QMAil: June 2007

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Welcome to summer. I know we still have until the equinox, but it is 80 degrees again and we're about to open our summer exhibitions, so forgive me for jumping the gun. On the heels of Robert Moses and the Modern City, in true QMA fashion, we now change direction to bring you Generation 1.5 featuring eight internationally renowned mid-career artists - Ellen Harvey, Pablo Helguera, Emily Jacir, Lee Mingwei, Shirin Neshat, Seher Shah, Rirkrit Tiravanija and Nari Ward. So please join us for the opening on Sunday, June 10, from 3-6 pm, for an afternoon of art, music and a look into the sociology of human development, immigration and cross-cultural confluence. Also opening on June 10 is Corona Plaza: Center of Everywhere, the kick-off of four site specific projects that the Museum has commissioned to be installed in Corona Plaza as part of our Heart of Corona initiative. Also on the exhibition front, if you have not seen our Grimshaw Architects exhibition yet, you are in luck as it has been extended until July 8. And now, onto our event schedule. June begins with the Media That Matters Film Festival, bringing the key topics of the day into focus through short films. On the 17th, please join us for our Fifth Annual Queerin' Queens Pride Celebration for a day of film, performances and festivities. And wrapping up the month, follow us on a journey into the Andes with poerty and music.
So there you have it...June, QMA style. Enjoy!

June masthead: Ellen Harvey, A Whitney for the Whitney at Philip Morris (detail), 2003. Gilded frame, twenty 10 x 4 foot / 304 x 123 cm wood panels painted in oils, dropped ceiling, recent acquisitions, catalog. Photo: Jan Baracz, Courtesy of the artist and Luxe Gallery, New York.

CURRENT EXHIBITIONS

Generation 1.5

June 10 - December 2, 2007

Opening reception, June 10, 3 - 6 pm

Generation 1.5 is an exhibition of the work of eight artists who emigrated in their teenage years. The term “generation 1.5” is used in some communities to describe those who are neither adult immigrants nor American born – the in-between generation of people who moved from one country to another between the ages of 12 and 18. Already undergoing physical and intellectual change during these formative years, 1.5 generation individuals also experience a change in context, in language, in culture. The premise of the exhibition is that the relationship of a 1.5 artist to their adopted country is different than that of a person who has immigrated when they were much younger or older. Some of the issues surrounding the 1.5 generation center on immigration, cultural dislocation and memory, hybridity, acceptance, exile – perhaps a certain type of transgression, critique of their native country or their adopted country, a freedom to be revolutionary or assimilated in both places. Generation 1.5 is a term that is contested and defined differently by sociologists, but the curators have taken the meaning that they first heard in Queens - those who came between the ages of 12 and 18. While many of the artists are classic “1.5ers” who came on their teen years, others traveled extensively throughout their lives.

Participating artists: Ellen Harvey, Pablo Helguera, Emily Jacir, Lee Mingwei, Shirin Neshat, Seher Shah, Rirkrit Tiravanija, and Nari Ward. Some of the artists will be showing new work, others are reworking existing pieces or showing work that has not been seen in New York.
Curators: Queens Museum Director Tom Finkelpearl and Chief Curator Valerie Smith

In lieu of a printed catalogue, Generation 1.5 will feature an online component that will grow throughout the time of the exhibition. The material there will serve as the foundation for a catalogue (to be published after the exhibition) with writers, sociologists, anthropologists, filmmakers, other visual artists interested in the issues that attend the 1.5 generation.

Generation 1.5 has been made possible with support from the National Endowment for the Arts, the Lily Auchincloss Foundation, the Taipei Cultural Center and the Crystal Foundation.

More information is available here.

Photo: Seher Shah, Interior courtyard 2 (detail), 2006. From the series Jihad Pop Progression 5. Graphite on paper, 80 x 130 inches. Courtesy of the artist and Bose Pacia Gallery, New York.

