QMAil: May 2006
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May is upon us and along with the promise of warmer weather and relaxing days enjoying the outdoors, this May brings with it an important focus on the pending immigration legislation. On the first of the month boycotts and protests took place through the US and in key locales in Mexico, further reminding us all of the import of this issue. At the QMA, coincidentally or not, we have three very topical exhibitions on view: Open Routines: Recent Projects by Pedro Lasch, which directly addresses the subject of immigration through three poignant projects; Jeff Chien-Hsing Liao: Habitat 7, in which the photographer's panoramic imagery captures the diverse communities that have blossomed on the banks of the subway line dubbed “The International Express”; and ABCDF: Portraits of Mexico City, a beautifully energetic survey of a city much like New York, highlighting the coming threads among life in the world's largest metropolises. With a varied menu of public programs complimenting the work in the galleries, we invite you to join us for our ongoing celebration of the art and culture that creates the common bonds in society. See you soon.
May masthead: Jeff Chien-Hsing Liao, Dance Studio, Elmhurst, Habitat 7, 2004, Duratran, courtesy of the artist and Julie Saul Gallery.
CURRENT EXHIBITIONS
ABCDF: Portraits of Mexico City
through August 20, 2006
As the third-largest city in the world, Mexico City and its 22 million inhabitants are exposed to an infinite amount of stimuli that encourages a free and playful interaction of imagery unique to this sprawling locale. ABCDF: Portraits of Mexico City features some 165 photographs, video pieces, prints, engravings, animations, short films and objects capturing the true experience of living in this energetic and enigmatic metropolis. Arranged alphabetically, ABCDF literally provides the ABCs of Mexico City, or Distrito Federal, from abasto (supply), represented by Nestor Quiñones' photomural (measuring 12' x 22') of mountains of the empty produce crates that supply the city, to Zoom, a series of six satellite images that capture the urban sprawl. What lies in between is a journey through the wonderfully enchanting, the less-than-desirable, the tragic and completely joyous, all combining to create the first in-depth survey of daily life in the largest city in North America. Features work by Francis Alys, Miguel Calderon, Ximena Cuevas, Silvia Gruner, Gabriel Kuri, Yoshua Okon, Daniela Rossell, Sabastian Romo, Pedro Reyes and Daniel Guzman and others.
Michael Calderwood, Untitled, 1993. Ink on canvas, 110 1/4 x 83 7/8 in.
ABCDF: Portraits of Mexico City at the Queens Museum of Art has been made possible by the generous support of: CONACULTA: Mexico's National Council for Culture and Arts. Jacques and Natasha Gelman Trust, Control Bureau, Fundacion Televisa, SRE: Mexico's Ministry of Foreign Affiars, The Mex-Am Cultural Foundation, Inc., The Consulate General of Mexico in New York, Mexican Cultural Institute of New York, Cuervo Tradicional, Mexicana Airlines, Tortilleria Chinantla, Dasein Foundation, Jarritos, Corona, Villacero Group, and Vitro.
More information about ABCDF: Portraits of Mexico City is available here.
Open Routines: Recent Projects by Pedro Lasch
through July 9, 2006
Artist, educator, activist, and cultural organizer Pedro Lasch was born in Mexico City in 1975 and lived there until he moved to New York at the age of 19. Since 1999. Lasch has focused on creating multiple art initiatives that bridge the local concerns and interests of recent Latino immigrants in Queens and beyond with the current state of international politics. Open Routines: Recent Project by Pedro Lasch reflects the artist's preoccupation with the theory and practice of socially engaged art through a series of public interventions within the flow of the everyday. The four works shown in Open Routines, spanning an eight year period, have generated engaging ways to link contemporary art to the Latino community located within the Museum's immediate neighborhood. Three of the four projects involve direct exchanges and collaborations with various communities in Queens. Most of the pieces refer directly to the relationship between the U.S. and Mexico, and reflect cross-class and cosmopolitan perspectives.
Pedro Lasch, Media Defacements - Part 1, 2004. Video Stills from Naturalizations Series, duration: 3:00 min.
Open Routines: Recent Projects by Pedro Lasch and emerging artists projects at the QMA are supported by the Lily Auchincloss Foundation, Inc., The Greenwall Foundation and the Jerome Foundation.
More information is available here.
