JACKSON HEIGHTS ARTS FESTIVAL:
MAKING NEIGHBORHOOD ART SPACES
Saturday, June 22nd 2013
(rain date: Sunday, June 23rd)
10 a.m. – 4 p.m.
Diversity Plaza / 37th Road Pedestrian Plaza (between 73rd St & 74th St)
Jackson Heights, Queens
The Jackson Heights Arts Festival is an all-day pubic event with free art workshops, music, outdoor exhibitions and beautification activities to celebrate the Diversity Plaza and the local art scene. The festival is an opportunity for the community to make art with local artists, make friends in the neighborhood, and make the plaza their art space.
The Jackson Heights Arts Festival will kick-off with beautification projects in the morning hours. Neighborhood volunteers will engage in clean-up, greening and painting activities to bring life and color to the pedestrian plaza. In the afternoon, over 30 local guest artists will exhibit artwork and provide free art, literary or musical workshops. “This outdoor festival provides a space for local artists to share their art practice and engage residents and visitors in taking an active role to improve the neighborhood,” said Carlos Martinez, co-founder of Hibridos Collective.
The Diversity Plaza faced usage challenges in the early stages of implementation in September 2011. Some residents and merchants expressed concern and resistance to the idea of a pedestrian plaza because of the potential harm it could have on the economic and social vitality of the area. Hibridos Collective believes that the community can help change this perception and successfully implement arts and culture programming that will make this business corridor thrive.
During the festival, Hibridos Collective will also launch the Queens DiverCity Map, a participatory mapmaking project partially funded through Citizens Committee for New York City. They will be leading a workshop to introduce community members to the visual language for the creation of an asset and resource map. “We decided to launch this project during the festival to show how the need for more public art spaces galvanized artists and community members to come together and create these art spaces ourselves,” said Beatriz Gil, co-founder of Hibridos Collective.
Both of these events are part of Making {Art} Spaces, a broader effort initiated by Hibridos Collective to create public art spaces through collaboration with other artists, neighbors, and local stakeholders. Find more information about the festival at www.hibridos.co
ABOUT HIBRIDOS COLLECTIVE:
Hibridos Collective (pronounced e-bree-dos) is an interdisciplinary collaborative working to re-envision spaces through community-based arts practices.
ART EDUCATORS:
Nancy Agabian, Maureen Altman, Biking Public Project, Colombian Roots, Beatriz Gil, Afzal Hossain, Marimba Nueva York and Renzo Ortega.
EXHIBITING ARTISTS:
Aisha Ali, Jennifer Bailey, Marco Antonio Castro, Rona Chang, Alyssa D’Anna, Jack Feldstein, Daniel Hernandez, Lichen Collective, Milagros Melendez, Lucrecia Molinas, Project Luz, Rodrigo Salazar, Archana Santra, Claudia Schellenberg, Antonio Sian, Elma Skopljak, Priscilla Stadler.
Hibridos Collective is organizing the Jackson Heights Arts Festival in partnership with the Jackson Heights Beautification Group (fiscal sponsor) and Sukhi (community partner) in celebration of June in Jackson Heights and the Queens Art Express. This event is made possible in part by the Queens Council on the Arts with public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council. Additional funds generously provided by Citizens Committee for New York City. Special support provided by Coro’s Immigrant Civic Leadership Program.