• 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 »

Vanessa Beecroft at Deitch Studios, Armory Arts Week, Long Island City

On Friday, liQcity checked out the art studios and galleries in Long Island City participating in the Armory Arts Week. There was so much happening at once, it was hard to catch it all. Despite skipping legacies like Noguchi, PS1, Sculpture Center, the studios and galleries visited revealed a remarkably wide spectrum of contemporary art available in the hood, from the internationally acclaimed to the local and underground. All of it within walking distance of each other and inside the elusive boundaries of LIC.

At the Deitch Studios, interspersing white nude female sculptures with live nude models painted white, international sensation Vanessa Beecroft brought some high-concept art to the table with her performance and sculpture exhibit ‘VB64′. The viewing scene was just as interesting as the exhibition: against the night skyline backdrop, hundreds of people walking back and forth on 44th Drive, and hovering poker faced around the performance. The live models resembled the static statues interspersed among them, and would move occasionally, giving the visual effect of sculpture in motion.

Beecroft frequently collaborates with Kanye West, who was also rumored to have been in attendance. The sculpture exhibit is still on display, with video of the live performance from Friday.

Another highlight of the show »

Chocolate Factory’s (re)develop (death valley), Long Island City

This Friday is a big day for Long Island City arts. It’s the Queens day of the Armory Arts Week, which will be touring most of the LIC arts scene. Here’s the local Hunters Point line up »

Tibetan Blessing tonight at the Dean Project, Long Island City

1) In celebration of the book release “King of the Dharma: The Life of Je Tsongkapa”, the Dean Project is hosting a closing reception and blessing ceremony performed by Monks in the Tibetan Buddhist tradition. The blessing ceremony will begin tonight at 7pm. Dean Project, 45-43 21st St, LIC. 718.706.1462

2) The new Chocolate Factory production redevelop (death valley) opens tonight »

“The Afterparty, 2009 PS1 summer installation, Long Island City. –photo

It’s that time of winter again, when we start looking towards the summer… though it still does feel a little far away. Not for PS1, who announced their winner for the 2009 Young Architects Program‘s design for this summer’s courtyard installation. If you’re not familiar, PS1′s Summer WarmUp parties have been happening for over a decade, and these days are met with mixed perspectives »

Long Island City calendar, Art-O-Mat

Art-O-Mat, the LIC gallery and artisan craft store on Vernon Blvd, has released a Long Island City 2009 calendar exclusively featuring the work of local artists.

There will be a Opening Party for the calendar this Sunday, Dec 7th, from 7-10pm at Domaine bar a vins, 50-04 Vernon Blvd. The artwork featured in the calendar will be on display at Domaine for two weeks following the Opening Party on Sunday. Refreshments will be served, but of course.

Here’s a taste of the works in the calendar »

New Development Long Island City/Astoria, near Vernon Blvd

Some quick LIC linkage coming at you right now »

Swoon’s ‘Swimming Cities of Switchback Sea’ at Deitch studios, LIC — photo credit

Don’t let it be said that development is depriving LIC of its artist community… ok, well someday that might happen, but for now LIC still has some un-condofied industrial spaces currently left to the whims of local artists »

Pigs Fly on 5th St, between 49th & 50th Aves, Hunters Point, LIC

Well, if Pigs were going to Fly anywhere in NYC it would be here »

Socrates Sculpture Park Outdoor Cinema 2008, Long Island City

Every Wednesday night through the summer, Socrates Sculpture Park presents an outdoor international film festival, featuring a film from a different country each night, along with food and occasionally a related live performance.

Such is the case tonight »

Hanging at Gantry Park for ‘Live at the Gantries’ by the QCA, Long Island City

The ‘Live at the Gantries’ summer performance series brought to us by the QCA continues tonight at Gantry Park with Blue Pipa, Chinese folk music.

“Along with her accompanying musicians, Min Xiao-Fen of Blue Pipa is renown for her exploration of traditional and modern music from all cultures. Famed for her virtuosity and fluid style on the pipa, she has recorded and performed with Björk.”

The show starts at 7pm.

• Queens Council on the Arts Event Info
• Blue Pipa website

Legal streetart coordinated by Chashama, Vernon & Borden Ave, LIC

5pointz may have been the first legal walls for streetart in Long Island City, but now they’re not the only ones. Simone Development, the developers behind the Hunters Point Condos double whammy, have collaborated with Chashama, an non-profit arts group, to beautify their construction site walls with streetart created by local artists.

“The creators described the idea »

Under Public Farm One aka P.F.1., at P.S.1., Court Square, Long Island City

Nothing marks the arrival of summer in LIC quite like the PS1 Warm Up parties. If there is any entity that can lay claim to putting LIC on the mainstream radar, it’s PS1. While many complain about the nuisance factor of the Warm Up party attendees’ disruptive passage from PS1 to Water Taxi Beach in their endeavor to continue partying, it’s really a cool event. This year, the courtyard installation kicks up more than a few notches with an urban farmland installation entitled ‘Public Farm One’. Aka P.F.1.

