting topographic landscapes around Arthur Kill, including Elizabeth, Newark and Newark Airport |
Lynn Ronan |
Midland Park, N.J. |
“Lights of Liberty State Park” |
Photograph |
Malik Whitaker |
Newark, N.J. |
“My Prospect” |
Digital illustration |
Jonathan Yubi Gomez |
Lyndhurst, N.J. |
“Reconstructing an American Conscious” |
Oil painting on canvas |
Jing Zhou |
Ocean, N.J. |
“Asbury Park’s Whispers” |
Photograph |
Providing a sense of place at the regional airports is a priority of the Port Authority to enhance customers’ experience and create opportunities to feature local designers, businesses and artisans within the agency’s major airport redevelopment projects. At Newark Liberty, Terminal A’s family-friendly play areas were inspired by New Jersey’s greats such as Thomas Edison, Bruce Springsteen, Carl Lewis and Patrick Ewing, through design themes of music and arts, science and sports. In keeping with the state’s landscapes, bathroom designs reflect New Jersey’s nickname as the Garden State, the state’s popular coastal shores, and urban chic design representing the state’s diverse metropolitan centers. New Jersey’s parks and woodlands also served as inspiration for the terminal’s sleek and modern exterior design, which won a United Nations Education, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) Prix Versailles Special Prize in 2023. Through diamond-shaped skylights and floor-to-ceiling windows, the distinctive architecture emphasizes spaciousness and functionality with uninterrupted sightlines and abundant natural light to emphasize New Jersey’s Garden State reputation.
The digital screens that offer user-friendly wayfinding and dynamic signage for TSA queue wait times, as well as homes for digital artwork displays, were highlighted in Skytrax’s newly announced 2024 citation for a Terminal A’s five-star rating, which is the highest rating for airport excellence awarded by the international air transport rating organization that conducts detailed audit analysis and assessment of an airport's product and front-line service standards. Skytrax cited “the outstanding multimedia features offer a unique, differentiating factor here at Terminal A” in its review of the terminal, which is now one of only two airport terminals in North America to receive Skytrax’s highest rating. The other airport terminal is another Port Authority facility: thenew Terminal B at LaGuardia Airport.
During Terminal A’s first full year in service since opening in January 2023, more than 15 million passengers used the terminal, which was 5 million more travelers handled during any year by the 50-year-old outmoded terminal it replaced. More than 113,000 flights arrived or departed from the terminal during its first year, with 6.4 million bags processed. By the terminal’s first anniversary, it had created 2,500 direct jobs and an economic impact of $4.6 billion across the region.
About the Newark Liberty International Airport redevelopment
The Port Authority has embarked on a complete redevelopment of Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR) that began with the opening of Terminal A – the centerpiece of an airport-wide renaissance designed to establish the airport as a world-class gateway for the New Jersey and New York region.
The Port Authority is replacing Newark Liberty’s outdated AirTrain system with a modern, reliable 2.5-mile automated people mover train system. The first contract in a multi-phase procurement process was awarded in December 2023 to Doppelmayr, a leader in cable-propelled transport systems. The new system is expected to open in 2029.
Additionally, the Port Authority Board of Commissioners has authorized $12 million for the planning and preliminary design of the EWR Station Access Project, which is expected to increase public transit access to Newark Liberty International Airport and New York City for underserved communities in Newark and Elizabeth, including easy access for residents of these communities to New York Penn Station via Amtrak and NJ TRANSIT’s direct Northeast Corridor service.
The next phase of the Port Authority’s ongoing transformation of Newark Liberty International Airport will be developed through the work of a world-class airport master planner selected by the agency. The EWR Vision Plan — which will serve as a framework for future development through 2065 – will incorporate plans for long-term economic growth, sustainability projects, and multimodal access to the airport for both work and travel. Visit EWRredevelopment.com for information regarding the replacement of the new AirTrain Newark and other EWR redevelopment projects.
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