Afternoon On Metropolitan Avenue

The Alliance Of Queens Artists

By Jeff Feinman

Getting Started

The Alliance of Queens Artists. Tribune Photo by Ira Cohen

Though not very large in size, the Alliance of Queens Artists gallery on Metropolitan Avenue in Forest Hills is certainly worth an afternoon visit. You’ll find it tucked along a series of storefronts.

Merely a single white room with a lone counter, the gallery does not lack in works of art. With a new exhibit set up every month, there is always a bright new collection of works for visitors to ogle over.

Whether it is paintings, photos or sculptures, the AQA gallery sets up shows each month to display the works of its 400 members. The AQA is a non-profit arts organization that focuses on supplying arts for the general public. The AQA’s goal is to make art more accessible by presenting exhibitions and events through New York City.

Digging In

The AQA’s current display is a photograph-only show called “Photo XIII,” aptly named because it is the 13th photo show that the gallery has held. The display features a variety of photos and stylings, ranging from images of the typical urban setting to walks into the surreal world. Hanging upon the walls is Greta Jaklitsch’s “Circles,” an eye-catching close up of the beauty that can be elicited from a snow-drenched cement walkway with circular designs.

Then there is photographer Audley Smith who caps off a seemingly bland picture with a witty title, which puts a smile on the faces of onlookers. One of Smith’s pictures has a person sitting with a leashed dog at a crosswalk, which he titled “No Standing.” Another shot to get lost in is Shannon Lowe’s “Life Overcomes,” which is a photograph of a small tree breaking out and growing through a patch of rocky terrain.

Finishing Up

Most of the artwork in the AQA gallery is for sale unless it is labeled otherwise. In the glass counter, there are numerous displays of small clay artifacts and model art pieces. The back wall is bedecked with pieces of wire sculptures and some of AQA Executive Director R.H. Menzel’s personal works. Menzel, who calls himself an abstract painter, displays many of his abstract, quirky images that dab into the surreal.

Menzel is an insightful artist with a knowledgeable, yet accessible, grasp of the arts. He makes an effort to veer away from being pretentious about art and looks at it from the view of everyday people.

The AQA has a number of events planned into December, with a new exhibit called “Remembrance” that will start Aug. 27 and run through Sept. 17.

The Alliance of Queens Artists
99-10 Metropolitan Avenue
Forest Hills, NY, 11375
(718) 520-9842
www.arts4u.org

1-6 p.m. Tue.-Sat.