PS1 MoMA’s courtyard is ready for the Warm Up, LIC – photo by Ciprian Toma

Oh summer. What would it be like in Long Island City without the weekly Saturday Warm Up parties at PS1? Now in it’s 14th year, the PS1 MoMA is delivering this year’s courtyard installation ‘Holding Pattern’, with some serious bonus to the hood. This year’s winner of PS1′s Young Architect’s Program, Interboro Partners, have designed a canopy installation, with seating and interactive elements that will be donated to local organizations at the end of the summer. And provide a place for you to put your beer down while you shake booty to some stylie techno »

The QAX 2011 kickoff party at Kaufman Studios– Photo by Benjamin Peryer

By Benjamin Peryer

The Queens Art Express (QAX) is back, and I’m gearing up for a busy weekend tackling all it has to offer—from an artist studio showing, to street performances, and a cocktail and here and there. QAX, the brainchild of Queens Council on the Arts in collaboration with the countless galleries, studios, and artists local to the neighborhood, provides an intimate experience for those armature collectors, like myself, to meet the artists in their own habitat—their studio, their favorite restaurant, their borough.

The official kickoff party was held at Kaufman Studios this past Wednesday night. A rally of sorts full of community leaders, artists, and Queens locals out to support the QCA. Not to mention to nibble on bar snacks provided by Astor Room, the new jazz-slash-supper club at the corner of the Kaufman Astoria Movie Studio. I had a chance to speak with a member of the QCA at the event who described QAX, which started Thursday this week, as a neighborhood block party.

I’m on board, and if you are too, you may find me at the following spots this weekend »

A piece in Ten10 Studios ‘Growing up Exhibition’, by Emily Marchesiello

While the Long Island City art scene is robust, there aren’t many galleries that devote their walls to mostly local artists – one such exception is our homegrown Hunters Point gallery, Ten10 Studios. Founded and curated by local photographer and prominent LIC resident Jesse Winter, Ten10 Studios has been almost exclusively showing art made by and out of LIC residents, and this weekend is opening an exhibit of exclusively LIC/Astoria artists entitled ‘Growing Up’ in honor of Ten10′s one year anniversary.

Here’s Jesse to let you know what it’s all about »

Fresh off the heels of Long Island City’s premiere art event, LIC Arts Open, comes more! Ten10 Studios, located in the Vernon/Jackson sphere of LIC’s waterfront Hunters Point, is fast becoming a premiere venue for checking out artwork by LIC artists. Curator Jesse Winter is continuing the thread by holding an open call for Ten10′s latest upcoming exhibition, ‘The Carriage House Salon‘ with a focus on Growing Up.

OK LIC artists, here’s a last minute call for entries, so pony up »

Gianna Cerbone, Chef of Manducatis Rustica, photographed by Jesse Winter

Ha. Ok, maybe they’re not actually naked, but that’s subject to interpretation. Judge for yourself fellow LICers, as Jesse Winter’s new exhibit Edible Arts: LIC opens Friday night, May 20th at TEN10 Studios from 6-9pm.

Winters’ exhibit is both provocative and entertaining »

The LIC Arts Open is going full steam and by request, here’s the full line up for the rest of the festival until it ends on Sunday. Highlights (our pix!) include live Italian opera tonight at Manducatis Rustica, the Edible Art: LIC exhibit opening on Friday night, a huge block party all day on Saturday, and a Secret Burlesque show late Saturday night. Don’t miss this chance to check out LIC’s unbelievable arts scene. Support the hood!

Tonight, Wednesday, May 18th

• Carlo Vutera, Opera/Latin/Jazz Fusion 7:00p. From Cuba to Napoli, an evening of art music and specials at Manducatis Rustica. Call for info and dinner reservations, and come join us in celebration. $5 drinks!! Manducatis Rustica 718-937-1312

• Artist Talk: Jaclyn Santos: Reality after Reality TV 6:30p – 8:00p free A semi-finalist on the Bravo reality show, Work of Art: the Next Great Artist. Reis Studios Experimental Space 718-784-5577

• Jack Eichenbaum LIC Tours: Queensboro Plaza to the Waterfront at Sunset 6:00p – 8:00p $15 fee A walking tour with the Queens Borough HistorianMeet at lowest level of the Queensboro Plaza station (fare booth), N,Q,#7 trains. Geography of NYC with Jack Eichenbaum

• Queens Shakespeare: A Midsummer Night’s Dream 5/18-5/20: 8:00p 5/22: 2pm Join us for an “enchanting” evening of fantasy and fairytales as we deeply explore the Celtic folklore behind the characters in Shakespeare’s funniest and certainly most magical comedy. The second company to present AMSD during the Festival. Treat yourself to both unique interpretations. The Secret Theatre 718-392-0722

Thursday, May 19th »

LIC’s 5pointz pays homage to a few of the world’s historic structures. Photo by Ciprian Toma

Long Island City: We’re gone not all of 6 months and come back to discover one of our most famous (and controversial) art institutions facing possible extinction. 5pointz: what’s going to happen to you?? We take this topic to heart since liQcity was actually conceived atop this unofficially landmarked building, after climbing up the same stairs that collapsed last year, almost killing one of its own artists. (How’s Nicole doing by the way?)

