(Photo Courtesy of Kew Garden Arts)
Aug. 21, 2018 By Tara Law
Queens artists and musicians will share their talents with the community during the sixth annual Kew Gardens Community Arts Day on Sept. 9.
The arts day will be celebrated from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Austin Street, Lefferts Boulevard and nearby streets. The event’s centerpiece is the Kew Gardens Outdoor Art Fair, during which 37 artists will display their paintings, pottery, glass art, jewelry, illustrations and fiber artworks.
Attendees will also be able to watch art creation demonstrations, take lessons from artists, watch musical performances and to have many other experiences.
Carol Lacks, a Kew Gardens resident who coordinates the event with several other volunteers, said that the event helps bring the community together, while providing artists with a forum to present their work.
“There are lots of artists and musicians in Kew Gardens and in Queens,” Lacks said. “In order for people to experience their talents we feel it’s important to offer local public events. Community, sharing arts and culture, connecting with our neighbors and local businesses, and offering a day full of fun and creativity.”
For the first time, the New Homestead assisted living facility at 82-45 Grenfell St will host an open-
mic poetry and prose reading on its patio.
On a nearby Grenfell Street fence, art by elderly Kew Gardens residents will be displayed alongside children’s artwork.
Other attractions will include demonstrations by artists from around the world; an “arts zone” can learn how to create own art, and a concert at 1 p.m. in Kew Gardens Cinemas Park.
Two local businesses, Kew and Willow Books at 81-63 Lefferts Blvd and The Potter’s Wheel at 120-33 83rd Ave. will host their own events inside their shops.
Kew and Willow will host Japanese bookbinding lessons, and the pottery studio will offer a potter’s wheel demonstration.
The event is being sponsored by a NYC City Council Grant from Karen Koslowitz, the Kew Gardens Council for Recreation and the Arts, Inc, and a grant from the Friends of the Potter’s Wheel community outreach program.
The rain date for the event is Sept. 30.
One Comment
Lefferts Blvd in KG looks dumpier than ever, sorry to say. The broken down planters with dead flowers or none, dirty sidewalks from the slobs and store owners too lazy to clean it all up and unappealing storefronts. Tree wells filled with weeds and garbage and take a walk over to Austin Street where the Spa never cleans up the sidewalk and the tree well is the community ash tray. Obvious this area has lost its pride. Nice idea for an Arts Day, but it’s like lipstick on a pig now.