Following city mandates and precautionary measures, JCAL has closed its buildings--both the Jamaica Arts Center and the Jamaica Performing Arts Center--to the public until further notice. The safety of our communities is of utmost importance. Read below for updates and programs available online, and subscribe to our e-newsletters for the latest developments. For artist resources and emergency grants see COVID-19 Artist Resources.
WHAT’S HAPPENING

#jcalPOPUP
classes
ONLINE
#JCALonline
To help you and your families stay active and creative, we are offering #jcalPOPUPclasses online throughout the month of April. These programs are geared towards school-aged audiences but are made with all age groups in mind. Visit our Youtube page every week to participate.
Weekly Schedule (Starting April 4th)
Saturdays @11am - STEM with special guests from The Mentor Project
Saturdays @ 1pm - MUSIC with Karina Parker
Tuesdays @4pm - DANCE with Janora Blackman
Wednesdays @4pm - ART with Anthony Carter
Thursdays @4pm - STEM with special guests from The Mentor Project
Fridays @4pm - DRAMA with Caroline Gombe

2019-2020
DANCE SEASON
#JCALonline
While the regularly scheduled Dance Season has been postponed, JCAL Resident Artist Monstah Black is gracing the public with virtual performances in Back in the Closet w/ Monstah Black, a series co-presented by JCAL. Streamed from inside his closet-turned-studio, the series gives the viewer insight into how Monstah pieces together work from throughout his career. He will experiment with materials in preparation for his upcoming gallery exhibit, “The Lewk,” and “Extravaganza” performances at JCAL. Join us via Facebook Live Stream, Thursdays @7PM.
April 9: Cotton
April 16th: Hyperbolic (The Last Spectacle)
April 23rd: Submerged In Blue
April 30th: This
May 7th: Gatekeeper

2nd
THURSDAY NIGHT JAZZ
#JCALonline
October 2019 - June 2020, 8PM [TUNE IN ON YOUTUBE!]
Jamaica Arts Center. 161-04 Jamaica Avenue
The 2019-2020 season series features some of today’s finest international emerging jazz musicians. Opening gig in October is the three-time Grammy Award winner Tivon Pennicott, with season include the best vocalist from Cuba Melvis Santa; the new Avant-garde voice Anna Webber; rising start drummer Jeremy Dutton; amazing improviser and pianist Luis Perdomo; Latvian singer Arta Jekabsone; Jamaican trumpet Giveton Gelin; vibraphonists Chris Dingman; and Thana Alexa, a Croatian jazz singer.

FRIDAY NIGHTS
@JAC
#JCALonline
Friday Nights @JAC is an incubator series for creative individuals and emerging artists who need a stage to perform to new audiences. Artists of all disciplines are welcome to submit proposals of works-in-progress to be refined at Jamaica Arts Center (JAC) and performed in front of a live audience.
The next performance, featuring saxophonist Ashley Keiko, will be live streamed on our Youtube page on Friday, April 24th at 8PM. Join us!
All programs take place at 8PM and are FREE to the public
This series is supported by Councilman I. Daneek Miller, Dist. 27.

SCHOOL OF THE ARTS
SPRING SEMESTER
March 7 - June 6, 2020
Saturdays at JCAL are days for exploring one’s creative side. JCAL’s School of the Arts offers weekly hour-long classes on everything from ceramics to Hip Hop dance to comic book creation to acting, singing, and so much more. Kids, teens, adults, and seniors all have options to hone their skills and have fun with dance, music, theater, digital arts, and visual arts.

BUILDING EQUITY PROJECT
SPECIAL EVENTS
April 23 & 24, 7:30PM @JAC
JCAL and Flamenco Latino co-present the Flamenco Latino 2020 Más Allá Series, an innovative project that combines flamenco and tap dance with music from Black America and the Caribbean. The culminating performances at the Jamaica Arts Center will featuring the premiere of Aurora Reyes' choreography, "Hand Me Down My Walking Cane." Click "Learn More" to see the full schedule of events.
This program is part of JCAL's Building Equity Project, funded by the New York Community Trust. This program is also made possible in part by the Queens Library and Queens Council on the Arts.

SATURDAY FAMILY MATINEES
October 2019 - June 2020
Saturday 2:00 PM
$5 for all
The Saturday Family Matinee Series provides the family with much-needed quality theatrical and musical experiences. The series aims to introduce young kids to the magic of live performance with shows suitable for the whole family.
EXHIBITIONS

JAMAICA FLUX
OPEN CALL
DEADLINE EXTENDED TO
APRIL 30, 2020
Not confined by gallery walls, Jamaica Flux is a contemporary public art project in which visual and performance art are displayed at a variety of locations along Jamaica Avenue.
Artist submissions for Jamaica Flux 2021 are now being accepted through April 30th.
2020 SOUTHEAST QUEENS BIENNIAL
February 14 - TBA [building closed]
Closing Reception: POSTPONED
The second Southeast Queens Biennial will be a nine-week group exhibition at the York College Fine Arts Gallery and the Miller Gallery at the Jamaica Arts Center. Ten Queens-based artists address literacy, identity, and environment with work that investigates how their creative practice contributes to the life of the borough.

THE 'LEWK'
May 7 - June 8, 2020
Opening Reception: May 7, 7PM
Finale Performance: May 30, 8PM
The 'Lewk' is an exhibition of The Illustrious Blacks' fashion, inspired by the ‘60’s onward. Along with the finale performance, it is a culminating presentation of Monstah's year-long "Peak Moments" residency at JCAL.

QUEER CARIBBEANS OF NYC | STONEWALL 50
June 19–August 1, 2020
Opening Reception: June 19, 6PM
The first-ever multimedia historical retrospective, showcasing the racial and cultural intersections of Caribbean LGBTQ rights activists. The exhibition contributes to NYC's immigrant history by expanding on Caribbean immigrant and first-generation Caribbean-American experiences through exploring queer, trans-gender, and gender non-conforming advocacy.
THE TRANSIT SERIES
PAST EXHIBITION
February 1-29, 2020
Artist Reception: Feb 14, 6-9PM
The Transit Series is an exhibition of paintings by John Smith exploring the artist's daily experiences of subway and bus subculture: "It’s a microcosm of society.... Even when we don’t want to, we are forced to interact with one another."
EXPERIENCE JAMAICA CENTER FOR ARTS AND LEARNING (JCAL)
A Multidisciplinary Performing Arts & Visual Arts Center
JCAL is a non-profit organization that dedicated to offer quality visual, performing and literary arts, arts education and artistic programs to encourage participation in the arts
OUR MAJOR SPONSORS