Corona Plaza, Center of Everywhere: Four Site-Specific Projects

June 10 - October 14, 2007 at QMA

July 1 - October 14, 2007 at Corona Plaza

Corona, Queens has experienced a significant population increase since 1980 due to an influx of recent immigrants from Latin America and Asia. Today, Corona Plaza mirrors the neighborhood's diverse population in a bustling mix of shopping, eating, entertainment and leisure. QMA has commissioned four emerging artists to produce temporary site-specific art in Corona Plaza, just a few blocks away from the museum's home, Flushing Meadows Corona Park. The projects are part of a larger Heart of Corona initiative in which the museum and community partners work towards three main objectives: to improve the health of community residents; beautify the neighborhood; and activate public spaces in the area thereby enhancing the environment for visitors, residents, and merchants alike. Artists Hector Canonge, Stephanie Diamond, Shaun El. C Leonardo & Xaviera Simmons were asked to develop projects that would integrate with the specific conditions of the plaza. Corona Plaza, Center of Everywhere: Four Site-Specific Projects will include an exhibition at the Museum which will document and expand on the projects in the plaza. The works exemplify much contemporary artistic practice that values audience participation, fun, generosity and community engagement. Map of projects and schedule of events may be found at the museum.
Corona Plaza, Center of Everywhere has been made possible with support from the Institute for Museum and Library Services.

Macro to Micro: Grimshaw in New York

Extended through July 8, 2007

Last chance to catch a glimpse of the future of the Queens Museum of Art! Macro to Micro has been extended to July 8 and includes plans and models of the QMA expansion among other works-in-progress from their New York studio. In accordance with this mission to “demystify the process by which a Grimshaw building is designed and constructed,” Macro to Micro offers intimate access into the creative process of an exceedingly dynamic organization. This multi-media exploration will incorporate building elements, drawings, video, images, models and computer generated graphics. Everyone from the novice to the seasoned designer is encouraged to interact with this multifaceted showcase.
Macro to Micro has been made possible with support from Elise Jaffe + Jeffrey Brown, the New York State Council on the Arts, and the LEF Foundation.

Jeff Chien-Hsing Liao: Habitat 7

Through June 16, 2007

On View at the QMA Satellite Gallery at Bulova

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 10 of Liao's large-scale panoramic images printed on Duratran and installed in commercial lightboxes. Some measuring 8 feet in width, Liao's illuminated cityscapes are on view at the QMA's satellite gallery in Jackson Heights, the Bulova Corporate Center.
QMA at the Bulova Corporate Center is made possible by the Blumenfeld Development Group, Ltd.

Click for details about the exhibition and Bulova Open Call for artists and independent curators.

SPECIAL EVENTS

NYC Youth Media Jam

Saturday, June 2, 12 - 2:30 pm

Special screening & discussion open to young folks (13 - 25) and youth media facilitators of all ages. Featuring youth-produced media created in conjunction with Global Action Project, New Childen/New York, Chica Luna Productions F-word program, and WIP clips of "Citizens of Nowhere" a project that documents the struggles of undocumented youth. Free Pizza & Soda + Audience Award

Media That Matters Film Festival 2007

Saturday, June 2, 3 - 6 pm

The Media That Matters Film Festival is the premiere showcase for short films on the most important topics of the day. Local and global, online and in communities around the world, Media That Matters engages diverse audiences and inspires them to take action. From gay rights to global warming, the jury-selected collection represents the work of a diverse group of independent filmmakers, many of whom are under 21. The films are equally diverse in style and content, with documentaries, music videos, animations, experimental work and everything else in between. What all the films have in common is that they spark debate and action in 8 minutes or less. Q&A with filmmakers and reception follow screenings.

2007 Films include:

GARBAGE DREAMS (Egypt, 2006, 8 min., doc, Produced & Directed by Mai Iskander)
Egypt's resident garbage recyclers, the Zaballeen, struggle as Cairo modernizes its waste disposal system.

RAPPING AT FEAR (Columbia, 2006, 6:44 min., doc, Andres Tabares, Producer: Listen Up! & Polimorfo)
In Andres Tabares' barrio in Columbia, "social cleansing" groups wage war. This 13 year-old raps against violence, and people are listening.

