Queens Artists Come To The 7 Train
By Stefan Singh
For four days, artists and merchants will come together in a celebration of art in Queens. Some 38 art organizations and 80 local merchants, all located around the “7” train, will collaborate for the Queens Art Express Festival. QAX 2010, running June 10-13, will be highlighted by outdoor art shows, dance performances, film screenings and discounts to customers.The event will launch a brand new initiative by the Queens Council on the Arts called Artful Business. The QCA is focused on developing the arts in Queens and supporting artists and art organizations in the community. Artful Business is a partnership between the QCA and the MTA to benefit small, local retailers in Queens. Anyone who attends the festival and visits one of the 80 participating merchants will receive a discount just by flashing their MetroCard.
In the QAX’s second year, the organizers have had tremendous growth. “We went from 23 venues and zero businesses to 38 venues and 80 businesses,” said David Bromley, communications coordinator of the QCA. “I think this speaks to the percentage of artists now living in Queens, but also perhaps that individual organizations and merchants see the benefit of working together as a community. They finally are seeing that people will take notice if you huddle together.”
In an attempt to help promote the African American inventor Lewis H. Latimer, the Latimer House Museum is offering free admission to anyone who displays a MTA card. According to manager Vivian Warfield, the Latimer House, located on 137th Street in Flushing, is one of the 23 historic houses owned by New York City.
The festival kicked off with a party on June 9 at L Haus, located at 11-02 49th Avenue in Long Island City. The party featured DJ Velvet & multimedia artist Renzo Ortega of Local Project.
On June 10, the LaGuardia Performing Arts Center will open its doors to festival goers at 4:30 p.m. Their first event is a poetry slam called “Growing Up Queens” that will be hosted by Kahlil Alumstafa and students from LaGuardia. At 7 p.m. the Art Center will show three short films from the LaGuardia community, including a 10-minute film called “Seven World Pairs for the No. 7 Train.” The film was created by a LaGuardia student and is a journey through Queens on the seven train. Handan Ozbilgin, LaGuardia’s assistant artistic director said, “Queens residents should come out to see this because its about them.”
A major part of this year’s festival will be the outdoor art shows. In Sunnyside there will be a curated art fair. In Corona, an artist-led walking tour of neighborhood restaurants, and in Jackson Heights 37th Avenue is being turned into a gallery. All the restaurants and stores will display art in the storefronts.
For a full list of QAX events and participating merchants, visit queensartexpress.com or call (877)-7IS-4ART.
Reach Intern Stefan Singh at ssingh@queenstribune.com or (718) 357-7400, Ext. 128.