QMAil: October 2007

In this ISSUE:

   EXHIBITIONS: Yue Minjun and the Symbolic Smile | Generation 1.5 | Corona Plaza, Center of Everywhere: Four Site-Specific Projects

   EVENTS: Queens Parks Photo Competition | openhousenewyork Event: Book Signing & Lecture | Breaking Borders: Community Art Showcase, Film Screenings and Panel Discussion | Panorama Challenge Round 2 | Art 21 Season 4 Screening & Discussion with Mark Dion | Opening Reception – Redrawing Resistance... | Cocktail Hour + Poets in the Galleries: Julio Marzan | Closing Celebration for Corona Plaza Center of Everywhere: Four Site Specific Projects | Americas Vocal Ensemble Concert: Crossing Cultures in the Americas | CINEMAROSA - queens only queer film series | Yue Min Jun Opening Reception & Bi-lingual Gallery Talk | Halloween Family Celebration with MetroPlus Health Plan | FOR SENIORS

   QMA INFORMATION: Subscribe | Ongoing Programs | Programming for New New Yorkers | Language Programs | Adult Programs | Permanent Exhibitions | Special Announcements | Credits

October masthead: Yue Minjun, Untitled (detail), 2005, Oil on canvas, 170 x 140 cm. Private Collection, New York.

CURRENT EXHIBITIONS

Yue Minjun and the Symbolic Smile

October 14, 2007 - January 6, 2008

ARTIST RECEPTION: Tuesday, October 23, 6:30 - 9 pm

Yue Minjun's first museum show in the U.S.!

One of the self-styled, Beijing-based artists who emerged in the early 1990's, Yue Minjun has since gained international recognition. Yue Minjun has successfully parlayed his iconic smiling self-portrait into his signature motif, and is widely considered a pioneering figure in Chinese contemporary art. Placed against various recognizable backdrops, Yue's tirelessly optimistic faces compel the viewer to question the larger social context portrayed in each painting. The exhibition at the QMA consists of the artist's exuberant yet eerie paintings and sculptures.

More information is available here.

Generation 1.5

On view through December 2, 2007

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 immigrated when they were much younger or older. Generation 1.5 is curated by Executive Director of the Queens Museum of Art, Tom Finkelpearl and Chief Curator, Valerie Smith. The participating artists are: Shirin Neshat, Rirkrit Tiravanija, Emily Jacir, Nari Ward, Lee Mingwei, Pablo Helguera, Ellen Harvey and Seher Shah.

In lieu of a printed catalogue, Generation 1.5 will feature an online component that will grow throughout the time of the exhibition. This site is intended to generate thoughtful debate, from artists and non-artists alike, on the influence that being 1.5 may or may not have on artistic practice. Please stop by and contribute comments.

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

On view through 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. The Queens Museum of Art 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 Leonardo and 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.
Corona Plaza, Center of Everywhere is made possible with support from the Institute for Museum & Library Services and the Ford Foundation.

Click for more information.

SPECIAL EVENTS

Queens Parks Photo Competition

DEADLINE: Monday, October 8, 5 pm

A salute to Queens Parks, a photo competition open to all ages, sponsored by QMA and NYC Parks & Recreation. Capture an image reflecting Queens Parks. Winning entries to be exhibited at the QMA and published in A Salute to Queens Parks: A Photo Book. Winners will receive gift certificates to a popular electronic store. Digital photos accepted via email, CD or standard mail. Entries must be received by 5 pm on October 8, 2007. Contest winners will be announced on October 22, 2007. For more information please call 718.520.5914 or visit the Parks website.

openhousenewyork Event: Book Signing & Lecture

Saturday, October 6, 2 - 4 pm

Exit to Tomorrow: History of the Future, World's Fair Architecture, Design, Fashion 1933-2005 with Co-Author Andrew Garn. Exit to Tomorrow is a richly illustrated survey of the world's most optimistic ideas of the future, from the 1851 Great Exhibition of the Works of Industry of all Nations in London to Expo 2005 in Aichi, Japan. Focusing on the fairs of the 1950's, 60's, and 70's, this book offers a nostalgic glimpse of the future in vintage photographs and drawings of world's fair pavilions, exhibits, fashion, and inventions, created by such designers and architects as Charles and Ray Eames, Buckminster Fuller, and Le Corbusier. Innovative, informative, and entertaining, this souvenir of yesterday's tomorrow is a superb tour of the achievements of avant-garde architecture and design.
About the Authors: Paola Antonelli is the curator of architecture and design at the Museum of Modern Art in New York. Andrew Garn is an award-winning photographer based in New York, whose books include Subway Style and Bethlehem Steel. Udo Kultermann is a New York-based architectural historian, and author of over 30 books, including Architecture and Revolution and Modern Architecture in Color.