Jeff Chien-Hsing Liao: Habitat 7
through August 20, 2006
Jeff Chien-Hsing Liao, Day Workers, Roosevelt Avenue Jackson Heights, 2004. Duratran, 20 x 48 inches. Courtesy of the artist.
For millennia, civilizations have laid their roots along the fertile banks of major rivers to reap the rich natural resources. From the Nile to the Amazon and Yangtze, the river basins have become the birthplaces of new cultures and societies. Today it is the manmade arteries that serve as the spines of new communities and none in New York has become home to a more diverse system of societies than the culturally rich soils that surround the #7 train. In his first solo museum exhibition, Taiwanese-born, Queens-based photographer and winner of the 2nd Annual New York Times Magazine “Capture the Times” Photography Competition, Jeff Chien-Hsing Liao, examines the various enclaves that exist on the route between Times Square and Flushing. Jeff Chien-Hsing Liao: Habitat 7 features 30 of Liao's large-scale panoramic images - some measuring 8 feet in width - printed on Duratrans and installed in lightboxes surrounding the QMA's historic Panorama of the City of New York, inviting not only a reconsideration of the ways in which modern societies evolve around the river basins of today, but also the deep breadth and depth of the communities that have developed along a single subway line.
Jeff Chien-Hsing Liao: Habitat 7 has been made possible by the generous support of the Council for Cultural Affairs, Taiwan, R.O.C. in collaboration with the Taipei Cultural Center, TECO in New York, JGS, Inc. and Crystal Foundation.
More information is available here.
Local Words: An Interactive Installation by Sol Aramendi
through July 9, 2006
The Artzone, the Museum's interactive family-friendly art space, has been transformed into a living room by Queens based artist, Sol Aramendi. The walls are covered by photographs taken by students participating in a photography workshop offered in Spanish at Local Project Art Collective. Echoing the concept of ABCDF, the students used the structure of the alphabet as their guide to identify local words that help define the essence of Queens. The installation also includes a video installation where visitors take a subway ride of ethnic diversity through images of immigrant women pronouncing the letters of the alphabet in different languages. Visitors can be part of this installation by sharing their own stories and images of Queens through a series of writing and drawing activities. On Sundays, visitors can have their portraits taken, and add their recorded testimonies to the constantly evolving installation.
SPECIAL EVENTS
Animals on the Silk Road — Puppet Performance & Workshop
Sunday, May 7, 12 - 2:30 pm
Queens College Puppeteers, led by Dr. Rikki Asher, Director of Art Education in the Secondary Education Department at CUNY Queens College, will perform a free puppet show based on a story of a Journey of Animals From The Silk Road with GIANT PUPPETS, along with musical accompaniment by internationally known New York-based percussionist Laraaji Nadananda. A hands-on workshop will follow from 1:30-2:30 in the education studios where folks can create their own version of an animal puppet.
Cinco de Mayo
Sunday, May 7, 12 - 5 pm
Come celebrate Cinco de Mayo with an exciting day of Mexico-themed programs. Featuring bi-lingual, hands-on art making workshops for families and bi-lingual exhibition tours from 2 - 4pm at the beginning of every hour. In the free workshops, learn about the history of Mexican printmaking, ranging from pre-Columbian, Aztec and Mayan motifs to the political art of the Mexican revolution, depicting such events as the famous Battle of Puebla (memorialized by the Cinco de Mayo holiday). Participants of all ages will get to make their own stamps and prints (collographs, monotypes and relief prints for children and stampmaking for teens and adults).
Filipino Fashion Show hosted by FAHSI
Saturday, May 13, 2 - 4 pm
Join the Filipino American Human Services, Inc. (FAHSI) in an elegant and informative fashion show featuring the beautiful fabric and distinctive designs of the Philippines. FAHSI is a community-based, non-profit organization dedicated to serving the most vulnerable segments of the Filipino community of New York - particularly youth, women, recent immigrants, and the elderly.
Think Globally, Film Locally, a festival of movies by Queens filmmakers
Saturday & Sunday, May 20-21
Queens is home to a growing number of filmmakers. Please join us for this weekend-long showcase of some of the best local talent with live music, discussions with filmmakers, and a critical introduction to the films and the cultural history of Queens:
Saturday, May 20
2 - 4 pm: Rockaway, three teenage girls about to make the transition from high school to beyond.