STILL STANDING (USA, 2006, 7:44 min., doc, Directed & Produced by EVC Yo-TV)
Ms. Gertrude returns to what remains of her New Orleans home and fights to rebuild what she can in the wake of Hurricane Katrina.

THE APOLLOS (USA, 2006, 6 min., doc, Nick Parker & Jazmin Jones, Producer: BAVC)
Meet the trailblazing students who, over twenty years ago, fought to make Martin Luther King Jr. Day a national holiday.

SOVEREIGN NATION / SOVEREIGN NEIGHBOR (USA, 2006, 7 min., doc, Directed & Produced by Kendall Moore)
A Native American tribe defends their sovereignty only to encounter violent resistance and entrenched misunderstanding from their home state of Rhode Island.

RIGHTS ON THE LINE: VIGILANTES AT THE BORDER (USA, 2005, 3:55 min., doc, Produced by American Friends Service Committee, ACLU and WITNESS)
What happens when people cross the line? Vigilantes take the law into their own hands on the U.S.-Mexican border.

POWER UP (Australia, 2006, 1:39 min., animation/mix, Directed & Produced by Sverre Fredriksen)
"Bomber Man" strikes again! Who will stop him this time?

MASSACRE AT MURAMBI (France, 2007, 5 min., doc, Directed & Produced by Sam Kauffmann)
Does the way we respond to the genocide in Rwanda predict our response to Darfur?

BY-STANDING: THE BEGINNING OF AN AMERICAN LIFETIME (USA, 2006, 5 min., doc, Karen Lin, Producer: Karin Chien)
Kelly Tsai speaks truth to power as she raises her voice against war and complacency.

GRACE (USA, 2006, 3:12 min., anim., Directed & Produced by Kathleen Hulka)
The story of three females whose lives share an unwanted thread.

I'M NOT A BOY (USA, 2006, 6:10 min., doc, Julie Joyce, Producers: Listen Up! & Frame by Frame Fierce)
Julie Joyce is not a boy. As a transgendered youth, she just wants what all young people want - to have a positive space to live and grow.
ASHRAY (USA, 2006, 6 min., doc, Directed & Produced by Ambika Samarthya)
Affected or infected, the children of Ashray, Bombay live together as one family, despite their HIV status.

TYTTONEN (Germany, 2006, 5 min., narr, Fabian Giessler, Producer: Mika Pettissalo)
A woman, trapped by time and age, searches for freedom in her childhood memories.

THE FINAL FRONTIER: EXPLORERS OR WARRIORS? (USA, 2006, 8 min., doc, Directed & Produced by Trace Gaynor & Stephen Sotor)
Two teens from Chicago ask senators, scientists and science fiction fans: could space be the new battleground?

SUPERSTAR (USA, 2006, 6:15 min., doc, Naiquan Greene, Producer: Reelworks Teen Filmmaking)
With the support and guidance of his family, nothing will stop Naiquan from becoming a superstar.

THE FARM SANCTUARY (USA, 2006, 5:31 min., doc, Directed & Produced by Fly Up Media + youth (waiting to hear about credits)
Fifth graders from the Bronx go upstate to meet rescued farm animals and try out veganism, at least for the weekend.

Opening Reception for Crossroads

Sunday, June 3, 3 - 6 pm

Community Gallery Exhibition

Media Sutra is proud to partner with South Asian Youth Action (SAYA!) and Richmond Hill High School and John Adams High School to present a student exhibition celebrating community and self expression through photography. Opening Reception features live performance by South Asian hip hop artist Chee Malabar. Exhibition on view from June 3 - 15, 2007, in the Community Gallery.

Free Spring Choral Concert

Sunday, June 3, 3 - 5 pm

Members of the Bronx Concert Singers and The Brooklyn-Queens Conservatory of Music Chorale will perform the Fauré Requiem and shorter works by Bernstein, Rutter, Stroope and Galván. The group will be accompanied by harp, oboe, violin and cello.