Having checked out the installation sans throngs of swaying hipsters »

Proxy/Fiction by Jonathan Lev opens tonight at Art-O-Mat

From Art-O-Mat gallery:

Just a reminder to ignore those threats of rain & come join us tonight. (Well, maybe bring an umbrella.)

You are invited to an Opening at Art-O-Mat TONIGHT, June 26 from 6 to 9 pm.

Art-O-Mat is pleased to present Proxy / Fiction – Paintings by Jonathan Lev

Our First Summer exhibition will open tonight, Thursday June 26, with a reception from 6 to 9pm.

There will be food, drink, and live music »

From the Queens Council on the Arts:

“Celebrating the rich musical and ethnic tapestries of Queens in boisterous style, Live at the Gantries, LIC’s new summer performance series begins tonight in Gantry Park at 7pm.”

The free, outdoor performances »

Graffiti in the making at 5pointz, Court Sq, Long Island City

Here’s the article about the eventual transformation of 5pointz into a 1.2 million sqft high-rise. Accordingly:

“Wolkoff [the owner] is now waiting for the fortunes of Long Island City to change. For now, 5 Pointz will remain what he calls “the largest aerosol art building in the world,” but he is looking to leave a legacy for his grandchildren.

“Eventually we will build there, but in the meantime, we’ll still let the artists go,” said Jerry Wolkoff. “We have some plans and renderings, but nothing concrete.”"

There’s going to be mixed feelings about this »

Lady Pink aka Pinksmith on 5pointz, Court Sq, Long Island City

I was walking around 5pointz this weekend, and saw some incredible work. The piece in the photo by Lady Pink is a smaller part of the whole.

It’s nice and chill over there on a beautiful Saturday afternoon. Since it’s getting warm out, we can only assume they’ll be more to come.

If you don’t know what 5pointz is, let’s remedy that right away. It’s the gigantic yellow building covered in graffiti at the corner of 23rd St & Jackson Ave, that you’ve probably seen on the elevated 7 train. It’s very hard to miss. It’s one of the few places (the only?) in NYC where graffiti is a legal expression of creativity, instead of a punishable crime against material property. So it produces an infinitely rotating supply of art pieces created by some of the most celebrated graffiti and street artists in the world.

If you’re into it, here’s more »

Bjork lovers: Deitch studios in LIC presents a free public screening of Bjork’s new video ‘Wanderlust’ on Thursday, March 13th. First come, first served.

Deitch Studios
4-40 44th Ave, At the East River, Long Island City
Thursday, March 13th, 7pm

• Deitch Studios presents Wanderlust

Landscape sculpture and designs by local artist Nigel Rollings entitled An Unexpected Vistor, showing at Art-o-mat, March 20 – May 11th. The muse: Long Island City.

• Details on The Unexpected Visitor

February is always a good time to start thinking about the summer, and this year PS1 MoMa is bringing the farm to the city – the aptly dubbed “URBAN FARM’ container garden installation in the PS1 MoMa courtyard. More eloquently stated by the Architect’s Newspaper:

[URBAN FARM] calls for a sun shelter constructed as a butterfly roof of linked planters, a container garden in the air. Intended to be a working farm, the structure is an effort “to create a neighborhood-based ecological infrastructure,” said principal Dan Wood. Heavy-duty cardboard tubes, some as wide as yard in diameter, will be bolted together to form the pavilion. Some will be filled with plants, and some will allow light through; others will contain sound equipment or be carved out to create quiet alcoves.

What’s more, »

Subdivsion – 48-41 Vernon Blvd

Subdivision is not new to Vernon, but it’s high time I blogged about them. Brought to us by the owners of City Dog Lounge (the pet store on Vernon) Subdivision is essentially a local designers collective where artists sell their pieces. And people like me buy them.

This is not Kmart. You will not find basic shirts in S,M,L. What you will find, however, is an eclectic collection of unique clothing (gents, ladies and kids), handmade jewelery, supercool bags, and a gallery featuring local artists. Subdivision was really the first place that sold actual clothing on the block, though I’m sure someone will argue with me about that. Maybe other places have come and gone… actually we know they have.

LIC’s been ‘up & coming’ for a lot longer than it actually was. Now people really have arrived, and the chorus of who’s asking ‘Where’s the grocery store?’ is much louder. I would say now we’re up & coming. We haven’t quite arrived yet, but we are graced with a strong community spirit, and the desire to keep our artist colony alive and eating. Thanks in part, to Subdivision.

Currently on exhibit at Subdivision »

Well. The links really tell it all, but looks like LIC’s Flux Factory is getting the boot thanks to the MTA and some Long Islanders that really need to get to Grand Central in a hurry. In a ‘take it or leave it’ deal, the building owner must give up his property for the East Side Access Project linking the LIRR to Grand Central Station. According to the storyline, Flux Factory already fled rising rents in Williamsburg for refuge in LIC/Sunnyside with a 15 year lease. And now, they’re homeless again.

Hopefully they’ll find another home in LIC. If anyone has any updates on where they’re going next, pass along the info. It’s not very surprising that the MTA would callously knock out a beloved artists collective, but it does make one want to wear black all day.

• Flux Factory forced out [curbed.com]
• Flux Factory Website
• East Side Access Project [Wired NY Forum]