Some catch up from the NYDN »

Welcome to the Local Project, Gallery & Studio in 5pointz building, LIC

Long Island City has for a long time now been known for hosting NYC’s largest artist colony outside of Manhattan (where is it now, Chelsea?). We haven’t heard much about LIC’s artist community in a while, since the Crane Street Studios closed due to a tragic accident, and a beloved local artist was brutally murdered by her ex-boyfriend, but finally it’s some good news! The government would like to give you guys some money to make art in LIC. Ok local artists, pay attention »

PS1 MoMA Summer WarmUp 2010, Long Island City — photo: Jesse Winter

It was a HOT Independence Day weekend, probably one of the hottest in a while. And Long Island City, with its mostly low-to-the-ground industrial landscape really just bakes in the inferno. (El infierno is more like it.) Well our favorite, world-reknowned contemporary art museum PS1 MoMA gave us a brief respite from the heat, with an adult version of a sprinkler set in this weekend’s kick-off to the very popular summer WarmUp music festival, featuring the latest courtyard installation ‘Pole Dance‘. liQcity’s newest roving photographer and blogger Jesse Winter was there to capture the vibe, some great photos, and a video »

Ok. There’s a lot going on with Long Island City’s favorite local MoMA outpost. First of all, they’ve rebranded. Slightly. what was P.S.1. MoMA is now MoMA PS1. For our purposes, and out of respect for the name change, we will now forever refer to what was P.S.1., as PS1. Hope that doesn’t confuse anyone.

Secondly, the WarmUp 2010 parties are imminent, and this year’s courtyard installation is highly interactive and interesting! We’ve been making fun of it (good fun, of course) due to the scandalous name ‘Pole Dancing‘, however now that we’ve learned the reason behind it, we’re impressed! Watch the WSJ produced video, but before you do »

Flux Factory’s ‘Housebroken’ exhibition, 39-31 29th St, Long Island City

Despite the many changes our little-nabe-that-could is constantly undergoing, Long Island City’s arts community still finds a way to endure – always seeming to discover new ways to express itself. Last week’s Armory Fest did much to drive this point home, especially on a Long Island City Night art-hop from gallery to unique gallery, all within walking distance. For one, ever-evolving artist collective Flux Factory offered up a tour of their new 8,000 SF space and the colossal ‘Housebroken’ exhibition that takes place through every room (they even have an aviary!). Flux’s is another story of artistic triumph – they’ve reinvented themselves yet again, and on an even grander scale, after being pushed out of their previous space back in ’08.

Aside from Flux’s open house, LIC’s many other art spaces »

‘Not Another Long Night’ from The Space’s Museum of Fake Art, LIC

Last year had Vanessa Beecroft and Kanye rumors. This year has special tours, multi-venue exhibitions, a silent & live auction, and the spankin’ new debut of the LIC Art Shuttle. Yes, friends, it’s that time again: Armory Arts Week is upon us, and Long Island City is having its very own Armory Fest next week from March 3rd-7th.

Many of LIC’s established and relatively newer galleries are in on it »

‘Pole Dance’ rendering from SO-IL for PS 1 courtyard, Long Island City – Photo

2009 whizzed by in a flash, and another summer in Long Island City will be here before we know it – at least that’s what we keep telling ourselves. Thankfully, PS 1 and its Young Architects Program once again give us something to look forward to: the annual summer installation in their courtyard, the setting of their storied Warm-Up parties.