Breaking Borders: Community Art Showcase, Film Screenings and Panel Discussion

Saturday, October 6, 4:30 - 7 pm

Part of the public art project MurosDistópicos / DystopicWalls created by new media artist, Hector Canonge, for the exhibition Corona Plaza: Center of Everywhere, the program includes: a showcase of the works created during the two public workshops conducted by the artist, a film program on border crossing which includes: Brett Tolley's award-winning documentary, Dying To Get In, and a collection of shorts films including Cary Fukunaga's Victoria Para Chino, Brian Liloia's Si Se Puede, and Justin Jones' Luisa. A panel discussion will follow, moderated by Herb Tam, curator of the Corona Plaza exhibition, with the participation of: Brett Tolley, filmmaker; Bryan Pu-Folkes, Immigration Attorney; Rosa Flores, Immigration Advocate, and Hector Canonge.

The Panorama Challenge Round 2 – The Geography Trivia Event of the Year!

Saturday, October 6, 7 - 9 pm

$25, includes drinks, entertainment, and chance to win prizes. Think you know New York? Get out your binoculars, grab your friends, and head out to the Queens Museum of Art for an interactive game challenge at the newly refurbished Panorama of the City of New York. The Panorama Challenge pits teams against one another for prizes and prestige. Directed by laser-wielding Game Controllers, teams will identify landmarks, parks, neighborhoods, bridges, and more from the Panorama's almost one million structures. Individuals as well as groups are welcome to participate. The Panorama Challenge was created and produced by Levy's Unique New York!, NY's first family of tour guides, performers, and event impresarios.

The Panorama Challenge benefits the City Reliquary, a nonprofit one-room museum in Williamsburg, Brooklyn that celebrates the artifacts of our collective history. Enjoy libations from Brooklyn Brewery. Free trolley provided between Shea Stadium 7 Train Stop & QMA from 5:30 – 9:30 pm. Please stay tuned for the Ultimate Geography Geek-Off in December!
For Advance Tickets and more info, email, call 718-RU-CIVIC or visit City Reliquary online.

Art 21 Season 4 Screening & Discussion with Mark Dion

Sunday, October 7, 2 - 4 pm

A sneak preview of Ecology, the third episode from Season 4 of Art in the Twenty-First Century, the acclaimed PBS documentary series on contemporary art and artists. Ecology features artists who address the impact of human activity on that world and question scientific authority and the impact of technology on society. The episode profiles artists Mark Dion, Ursula von Rydingsvard, Robert Adams, and Iñigo Manglano-Ovalle. A conversation between Mark Dion and QMA Director of Exhibitions Valerie Smith will follow the screening. This event is presented by Art21 in collaboration with Americans for the Arts, as part of Art21 Access '07, a celebration of contemporary art and creativity at over 200 museums, schools, libraries, art spaces, and community centers around the world in October 2007.

Opening Reception – Redrawing Resistance: South Asian Women's Stories of Survival and Resistance (Community Gallery Exhibit)

Sunday, October 7, 3 - 5 pm

Sanctuary for Families, a local non-profit organization dedicated to the safety, healing, and self-sufficiency of battered women and their children in conjunction with the International Foundation for Crime Prevention and Victim Care in Chennai (PCVC) is organizing a transcontinental collaboration to explore the intersection of gender, sexuality, violence, and resistance amongst women across the South Asian Diaspora. By bridging the continental divide they hope to illuminate--through a creative collection of paintings, drawings, documentary films, multimedia presentations, photographs, and testimony--the political and social resilience that allows South Asian women to thrive and empower themselves, and the fount of artistic creativity that arises from a political and social consciousness. On View October 6 – 21.

Cocktail Hour + Poets in the Galleries: Writers Respond to Generation 1.5

Saturday, October 13, 5:30 - 8:30 pm

Poets in the Galleries series utilizes the galleries as invigorating sites of exploration, investigation and interactive readings and discussions. Lively presentations and provocative intellectual and artistic exchanges will present visitors with various inroads into the exhibitions' offerings. The Generation 1.5 exhibition lends itself especially well to this project, as it allows a wonderful springboard for the exchange of ideas related to the immigrant experience. Join us for a cocktail hour followed by interactive gallery tour & readings by Julio Marzan, Queens' newest Poet Laureate. He is a native of Puerto Rico who came to New York when he was four months old. He has published Translations Without Originals (Reed Books) and Puerta de Tierra (University of Puerto Rico Press). In addition to being a poet and published author, he has served as a professor of English at Nassau Community College and in 2006 was a Visiting Professor of Romance Languages at Harvard University.

