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 »

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 »

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 »

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 »

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 »

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