This year, the winners of the coveted courtyard crown is Brooklyn architecture firm SO-IL. Their entry is called ‘Pole Dance,’ and although it seems oddly apropos given all the strip club drama in the hood lately, it’s actually “a metaphor for these uncertain times.” Interestingly, SO-IL’s pavilion is also “more pliant than anything yet staged” in PS 1′s courtyard, and the most expansive as well »

Tranquil ground floor gallery at Noguchi Museum, Long Island City

As we round out the end of 2009, we decided to bump around the neighborhood and check out the current exhibitions of three of Long Island City’s legendary – and very different – art institutions: the zen/industrial aesthetic of the Noguchi Museum, the spacious waterfront warehouse that is Deitch Studios, and, of course, the school turned modern art repository, PS 1 Contemporary Art Center. Here’s what’s going on »

Crane Street Studios are now closed, Long Island City

It’s the end of an era, it seems – or at least the conclusion of the six years Long Island City graffiti mecca 5Pointz housed dozens of artists in what was known as its Crane Street Studios. 5Pointz’s recent tragic saga has finally come to a close, as the building’s owner has decided to close the art studios permanently »

Joel Voisard‘s ‘Bridge that Binds’ stencil graphics on the Pulaski Bridge

Long Island City 3-D artist Joel Voisard held a press conference yesterday evening for his art installation on the Pulaski Bridge, ‘Bridge that Binds.’ Voisard worked with the Queens Committee of Transportation Alternatives in partnership with the NYC Department of Transportation‘s Urban Art Program to create stencil graphics along the divider of the pedestrian/bike path, and also a bench-like wooden structure at the center of the bridge between Greenpoint and Long Island City to symbolize the meeting of the two communities »

Socrates Sculpture Park’s Broadway Billboard, Long Island City

The District 26 City Council candidates have discussed issues relating to housing, zoning, small business, and new development in LIC, but what about the arts? This especially integral part of the Long Island City community is up for discussion by the candidates at an arts and culture forum organized by arts service organization Fractured Atlas, and LIC’s Chocolate Factory Theater.

“The forum provides the candidates an opportunity to outline their plans for nurturing, sustaining and advancing the arts in Long Island City, the epicenter of the borough’s creative community »

Tuesday 8/18

• TOMORROW! This summer’s Live at the Gantries FREE performance series continues at LIC’s Gantry Plaza State Park on Tuesday with a performance from the Queens indie rock all-stars of the Silbin Sandovar Revue. 50th Ave & the East River, LIC

• Photographer Julian Goldstein & sculptor Kat Kohl’s exhibition ‘Composition of the Surrounding’ opens at AES Gallery, through Sept 5th. 44-02 23rd Street, LIC, 718.249.9359

Wednesday 8/19

• LAST DAY: Socrates Sculpture Park‘s FREE summer Outdoor Cinema series ends with Italy’s ‘Gomorrah’ at 7pm. 32-01 Vernon Blvd (@ Broadway), LIC, 718.956.1819

• The Space presents their own Movie Night, featuring Werner Herzog’s ‘The Wild Blue Yonder.’ Short films will be screened sporadically accompanying movies. 42-16 West St, LIC, 718.752.0331

• Media Jam at Dutch Kills Gallery, 8-11pm. Bring your own projector, show up & plug in. Questions: info@dutchkillsgallery.com. 37-24 24th St, Suite 402, LIC, 718.784.2737

Thursday 8/20 »

5Pointz gets a new coat of paint, Jackson Ave, Long Island City

Yesterday a very concerned and frantic tipster alerted liQcity that the infamous walls of 5pointz graffiti gallery were being painted over with a fresh coat of yellow paint. Sure enough, that was the case, but fear not (or cheer not, depending on your perspective), 5pointz is merely getting a free canvas reset, as the owners of the building were required to repaint as part of the necessary renovations after the recent stairwell collapse.

The builiding owners and the City are still disagreeing »

Who said Shakespeare was for sissies? ‘Macbeth’ at the Secret Theatre, LIC

When was the last time you strolled off the streets of LIC and into a rigorously choreographed punk rock Shakespearean street fight? Well lucky for you, the Secret Theatre‘s latest production of ‘Macbeth’ is offering up the kind of environmental theatre that effectively draws the audience in on the action, save for actually picking up a weapon and jumping into the fray.

Director Richard Mazda, who is also the Secret Theatre’s Artistic Director & Founder, made an interesting choice »

Sculpture by Eun Nye Yang, LIC Art Center Open Studios

This weekend was a big one for Long Island City, and Queens in general: the LIC Artists Open Studios, the kickoff of Queens Council on the Arts’ Queens Art Express, and the 100th birthday of LIC’s favorite bridge – the good ol’ Queensboro.

LIC Art Center‘s Open Studios reflected the sprawling diversity of Long Island City’s artists »

Warm weather this weekend, for all the LIC Arts and Queensboro Bridge Centennial events. Don’t forget about the Grucci Fireworks happening off Roosevelt Island on Sunday evening at 9:15. Hunters Point waterfront is one of the prime viewing locations. There are no 4th of July fireworks on the East River this year, so this is the only chance to get your fix.

