Alice Aycock's Fight Over J.F.K. Airport Sculpture Will Go to Arbitration May 7, 2012, 4:35 pm The dispute over a two-story-tall sculpture inside Terminal 1 at John F. Kennedy Airport will go to arbitration, a lawyer for the artist said on Monday. The artist, Alice Aycock, went to court last month to stop the management of Terminal 1 from removing and destroying the sculpture, which it commissioned 14 years ago. The managers plan to cover up a circular opening between two floors and use the space for new food concessions, said Stephen P. Younger, one of the lawyers representing Ms. Aycock and a partner in the firm of Patterson Belknap Webb & Tyler. A federal judge in Manhattan, Robert W. Sweet, issued a temporary restraining order on April 23 that blocked the start of dismantling the sculpture, "Star Sifter," the next day. "We were quite pleased that Terminal 1 agreed to submit to arbitration, which is a quick and efficient way to resolve our dispute," Mr. Younger said. We are quite happy that Terminal 1 has also agreed not to remove her sculpture in the meantime. It's a piece of art that was designed and constructed for this particular site. It can't be taken out without destroying it. Ed Paquette, the executive director of Terminal 1 Management, the company that runs the terminal, did not immediately return a call seeking comment. In court papers last month, Ms. Aycock said removing "Star Sifter" would violate a contract signed when the management unit hired her to create it. That contract said that "Star Sifter" could be taken down only if "required or necessary." Ms. Aycock, who is a member of the city's Public Design Commission and has taught at the School of Visual Arts since 1991, maintained that the food-stand plan did not meet either condition.