AAALLL AAABBBoard!! The Queens Art Express

Queens / May 30, 2009. The next two weeks are bound to be fun and adventuresome for anyone in Queens who has some small interest in art, dance, theater or music. The Queens Art Express is a three weekend program which was created in collaboration with some of the artistic organizations and groups in Queens under the guidance of the Queens Council Of The Arts. Queens Art Express events have been planned in Long Island City, Sunnyside, Woodside, Jackson Heights, Flushing, Corona.

Queens Art Express – A Journey Into The 21st Century Art World

The program was designed to lure residents and neighboring borough visitors into Queens along the number 7 subway line. Along this line you’ll encounter many up and coming 21st Century’s artists who have vacated Manhattan and Brooklyn due to rising rents, an interest in Queens' diversity and a yearning for a higher quality of life.

Art, Artists, Dance, Dancers, Music, Musicians, Actors & Actresses – In Queens

Artists, who are also intrinsically entrepreneurs [creating something from nothing], first began migrating from Manhattan to Brooklyn in the eighties and nineties, and then into Queens since the late nineties. I was swept in on one of the first waves and it has taken me a few years to wander around a bit and get my bearings. Based on conversations I've had with dancers, artists, actors, actresses, curators, program directors and restaurateurs, I know this is a common experience. Not just a shared experience for those of us who arrived from other parts of this city or country over the past decade, but an experience shared with fully fifty percent of residents who arrived in Queens from destinations all around the world.

Queens New York - Artist Mecca With Authentic International Flavor

The next couple of weekends are just the beginning of a much longer journey into Queens and its burgeoning art world. I think we’re all well advised to hang onto our sombreros as we hop aboard the Queens Art Express as the Queens community of artists is one of the most deliciously tangled, ethnically complex and uniquely disparate collection of wandering souls one may ever encounter. And since there are only two weekends left to this program, I’m going to focus on what’s ahead as we hop aboard the Queens Art Express.

Queens Bridge Centennial Celebration – June 6th

The second weekend of Queens Art Express events begins on Saturday, June 6th. This weekend also ties into the celebration of the Queens Bridge’s Centennial. We’ll post more about other events regarding the Queens Bridge Centennial Celebration that are not a part of the Queens Art Express later this week. They include a bike ride, park events and likely other events that I haven't yet registered.

Queens Council On The Arts – Sponsors Of Queens Art Express

The Queens Council On The Arts has put together this three weekend program to help connect and energize the arts and performance communities that reside in the borough. I had the opportunity to talk to Hoong Yee Lee Krakauer, Managing Director of the group [second from right in photo], and part of our conversation is included within this story. She also informed me that this event had been done once before, in the early part of this decade.

Queens Art Express Schedule Of Events

The following represents the schedule of future events. At the end of the story we’ve also included links to maps showing the event locations for each day, so you can print the story and maps and use them as a guide. All events are accessible by the Number 7 subway train and the MTA stops are indicated on the maps. Note that some of the flags are just along the edge, so if one is missing, hover over the map with your cursor and click on the map to move it around.

Queens Art Express - June 6th Events In Long Island City / Sunnyside

LaGuardia Performing Arts Center 31-10 Thomson Avenue. Starting at 2 pm there’s a program called Building Bridges which is about the 100th Anniversary of the Queensboro Bridge. I understand this will be interesting to anyone with an interest in the history of the Queensboro Bridge.

At 4 pm at Green Space on 37-24 24th Street there’s a dance performance which includes a mix of African, Japanese, Galican, Spanish and Polish influences entitled Multiformity.

At 6 pm at the LaGuardia Performing Arts Center [see address above] there’s 100 Degrees, Public Art Intervention project, which I believe [unconfirmed] is the unveiling of a DOT / QCA commissioned effort by local artists.

At 8 pm at the Thalia Spanish Theatre 41-17 Greenpoint Avenue. An all female Mariachi band debuts and a ballet entitled Fiesta Mexicana. This theatre is reputed to put on high quality cross cultural productions and frequently tailors them for English speaking audiences. But, to date, this is based on hearsay, not my own experience.

Queens Art Express – June 7th Events In Flushing Corona

From 12 noon to 5 pm at the Queens Museum Of Art which is located near the Unisphere in Flushing Meadows Corona Park, there are three art exhibits Translation / Tarjama, Red Lines and Death Vows and Foreclosures and Risk Structures. These are ongoing exhibits, but on this day you can enter free - see next paragraph.

From 1 – 4.30 pm on the first Sunday of every month you may enter the Queens Museum Of Art for free. It’s worth noting that they are also the home of a very large installation which is a miniature replica of the city of New York. This was done for the 1964 World’s Fair and updated prior to the turn of the century. Click here for a map to the Queens Museum of Art in Flushing Meadows Corona Park.

Queens Art Express – June 13th Events In Jackson Heights / Woodside / Corona

From 10 am to 2 pm starting at the Community United Methodist Church on 81-10 35th Avenue, the Jackson Heights Beautification Group will provide a historic tour of the area. This could be quite interesting as Jackson Heights is the original home to the garden apartment and contains many beautiful buildings.

At 1 pm at Topaz Arts at 55-03 39th Avenue in Woodside there’s an open rehearsal with the John Jasperse Company, as well as a video installation by Hector Canoge.

From 1.30 – 6 pm at Corona Plaza on 103-13 41st Avenue there’s a Diversity Festival which includes folklore dance and music. This is sure to have a Latin flavor with likely most or all of Central and South American cultures represented.

From 2 pm – 5 pm at the Langston Hughes Public Library on 100-01 Northern Blvd there’s going to be a gospel, soul and doo-wop performance entitled Men Of Distinction. Corona continues to have a history of nurturing great musicians ever since the jazz age when Louis Armstrong first made his home in Corona.

At 5 pm at the Y Gallery in Jackson Heights a discussion about Crime, Fear, Memory and Art by Milagros de la Torre, Charles Sabba and curator Cecilia Jurado.

Queens Art Express – June 14th Events In Long Island City

At 3 pm the Noguchi Museum at 32-37 Vernon Blvd hosts Music In The Garden by Taylor Brow and it’s free with museum admission. This is a regular monthly event.

At 4 pm the Socrates Sculpture Park at 32-01 Vernon Blvd hosts State Fair. It’s worth noting that State Fair will run into the summer.

At 7 pm the Gantry State Park at 474 48th Avenue will kick off with a concert sponsored by Queens Theatre In The Park. If the weather is good, this is an ideal spot to listen to music and watch the sunset.

At 9 pm the Queens Art Express Closing Party at The Creek & The Cave at 10-93 Jackson Avenue. The Creek has a performance space, an outdoor garden and an interesting below ground bar.

So AAALLL AAABBBoard!!! The Queens Art Express is on its way. Be sure to catch the next train. Enjoy.

Queens Art Express Maps

Note - You can always use the search function on this site to find individual organization maps. After entering the location name, scroll down to the business directory or maps sections and click into the proper listing. Click here for a map of the Queens Art Express Events Of June 6th. The following map links will be inserted later this week. Click here for a map of the Queens Art Express Events Of June 7th. Click here for a map of the Queens Art Express Events Of June 13th. Click here for a map of the Queens Art Express Events of June 14th.

Queens Art Express Related Home Pages

Click here for the home page of David Bromley with LaGuardia Performing Arts Center in Long Island City.