4 - 6 pm: Experimental & Art Film/Video Program
6 - 8 pm: Documentary & Shorts Program
Sunday, May 21
1 - 3 pm: Queensbridge: The Other Side, dispels common myths about the history and residents of one of NYC's housing projects.
South Asian Music & Dance Festival + Screenings from “Fast Futures”
Saturday, May 27, 2 - 5 pm
Presented with Asian Contemporary Art Week
Join us for performances by singers Tenzin Sherpa, Samita Sinha, and Bijli, plus a special collaborative dance piece by Ishrat Hoque and visual artist Siona Benjamin. Plus screenings of selections from the Asian Contemporary Art Week's video program ”Fast Futures“ juried by Barbara London, and Melissa Chiu.
QMA INFORMATION
LOCATION
New York City Building
Flushing Meadows Corona Park
Queens NY 11368
TEL: 718 592 9700
HOURS
SEPTEMBER 6 - JUNE 25
Wednesday - Friday:
10:00am - 5:00pm
Saturday and Sunday:
12:00pm - 5:00pm
Closed Monday & Tuesday
ADMISSION
Admission is by suggested donation.
Adults: $5.00
Senior and Children: $2.50
Members and Children
under five: Free
TOURS
Enjoy free tours of the Panorama and special exhibitions on Saturdays and Sundays, including Spanish tours on Sundays.
UNISPHERE CAFÉ
Open every weekend — featuring small plates, sushi, desserts and beverages. Lunch with a view of the Unisphere.
GET or GIVE QMAil
Email addresses are only used to receive QMAil.
May Series
Artists Talk Series — Hisako Inuoe, Art-making workshop
Monday, May 8, 6:30-7:30 pm
Come join Japanese installation artist Hisako Inoue, for a discussion of her experience as an immigrant artist before she includes all audience members to participate in an installation piece. Ms. Inoue will demonstrate how she uses fruit, the five senses, and memory to create art. On the following Sunday, May 14, from 2 - 4 pm, she will conduct a free art-making workshop on how to create your own installation. In Japanese with English translation.
Artists Talk Series — Open Routines: Slide talk by Pedro Lasch
Friday, May 12, 3 - 5 pm
At the King Juan Carlos II of Spain Center, NYU, 53 Washington Square South
Join Mexican artist Pedro Lasch for a slide presentation, followed by a discussion with scholars Anna Indych-López and Robert Smith moderated by Dr. Alyshia Gálvez. While referring to specific artworks, the discussion will focus on its relationship to broader topics such as art and globalization, the aesthetics and politics of migrations, as well as U.S. - Latin America relations.
Co-presented with the Center for Latin American & Caribbean Studies, New York University.
UN 60th Anniversary Discussion Series: Partition of Korea
Sunday, May 7, 2 - 4 pm
United Nations Association — Queens Chapter & QMA invite you to the second of three discussions which revisit the major events that took place while the General Assembly met in the QMA building, which include the partitions of Israel/Palestine and Korea, as well as the founding of UNICEF. This second conversation of the series features a multimedia presentation and discussion of STILL PRESENT PASTS: Korean Americans and the “Forgotten War,” a collaboration of 3 Queens-based visual artists and 2 Queens-based performance artists, as well as several other artists and scholars, The group's work is a unique expression of the tragic history of the Korean American community that offers hope, empowerment, and reconciliation.
The Film Series — “And the Verdict Is... Films on Law and Justice”
Mark Ethan presents this 10-week series representing the law and its process, both within as well as beyond the frame of the courtroom, expressing the urban or rural social context.
Monday, May 1, 2 pm
Witness for the Prosecution (Billy Wilder, US, 1957, 114 min.) Charles Laughton is the attorney defending an American (Tyrone Power) on trial for murder in a London courtroom. Based on the Agatha Christie play, co-starring Marlene Dietrich.
Monday, May 8, 2 pm
Intruder in the Dust (Clarence Brown, USA, 1994, 87 min.). In this superb adaptation of William Faulkner's superb adaptation of William Faulkner's novel, the threat of racial tension rises when a gathering mob closes in on a prison that holds a black man charged with murder.
Monday, May 15, 2 pm
Twelve Angry Men (Sidney Lumet, USA, 1957, 93 min.) Henry Fonda stars in this classic courtroom drama which explores the responsibility of jurors, and the courage to stand alone.