Also, there was a rumor in the comments a while back about the supposed elimination of the Hunters Point fire station, and nothing really came of it. Until now. The anonymous commenter made reference to the FDNY getting ready to announce cuts, and as far as prophecies go, this one seems to be manifesting accordingly. Hope that is not the case.

• City takes control of Hunters Point South [RealDeal]

• Douglas Elliman replaces Corcoran Sunshine @ LIC’s Arris Lofts [Curbed]

• REBNY prez speaks at LICBDC breakfast [Queens Gazette]

• Bloomberg to speak in Astoria about future of NYC on June 11 [Queens Crap]

• Criterion Group buys LIC warehouse for $2.9M [CoStar]

• Profile on Green development highlights LIC’s Avalon Bay [Housing Finance]

• Spotlight on Antonio Masi’s QB Bridge art exhibition [Daily News]

• LIC’s Vine Wine owner launches My Little Pony charity/art event [FREEwilliamsburg]

• Food, drink, and ‘PIG’ at LIC’s Deitch Studios [Short and Sweet NYC]

• LIC/Astoria’s Costco now accepting food stamps [NYT]

• FDNY union ad mentions loss of 12 NYC firehouses, including LIC? [WCBS TV]

• The Chocolate Factory‘s new show, Red Metal Mailbox – [ ] opened Wednesday, and is running until this Saturday only. Directed by Sarah Maxfield. Performed by Jillian Sweeney and Rachel Tiemann. Designed by Chloe Z. Brown, Brad Kisicki, Mary McKenzie and Jason Sebastian (Also featuring video by Chocolate Factory Artistic Director Brian Rogers). March 25-28, Wednesday-Saturday, 8:00pm, $15, 5-49 49th Ave., LIC, 718.482.7069

• Antigone is in its final week at The Secret Theatre. Read liQcity’s review here. March 25-28, 8:00pm, $15, 44-02 23rd St, LIC, 718.392.0722

• Yo Miss: Teaching Inside the Cultural Divide, a multi-media production described as “part documentary, part music, part poetical autobiography, Yo Miss looks back on Judith Sloan’s twenty years of teaching in prisons, alternative schools, and universities,” will be presented at the La Guardia Performing Arts Center Thursday night. Opening Act: Mahina Movement Thursday, March 26, 8:00pm, $5, La Guardia Community College, 31-10 Thomson Avenue, LIC, 718.482.5151

• The current exhibition at the Fisher-Landau Center for Art, FIVE DECADES OF PASSION Part One: The Eye of the Collector, 1968-1988 is closing in a week and a half. January 4-April 5, 2009, Thursday through Monday, 12:00-5:00 pm, Admission Free, 38-27 30th Street, LIC, 718.937.0727

more events: New York Irish Center, Lucky Mojo, Thalia Spanish Theatre, Blackbirds, and The Greater Astoria Historical Society »

Antigone at the Secret Theatre, Hunters Point, Long Island City

You don’t need to go to Broadway, or even Brooklyn, to see great theater. Hunters Point boasts two excellent theaters, The Chocolate Factory whose new show, Red Metal Mailbox – [ ], is opening tomorrow night, and The Secret Theatre, whose latest production with The Queens Players, Sophocles’ Antigone, directed by Greg Cicchino, liQcity attended this past weekend.

The two theaters couldn’t be more different in terms of vision, approach, and repertory. While The Chocolate Factory excels in presenting new experimental and multimedia work, The Secret Theatre presents classics from the theater repertory, whether it’s Vampire Lesbians of Sodom, produced beautifully last fall with just the right proportion of kitch, or the classic Hamlet, coming up in April.

Within a few minutes of the Secret Theatre’s Antigone »

Seen Performance performs ‘Box Shy’ at LIC/Astoria’s new Rèst-âü-Ránt

Last week, liQcity attended a fundraiser for Seen Performance, an Astoria-based modern-dance/interdisciplinary performance collective headed by Esther Palmer, held at a relatively new wine and beer bar, Rèst-âü-Ránt, on the border of Long Island City and Astoria at 30th St and 35th Ave.

As for Rèst-âü-Ránt itself: the atmosphere was cozy, with lots of dark wood on the walls; the sandwiches were tasty (the menu consisted mostly of Paninis, salads, and appetizers); but the beer and wine flights were exceptional. And Rèst-âü-Ránt has also started a series of “Live Music Thursdays,” featuring “diverse and talented musicians from across the globe,” FREE starting at 8:30 pm on Thursday nights. In lieu of a website, you can call them at 718.729.9009.

Palmer has taken a web 2.0 approach to defining community »