Documentary Screening & Discussion: Afghan Women: A History of Struggle

June 6, 6:30 - 8:30 pm

at Asia Society, 725 Park Avenue at 70th Street, NY

Afghan Women: A History of Struggle, (Kathleen Foster, USA/Afghanistan, 2007, 69 min.)
The film captures the resilience and courage of women who risk their lives on a daily basis and yet still stand up for their rights. Disturbing and amazing stories are told by women as they look back at the pivotal role women's struggle for equality has played in the country's tumultuous political history, debunk the myth that current U.S. intervention in Afghanistan has liberated Afghan women from the tyranny of fundamentalism, and expose the War on Terror as mainly a euphemism for expanding U.S. control of the region's oil and gas.
$5 Students, $7 Members and NGOs, $10 Non-members. Advance ticket purchase is highly recommended.
Please purchase tickets online or call the Box Office at 212-517-ASIA.

1.5 Generation – Opening Reception

Sunday, June 10, 3 - 6 pm

Join us for the opening of Generation 1.5. Light Refreshments & Finale Concert by Trio Tarana, led by 1.5 Generation percussionist/ composer Ravish Momin who spent his childhood in Mumbai & Bahrain and currently resides in New York City. With Trio Tarana, Indian, Middle Eastern and East-Asian rhythms become the foundation for a new creative musical experience that seamlessly blends written material with spontaneous group interaction.

Corona Cares Celebration

Saturday, June 16, 11 am - 6 pm

in Corona Plaza, Queens

Street Celebration in Corona Plaza, featuring live music, dances, art-making workshops, and free portrait studio. Plus free health evaluations, health insurance sign-ups, and immigrant services.

5th Annual Queerin' Queens Pride Celebration

Sunday, June 17, 3 - 7 pm

For the past five years, the Queerin' Queens LGBT Pride Celebration at the QMA has brought together organizations and individuals for a festive afternoon of free music, dance, video, performances, food, art, and activism to celebrate and support the importance and strength of multicultural connections in our New York gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered communities. This year's anniversary celebration promises to offer yet another dynamic showcase of these communities' dynamic talents.

3 - 5 pm “Global Queerness” – Special selection of shorts from around the globe in celebration of Pride month:
A Crimson Mark, dir. Hyun-Jin Park (South Korea); A Girl Named Kai, dir. Kai Ling Xue (Canada); Behind Walls, dir. Abel Castro (USA); Daddy's Boy, dir. Tristan Hamilton (Australia); Gladys, A Cuban Mother, dir. Xavier-Daniel (Spain); Green Stalk, dir. Desireena Almoradie & Cristina Quisumbing Ramilo (Philipines/USA); Oh, You Pretty Things, dir. Michael Alen (USA); Still, dir. Jason Woo (Indonesia/USA); Vida Travesti/Transvestite Life, dir. Diego Torres (Bolivia).

Visit Cinemarosa's website for more info.

5 - 7 pm Performance Extravaganza featuring: the "Queen of Magical Illusions" Bernie Brandall; solo dance piece by Faye Driscoll; hard-hitting poetry by Dulani and Climbing Poetree; vocalist Queen GodIs who fuses Spoken Word with Hip Hop, Theater, Soul, Alternative and Story-telling; and the passionate Tango of Walter Perez. Plus DJ Ashu Rai (Sholay Productions) spinning the hottest bhangra, bollywood, and dance tracks. Complimentary Refreshments will be served.

Inti Raymi Festival of the Sun

Sunday, June 24, 4 - 6 pm

Free Showcase of the indigenous cultures of the Andes, featuring projections of visual art by Ecuadorian Indigenous artists, and poetry readings and live musical performance by the Bolivia Manta, one of the best known and oldest of the musical and cultural representatives of the Quechuas y Aymaras communities from Andes Plateau. With extraordinary ritual clothing they recreate the magic of the Andean universe, where music is interwoven with beliefs, myths, dreams, and daily life.

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