Art Haven On A Bustling Avenue

Jamaica Center For Arts And Learning

By Azi Paybarah

Getting Started

The Jamaica Center for Arts and Learning is more than a gallery. Check its website for upcoming programs and classes.

The Jamaica Center for Arts and Learning doesn’t need an exhibit on display for guests to see why the institution is a mainstay in the Jamaica landscape. All it needs is to open its doors.

The gray, stocky building has a set of wooden doors that are out of place on Jamaica Avenue. But those doors, like the JCAL organization behind it, are one-of-a-kind. The building’s entrance is a doorway to another time.

But getting to those doors might pose a challenge.

Parking is unheard of along Jamaica Avenue, and the immediate side streets offer the slimmest hope of parking. To squeeze in maximum JCAL time, it’s usually better to park wherever possible and simply walk over.

That walk puts JCAL in context. All the storefront windows and over-eager curbside salesmen make whirlpools of pedestrian traffic. Wade past them and the quiet, gray building is your reward.

Digging In

The JCAL lobby is usually congested—but in a good way. The tiles in the floor are small, deliberate, and only on close consideration do they really look old.

Immediately inside the lobby’s double doors is a chest-high, circular desk. What else, beside a receptionist, is back there? Already, the mind is soaking in the gems of JCAL.

An ancient-looking elevator is opposite the front doors, next to a set of stairs. On the left and right, doorways. To the left, behind the curvaceous welcoming desk, is a gallery that appears to double as work space. Stepping in from the humid, congested street, you’ll be drawn to this room’s cool air. The hum of a far-off air conditioner seems to enrich the atmosphere.

Off the lobby, to the right, is where JCAL shows most of its exhibits. Upcoming programs include classes on everything from quilting and cartooning to ballet and West African dance. Of course, they have salsa and belly dancing lessons, yoga classes, guitar instruction and hip-hop classes, too. (What cultural epicenter worth its salt wouldn’t?)

Finishing Up

Classes are available every Saturday, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Center. An open house showcasing these and other classes will take place Sept. 24.

Ongoing jazz performances are also held throughout the year. The Latin Jazz Coalition will perform Oct. 21. Chuck Braman – specializing in the hard-bop era of music – will strike a chord Nov. 4. A more detailed list is available at www.jcal.org.

Jamaica Center For Arts And Learning
161-04 Jamaica Ave., Jamaica
(718) 658-7400
www.jcal.org
9 a.m.-5 p.m. Mon.-Fri.