The Looking Series — “LOOKING AT THE METROPOLIS”, Slide-Talks by Miriam Brumer
On the occasion of the exhibition ABCDF: Portraits of Mexico City, The Looking Series will focus on looking at the metropolis in art. Various aspects of large cosmopolitan areas in the world have always been investigated by artists; whether it be from the architectural, social or purely visual standpoint, cities have long served as a setting, to provide an ambience or as a source of documentation for the changing currents in art. Triumphal columns and arches in ancient Rome, pageantry recorded in Renaissance Florence, Lautrec's portrayal of nightlife in turn of the century Paris, decadence in 1920's Berlin as etched by George Grosz, and lively mixed media renditions of contemporary New York created by Red Grooms — all of these present us with a sense of a particular city in a particular art historical context.
The cost is $5 per session, free for members.
Thursday, May 4,
2 - 3:30 pm
Mexico and political art of the 1930s
Thursday, May 11,
2 - 3:30 pm
Mexico: ABCDF: Portraits of Mexico City — a tour of the exhibition
Thursday, May 18,
2 - 3:30 pm
New York: 1900 – 1950
Followed with performance by The Forest Hills Chamber Players
Thursday, May 25,
2 - 3:30 pm
New York: 1950 – present
CINEMAROSA — Queens Only Queer Film Series
Additional information is available at Cinemarosa's web site.
Sunday, May 23, 3 - 5 pm
Derek Jarman, Life as Art (Andy Kimpton-Nye, UK, 2004, 60 min.)
The Offering (Paul Lee, Canada , 1999, 10 min.)
Makbul, His Favoured One (Huseyin Karagoz, Turkey, 1999, 7 min.)
Ongoing Permanent Exhibitions
The Panorama of the City of New York
The Panorama of the City of New York, originally commissioned by Robert Moses for the 1964 World's Fair, is the largest architectural scale model in the world. At 9,335 square feet, it includes the 320 square miles and 895,000 buildings that comprise the city. With a scale of 1 inch:1200 feet, the Panorama offers a truly unique view of the five boroughs, one that has left the six million people who have seen it in awe. As the lights fade and night falls on New York, viewers can experience the unique view of the city at night, with the city's streets glowing with activity.
Tiffany: The Glass
This new installation of Tiffany glass from the Neustadt Collection of Tiffany Glass is the first to focus solely on the flat sheets of opalescent glass Louis C. Tiffany used to create the spectacular leaded windows and lamps for which he is best known. Tiffany: The Glass delves into some of his explorations into the replication of flower petals, autumn foliage, sunsets and even angels' wings.
CALLS FOR ENTRIES
Queens International 2006
(October 1, 2006 — January 14, 2007)
An invitation to artists of all media, who currently live and/or work in the borough of Queens to have their work reviewed for possible inclusion in the exhibition.
DEADLINE: June 1, 2006 (postmarked)
More information is available here.
QMA SEVEN TRAIN PHOTO CONTEST Submit your photo!
Show us what the 7 Train means to you! Professional and amateur artists are invited by the Queens Museum of Art and Jeff Chien-Hsing Liao to look at the myriad aspects of the 7 Train and digitally submit up to three images that best capture the subway line dubbed “The International Express.” Contest winners will be announced on June 10, 2006.
Send your photos viae-mail or mobile text messaging to take27help2blog@photos.flickr.com with your e-mail address.
Queens Artist Connection
Saturday, May 6, 2 - 6 pm
QMA, Queens Council on the Arts, and NYFA invite Queens artists to a free forum where they will connect with art service organizations, funders, and venues to maximize their potential. Featuring a tutorial on NYFA Source, and presentation by Theodore S. Berger on LINC and NY Creates. Plus free performances, raffle, and refreshments!
The Queens Museum is housed in the New York City Building, which is owned by the City of New York. With the assistance of the Queens Borough President Helen Marshall and the New York City Council, the Museum is supported in part by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, the New York City Department for the Aging and the New York City Department of Youth and Community Development. Additional funding is provided by the New York State Legislature, the New York State Council on the Arts, New York Council on the Humanities, National Endowment for the Arts and the Institute for Museum and Library Services, generous corporate and foundation supporters, members and friends.
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