Queens College and NYC Parks have announced the launch of their borough-wide free cultural events initiative, running now through October. The collaborative effort will be kicked off with a launch event on June 27 at Archie Spigner Park, which will also be a part of Queens Rising, a month-long, multi-disciplinary arts celebration created to highlight the borough’s culture and creative diversity.
Queens College School of Arts offers the most comprehensive, multidisciplinary arts education within the City University of New York (CUNY) system. Founded in 2022, it houses renowned programs in theatre, dance, fashion, studio art, and design as well as the Aaron Copland School of Music, Media Studies, and the MFA in Creative Writing and Literary Translation.
Their initiative, partnered with NYC Parks, will provide access to the Inaugural Kupferberg Center for the arts-sponsored Queens Jazz Trail Concert Series and feature emerging and professional artists from the Queens College School of Arts
Among the initiative highlights are the Beach Opening Ceremony at Rockaway Beach and Saturday music concerts at Dinkins’ Circle in Flushing Meadows-Corona Park. Art and nature walks will be offered in collaboration with the college’s Godwin-Ternbach Museum, the only museum in the borough with a collection that spans antiquity to the present day. Events will also take place in Alley Pond Park, Crocheron Park, Forest Park, Highland Park, and parks in southeast Queens and the Rockaways.
To kick off the initiative, a free and open-to-the-public launch event will be held on June 27 at Archie Spigner Park, Jamaica, Queens.
The Queens College Aaron Copland School of Music Jazz Trio and the Antonio Hart Quartet will perform. Emmy-nominated saxophonist Hart is a professor of jazz studies in the Aaron Copland School of Music at Queens College. Invited speakers include Jacqueline Langsam, Queens Borough commissioner, NYC Parks; Frank H. Wu, president, Queens College; Ellen Kodadek, executive director, Flushing Town Hall; Simone Yearwood, interim dean of Arts and Humanities, Queens College; and local elected officials.
The launch event will also be a collaboration with Queens Rising, an annual month-long beacon of cultural celebration, dedicated to illuminating the vibrant tapestry of Queens, New York.
Since its inception in 2022, Queens Rising has served as a catalyst for unity, bringing together artists, performers, and organizations to showcase the borough’s rich artistic heritage. It acts as a catalyst for collaboration, connecting artists, venues, and businesses to maximize opportunities for arts and culture to flourish in Queens. At Queens Rising, the belief in the transformative power of art and culture to inspire, connect, and uplift communities is steadfast. Individuals are invited to join in celebrating the diverse cultural landscape of Queens and shaping a brighter future through creativity and collaboration.
See a current full list of events for the initiative below. An updates list can be found here.
Current Full List of Events
Rockaway Parks Events:
Beach Opening Ceremony
Date: Tuesday, May 21 at 11:00 am
Location: Beach 97th Street
City of Water Day/Jamaica Bay Festival
Date: July 13th at 1:00 pm
Location: Beach 43 Street End Park (592 Beach 43 Street)
Arts Trail Nature Walks, in collaboration with Godwin-Ternbach Museum
Date: July 13th at 10:00 am, August 8th at 6:00 pm
Location: Arverne East Nature Preserve (190 Beach 44th Street)
School of Arts Music & Dance Performances
Date: August 13th, August 20th, August 27th at 6:30 pm
Location: O’Donohue Park Amphitheater at Beach 17 Street (16-27 Seagirt Blvd)
Forest Park and Highland Park Events:
School of Arts World Music Concerts
Dates: July 9th, July 16th, July 23rd, July 30th, August 6th, August 13th, August 20th, August 27th at 7:00 pm
Location: Oak Ridge
Arts Trail Nature Walks, in collaboration with Godwin-Ternbach Museum
Dates: July 14th, July 21st, July 28th at 10:00 am
Location: Highland Park by Reservoir, Head of Orange Trail at Parklane South, Forest Park Strack Pond
Southeast Queens Parks Events:
School of Arts Adult Dance Workshops
Dates: July 11th, July 18th, July 25th, August 1st at 10:00 am
Location: Roy Wilkins Park
Teens Arts Trail Nature Walks, in collaboration with Godwin-Ternbach Museum
Dates: August 7th, August 14th at 10:00 am
Location: Roy Wilkins Park
School of Arts Teens Dance Workshops
Dates: August 21st, August 28th at 10:00 am
Location: Roy Wilkins Park
Arts Trail Nature Walks, in collaboration with Godwin-Ternbach Museum
Dates: July 29th, August 5th at 11:00 am
Location: Roy Wilkins Park
District 7A Events:
School of Arts Adult Dance Workshops
Dates: July 8th, July 15th at 4:00 pm
Location: Crocheron Park
Arts Trail Nature Walks, in collaboration with Godwin-Ternbach Museum
Dates: July 23rd, July 30th at 4:00 pm
Location: Alley Pond Park
School of Arts Music Workshops
Date: August 6th, August 13th at 4:00 pm
Location: Crocheron Park
School of Arts: Art Workshops
Date: August 20th, August 27th at 4:00 pm
Location: Little Bay Park
Flushing Meadows Corona Park Events:
School of Arts Music Concerts
Dates: June 1st, June 6, June 16th, June 22nd, June 29th, July 6th, July 13th, July 20th at 2:00 pm
Location: Dinkins’ Circle
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