Arts Education: Since its founding, JCAL has been committed to offering dynamic educational opportunities for the people of Southeast Queens. In particular, JCAL has unmatched experience using arts education programming to reach the at-risk youth in our community. Our comprehensive array of in-school, after-school, and summer arts programs that supplement academic learning and provide young people with opportunities to explore and refine their artistic talents; increase their cultural understanding; and build academic, critical thinking, interpersonal, and cognitive skills. JCAL’s youth programs have impacted the lives of countless young people.
Additionally, each year JCAL offers a wealth of classes and programs through its Arts Center Workshop (ACW) Saturday Program. ACW has received high marks for its general program offerings and for the quality of its teachers, the majority of whom have worked as professional artists and educators and who teach a wide range of classes including ballet, ethnic dance, guitar, keyboard, drawing, painting, and theater arts to more specialized areas like quilt making and ceramics. Additionally, JCAL’s artist in-residency/workshop program offers custom-designed workshops in dance, theater, music and visual arts to schools and other organizations.
Visual Arts: While JCAL is proud to support the community through a diverse range of educational programs, no program has received as much attention over the course of JCAL’s history as its visual arts program. Each year, JCAL mounts multiple exhibitions that explore issues in contemporary art and culture. JCAL additionally serves local visual artists by providing free/low cost work and exhibit spaces. Over the years, the Center has presented exhibitions of leading contemporary artists such as Elizabeth Catlett, Jacob Lawrence, Romare Bearden, Adolph Gottlieb, Bob Thompson, David Chung, and Emmett Wigglesworth. The Center has also presented the works of hundreds of local artists both in its galleries and in community art installations such as Jamaica Flux: Workspaces & Windows which features 25 artworks displayed along Jamaica Avenue. Since its creation Jamaica Flux has had a major impact on the Downtown, demonstrating that Jamaica is a home for artists and creative endeavors. Through such art installations and exhibitions, JCAL seeks to bring contemporary art to the public on daily basis.
Performance Arts: JCAL has also established a proud tradition of presenting emerging performers from the community. These programs celebrate Queens’ rich cultural diversity and attract audiences from all over the City and Long Island – although with a focus on serving Jamaica and southeast Queens. Numerous emerging and well-known artists have at one time or another shared our theater stage with the likes of Wynton Marsalis, Eartha Kitt, Dizzy Gillespie, Big Nick Nicholas and Tom Browne. In addition, JCAL produces large scale festivals such as Making Moves Dance Festival, a dance festival that features performances by emerging contemporary dance companies every year, and Downtown Jamaica Jazz Fete, a music festival that highlights the rich jazz heritage from Southeast Queens and reaches for new generations. In an effort to reach broader audiences, JCAL partners with many cultural institutions, such as Carnegie Hall, Queens Theater, Lincoln Center, to bring a diverse array of programs.
Artists Residencies: JCAL is proud to have a long history of supporting both established and up and coming artists through year-long arts residencies, workshops, and lecture series. Through our residency program, talented visual artists, choreographers, and creators work for free onsite at JCAL’s studios in order to create moving works and contribute to the artistic culture of Jamaica. Next Stage residency provides dance companies with an opportunity to create/rehearse new works with a small stipend and chances to be showcased at the Jamaica Performing Arts Center. Making Moves Dance Festival, an annual dance extravaganza, gives emerging companies rehearsal time and the opportunity to be featured at the dance festival. In partnership with the NYFA, JCAL also provides year-long studio space for artists to create their work for free and to be exhibited at the JCAL Miller Gallery. Previous artists who have worked in-residency at JCAL include Lorenzo Pace, Otto Neals, and Emmett Wigglesworth.
First Friday: JCAL further supports emerging artist through the First Friday Series, which aims to be an incubator for creative individuals who are in need of a platform to exhibit or perform their work. Through this series, musicians, poets and writers, performers, and visual artists are welcome to submit concepts of unfinished work to be refined at JCAL. Selected artists will receive one month of free rehearsal or work space at JCAL and an opportunity to present their art on the first Friday of every month.
