A Leisurely Lunch
Crystal Foundation Art Gallery
By Josh Parish
Getting Started
The gallery is located inside the window and door factory. Tribune Photo by Ira Cohen |
The Crystal Foundation Art Gallery isn’t the most accessible in the borough—it’s position inside the Crystal Window and Doors complex in Flushing means you’ll need to wade past storm window salesmen and browsing homeowners to get a glimpse inside—but the unique, usually Asian-inspired art inside is worth the trip.
Thomas Chen, Crystal Windows and Doors’ energetic founder, created the gallery three years ago. His goal was to raise Queens’ multi-cultural ante—and give workers inside the complex a peaceful place for lunch.
Admission to the gallery is free. If you’re visiting away from an exhibit’s opening, it’s a good idea to call for an appointment; though the gallery has regularly scheduled hours, the trek through Crystal’s administrative offices will be easier if someone’s expecting you.
Parking on the street is no easy task—try the customer lot outside the complex’s main entrance.
Digging In
A series of ink prints tell a story of love and honor. Tribune Photo by Ira Cohen |
The next exhibition at the gallery opens Sept. 3, so wait until then to arrange your visit. Recently shown artists, like Mongolian abstractionist Moni Oolyonghai of Inner Mongolia and eminent ceramic sculptor Wenzhi Zhang, have brought a bustling contemporary presence to what most of us usually see of Chinese art—watercolors, calligraphy and vases.
Don’t expect to spend more than an hour or so inside; while the gallery is a great open space for art viewing, it isn’t large.
Finishing Up
Painting exhibitions by Chinese artists make up most of the gallery’s upcoming shows. A group art exhibition by Ningxia Of China runs Sept. 3-Oct. 2; Lin Yan and Shen Chen provide another group showing the following month, Oct. 8-Nov. 6.
From Nov. 12 to New Year’s Eve (that’s the western New Year’s Eve) Wang Zan presents a series of contemporary paintings and Tong Zhong Tao one of traditional Chinese style.
Crystal Foundation
Art Gallery
31-10 Whitestone Expwy.,
Flushing
(718) 961-7300, Ext. 3233
11 a.m.-5 p.m. Thu.-Fri.,
10 a.m.-5 p.m. Sat.-Sun.
FREE, donations accepted.
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