History On Northern Boulevard

Flushing Town Hall

By BRIAN M. RAFFERTY

Getting Started

The sculpture “Mother and Child” by Ana Ruiz-Castillo is a centerpiece of the Earth images. Tribune Photo by Brian M. Rafferty

When you arrive in downtown Flushing the first thing you must realize is that you can’t make a left turn. This is a nearly impossible feat, but heed the warning now – every turn you make must be to the right, or at least it seems that way.

Find your way to the north side of Northern, up at 35th Avenue, to get some free parking. If you don’t mind paying a couple of bucks, pull into Municipal Lot 1, located between 138th Street and Union Street and 37th and 39th Avenues.

And if you do choose to park there, you may wish too start your day at Joe’s Shanghai, a highly rated Chinese restaurant, and one of the more friendly in the area toward the non-Asian population. (For food, that is.) The American palette is not used to the lamb penis and goat testicles served around the corner at Little Lamb on Main Street, but tasty favorites can be found here – and quickly, too.

Filled with a flavor for the Asian experience into which most of Flushing has morphed, take a turn down Main or Union streets to Northern Boulevard. Standing there, on the other side of the manicured mall that separates east from west traffic on Northern is the circa-1862 structure in red brick off of which a flag for the Smithsonian Institute flies.

As you approach the entrance, you’ll notice the trolley sign on the street – more on that later.

Digging In

“Medusa” by Hilda Sigal stares out from the “Propulsion”exhibit. Tribune Photo by Brian M. Rafferty

Make your way up the steps, you’ll come to the heavy entrance doors. As you pass through you’ll be greeted by security. Just tell them you’re there to see the exhibit and walk on ahead.

Since August, Town Hall has been filled with “Propulsion,” an exhibition which features more than 60 working Queens artists presenting 141 works in both the main and community galleries.

The exhibition showcases an array of artwork including: photography, pastels, papier-mâché, rubber polymer, oil and acrylic paintings, watercolors, and beadwork.

In the main gallery the exhibit is broken into Motion, Vision, Myth, Origins, Earth, Heritage, Mortality, Eternity, Sand & Sky, and High Voltage. Each division is represented differently, providing a different emotional response as one tries to take in the entirety of the section.

Interestingly, off from the main gallery, is a small nook further down the main hall called the portrait gallery, which is nothing but a small alcove, but with its five paintings as part of “Propulsion,” it creates a unique feel that separated it from the rest of what was going on.

For the next exhibit, “Pieces For Peace,” which opens Sept. 11, the staff at Flushing Town Hall has turned to children to create the works that will hang on the walls.

“We worked with students from different schools within the city and from different countries, and they created the versions of what peace looks like,” says spokeswoman Michelle Becker. “They’re going to a traveling exhibition that starts here, and then it’s going to go to the United Nations.”

Finishing Up

Eternity is expressed in sculpture, on canvas and on photo paper. Tribune Photo by Brian M. Rafferty

Flushing Town Hall, besides being a great visual departure from the hustle and bustle of downtown Flushing, is also an extremely active performing arts space, with a large theater that regularly hosts music performances and a weekly jazz series.

Also, as exhibits work their way in and out of the spaces, various artist talks are held, as well as special weekend classes to allow children to interact with the creative forces behind the works they are seeing.

In addition to all the regular events, Town Hall will hold a Sept. 11 ceremony at 7 p.m. to read aloud from the Flushing Remonstrance – the document that serves as the foundation for religious freedom in the United States.

Also, on Sept. 30, Town Hall will host a special tribute to Jo-Ann Jones, the founder of the Flushing Council on Culture and the Arts (and the person who fought hardest to restore the building), who died Aug. 1.

Flushing Town Hall
137-35 Northern Boulevard
Flushing, NY 11354
(718) 463-7700
www.flushingtownhall.org

9 a.m. – 5 p.m. Mon-Fri.;

Noon-5 p.m. Sat - Sun.

Additional evening hours during performances.