Queens Tribune

Nonprofit arts organizations, perhaps taking their lead from movie studios, have started presenting previews.
The Queens Central Library, for example, is currently displaying samples of artwork from “Changing Queens,” a photography exhibit that will be displayed in full at the Jamaica Center for Arts and Learning next January.
“A lot of these photographers didn’t know a whole lot about Queens,” Curator Danny Simmons said. “It was an adventure for them.”

Simmons, who owns art galleries in Brooklyn and Manhattan, has become more familiar with the borough as well.
“The common theme is that Queens is in flux,” Simmons said. “Most dramatically in Long Island City where there’s a lot of development going on. The difference between old residents and new residents, old buildings and new condos and high-rises was very dramatic.”

Simmons assigned Long Island City to Brooklyn artist Mark Lee Blackshear.

“I thought it was a haven for middle class escapees from New York City,” Blackshear said of Queens. “If you went out to Queens you’ve arrived, you’ve made it. Before I actually went there that was my impression.”

Once he started spending time in Long Island City, Blackshear said he became intrigued by the architectural diversity.

“I tried to depict the old and new in my images and see how the new is encroaching on the old,” Blackshear said, adding that he’s looking forward to having more time in the borough before the final January exhibit.

Blackshear’s approach impressed Simmons.

“Mark’s contrasts were some of the most startling,” Simmons said, adding, “It doesn’t have to be juxtaposition. Sometimes change happens gradually. It’s not always that stark.”

Although Blackshear remains fascinated by Long Island City – he still hopes to shoot the Pepsi sign and the East River trestles – he said he would like to document Brooklyn from a similar perspective.

“Some things I want to capture before they change cause I know they’re gonna change,” Blackshear said, adding, “One thing I find myself regretting is that I wasn’t interested in photography when the old Myrtle Avenue L train was around. I used to ride that when I was younger and I didn’t have any clue about photography.”

The exhibit runs until May 30 and also includes photos by Lacy Austin, Laylah Amatullah Barrayn, Larry Bown, Kwame Brathwaite, Delphyne Fawundu, Kerika Fields, Vince Hunter, Jason Derek North and Amy Touchette.

For more information, call (718) 658-7400 x123 or visit www.jcal.org. Queens Central Library is located at 89-11 Merrick Blvd. in Jamaica.