Courtesy of Flushing Town Hall 1
1: Flushing Town Hall’s multi-disciplinary
programming reflects the diversity of the local
community, while introducing audiences to new
art forms and genres, and providing opportunities
for artists to celebrate their traditional arts and
create new work. 2: The Kupferberg Center for
the Arts at Queens College in Flushing has hosted
numerous cultural performances for students and
the Queens community. 3: Opening on a limited
basis to the public in 1985, the purpose of the
museum and foundation was and remains to
preserve and display Noguchi’s sculptures,
architectural models, stage designs, drawings, and
furniture designs.
York City.
MOMA PS1 & The Museum of Moving Image
The Museum of Modern Art (MOMA PS1),
located at 22-25 Jackson Ave in LIC, provides
a display of contemporary and modern art
exhibitions, while The Museum of Moving
Image, at 36-01 35th Ave in Astoria, is dedicated
to the art, technology, and social impact of film,
television, and digital media. The museum is
in the former building of the historic Astoria
Studios (now Kaufman Historic Studios).
The arts community has played a major
factor in the comeback of Long Island City,
according to Rob MacKay, Public Relations,
Marketing & Tourism, of the Queens Economic
Development Corporation.
“Around the borough you can get a lot
of authentically ethnic art,” said MacKay.
“Almost every country is represented in the
arts in Queens.”
The Noguchi Museum
Designed by Japanese-American sculptor,
Isamu Noguchi in 1985, The Noguchi Museum,
located at 9-01 33rd Road in LIC, exhibits his
sculptures, furniture designs, architectural
models, and drawings. There is also an
adjacent outdoor garden with more Noguchi
sculptures.
The museum is located across the street
from where Noguchi worked and lived during
the 1960s and 1970s. He bought a photogravure
plant and gas station in 1974 and converted
them into his museum.
Thalia Spanish Theatre
In Sunnyside, the Thalia Spanish Theatre
— established in 1977 — is the first and only
bilingual Hispanic theatre in Queens. It serves
as the home of Spanish and Latin American
culture with productions, plays, musicals and
dance. Every month is Hispanic Heritage Month
at the theatre, located at 41-17 Greenpoint Ave.
The Thalia Spanish Theatre has grown from
a community-based theatre to a world-class
cultural institution with guests from Spain,
Uruguay, India, Germany, Israel, Mexico,
Guatemala, Peru, Colombia, Argentina and
more, according to its website.
Jamaica Center for Arts and Learning
Long Island City is just one of many
communities with tiny art shops. There
are cultural art hubs in Jamaica such as
2
Courtesy of Kupferberg Center for the Arts
3
Photo by Nicholas Knight
the Jamaica Center for Arts and Learning
founded in 1972 in the Southeast, Queens
community.
JCAL has earned an reputation for
inspiring the youth of the neighborhood
taking an interest in the arts, showcasing
the talents of up and coming local artists and
performers, creating dynamic multicultural
programs and workshops embraced by
the community.
“Cultural venues are finally getting the
respect that they deserve, we’re getting a
good reputation on many different levels,”
said MacKay. “People are starting to come
to the borough typically for the culture
and arts, in larger numbers than they ever
have before.”
The more people come out to Queens, the
more they will learn about the borough and
its history, said MacKay.
“For anyone that is my age, they associate
Queens with Archie Bunker and Queens has
changed a lot in the last 20-30 years, and
it’s really become a great place to live and
work,” said MacKay. “It’s also a great place
to come and appreciate art and great food.
There’s a good combination of international
art to local grassroots art.”
QNS.COM TL GUIDE TO QUEENS, MARCH 15-21, 2019 A29
/QNS.COM