Queens Library Partnership

Art and Literacy for New New Yorkers is a collaborative partnership between the Queens Museum of Art (QMA) and the Queens Library (QL) offering educational and cultural programs for immigrant adults in Queens.  To date, our three-year pilot collaboration combining art and literacy learning has made it possible to provide innovative opportunities for cross-programming in the welcoming spaces of the QMA and QL. Each institution provides expertise in their respective fields of literacy and the visual arts while responding in new ways to the stated needs of our program participants.  Programs are offered in a safe environment, in the spirit of open dialogue and discussion, and range from artist talks at the Queens Library community libraries to workshops at the QMA.  Courses are taught in a variety of languages including Spanish, Mandarin, Korean, Farsi, and Portuguese among others.  The response from the public has been extremely positive and there has been an increasing demand for more in-depth educational activities in native languages.

NNY Drawing Class at the Unisphere Gallery

As people spend more time than ever learning outside of formal classroom settings, they have come to expect informal learning experiences from institutions like the QMA where much of the programming is audience and content driven and where the organizational philosophy embraces a multi-directional flow of information that seeks purposeful learning outcomes through collaborative partnerships.

Art and Literacy for New New Yorkers programs are supported by the Altman Foundation, TD Bank and the Verizon Foundation. Additional support provided by the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs and New York State Council on the Arts.