Closing Celebration for Corona Plaza Center of Everywhere: Four Site Specific Projects (offsite)

Sunday, October 14, 3 - 5 pm

Join the artists and curator Herb Tam in the plaza for an interactive walking tour of the projects at 3 pm and view documentation of the projects inside "mobile galleries" created inside Mudanzas trucks parked in the plaza. Featuring mariachi music & free Jarritos soda from 4 - 5 pm. Location: Roosevelt between National & 104th Streets.

Americas Vocal Ensemble Concert: Crossing Cultures in the Americas

Sunday, October 21, 3 - 5 pm

This program is inspired by the transformation that takes place in music when "cultural encounters" occur, creating new forms through mutual influences. This social-artistic phenomenon has been informing the music of the Americas from the colonial period through the present. This concert with educational commentary demonstrates how European, African and vernacular elements have combined in Latin America to produce expressions of unique flavor that are quite distinct from their origins. Presented to complement the exhibit Generation 1.5

CINEMAROSA - queens only queer film series

Sunday, October 21, 3 - 6 pm

HomoVisiones –Collection of Spanish Language LGBT films.
Hotel Gondolin (Fernando Lopez Escriva, Argentina, 2005, 52 min.)
A portrait of a unique building that is collaboratively run by MTF sex workers as a haven from the dangerous life of the streets, Hotel Gondolin shows the power of grassroots activism to enact real change against discrimination and violence against transgendered people.

El Día Que Morí / The Day I Died (Maryam Keshavarz, Argentina, 2005, 11 min.)
A brother. A sister. Her best friend. One long hot summer day in Chascamús, Argentina. The love triangle that ensues.

Emilio's Eyes (Alex Zuno, Mexico, 2005, 18 min.)
In Mexico, Emilio meets David and they have a one-night stand. Emilio then follows David to Puerto Vallarta. In his pursuit of love, will he overlook what's right in front of him?

Sirenito / Little Siren (Marisa Crespo&Moises Romero, Spain, 2004, 7 min.)
Parental fears reach an early boil when five-year-old Saúl announces that he wants to dress up as a little Siren for the school's fancy dress party.

Eggs for Breakfast (Claudio Sodi Zapata, Mexico, 2005, 5 min.)
A simple breakfast underscores the difficulties a gay couple have in their relationship.

In association with Hispanic LGBT groups: Mateando, COLEGA, Proyecto PAPI, and Las Buenas Amigas.
For more information, visit Cinemarosa.

Yue Min Jun Opening Reception & Bi-lingual Gallery Talk

Tuesday, October 23, 6:30 - 9 pm

Hear the artist himself talk about these intriguing self-portraits and the meaning behind the smile. Bi-lingual Gallery talk with the artist from 6:30 – 7 pm, followed by Opening Reception.

Halloween Family Celebration with MetroPlus Health Plan

Saturday, October 27, 2 - 6 pm

Featuring arts & crafts, free family portraits, costume contest, eating contest, candy and snacks, pumpkin paintings & scary stories!

FOR SENIORS

The Film Series: The Seven Deadly Sins

Mondays in October

The Seven Deadly Sins provides a point of departure for appreciating seven classic films. Screenings are preceded by an introduction and followed by a discussion. The Film Series is organized by Mark Ethan, member of the Actors Studio. Tapes obtained are courtesy of Columbia University's Film Division. QMA Theatre, 2 pm - free admission.

Monday, October 8: PRIDE - Only Angels Have Wings (1939, 120 min., Dir: Howard Hawks, starring Cary Grant and Jean Arthur)

Monday, October 15: GLUTTONY - Citizen Kane (1941, 120 min., Dir: Orson Welles, starring Welles and Joseph Cotten)

Monday, October 22: GREED - Chinatown (1974, 130 min., Dir: Roman Polanski, starring Jack Nicholson, Faye Dunaway, John Huston)

The Looking Series: Looking at the Changing Image of Woman in Art

Every Thursday in October

Women have always been an important subject in the making of art. Following the changes in how woman has been depicted through history is particularly interesting because of the enormous range of meanings attached to this subject. We will investigate some of these depictions as they occur chronologically. The Looking Series is organized by Miriam Brumer, former Coordinator of Adult Programs at the QMA and an artist practicing in New York. QMA Theater, 2 - 3:30 pm; $5 per session, free for members

Thursday, October 11: Woman as Symbol
Thursday, October 18: Woman as Diety
Thursday, October 26: Woman as Religious Figure

Seniors Studio Art Classes

Every Wednesday in October, 2 - 4 pm

Drawing into Painting: Enhancing Creativity and Artistic Confidence - Beginning with exercises exploring the basics of drawing—line, value and composition, participants will then move on to create paintings on canvas, using acrylic paints and mixed media. No experience necessary, only the desire to create art and have a good time. Studio Art Classes are presented by Lorraine Klagsbrun, former QMA Educator and an artist practicing in New York City. Wednesdays, Studio A, free; pre-registration required at 718-592-9700, ext. 133.

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