Queens Rising Ends Month-Long Celebration On A High Note

As June comes to an end, so does the first annual Queens Rising initiative, a month-long multi-disciplinary arts celebration created to highlight the borough’s cultural and creative diversity. 

Throughout the month, Queens Rising has showcased nearly 250 events and exhibitions, from more than 70 participating organizations throughout the borough. Programs were offered in multiple languages for audiences of all ages and interests. From dance performances, to film screenings, street fairs, Juneteenth events, Pride programming, and so much more, Queens Rising offered something for everyone in almost every Queens neighborhood.

Additionally, each week, Queens Rising brought members of the borough’s arts and cultural community together for a networking happy hour to help strengthen the connections between people working in the field throughout Queens. The final networking event will be held tonight, June 30 at Culture Lab LIC. 

“It has been an exhilarating experience to see Queens Rising come together,” said Jeffrey Rosenstock, Assistant Vice President for Governmental Relations & External Affairs at Queens College, and member of the Queens Rising Planning Committee. “The success of this initiative is truly a tribute to our mutual commitment to amplify the cultural vitality of our borough’s arts organizations and artists, and to draw local, national and international audiences to venues throughout Queens. The entire Planning Committee and I are grateful to all who provided financial support and to all the participating organizations and artists for coming together to make Queens Rising 2022 a reality. Now, we turn the page to Queens Rising 2023.”

“The breadth and scope of the cultural offerings featured by Queens Rising has been absolutely amazing, with literally something for everyone and most of it free,” said Lorraine Chambers Lewis, Executive Director of Northwell Health’s LIJ Forest Hills. “As the mother of a young artist who is studying animation, I cannot stress enough that this was a wonderful opportunity for families to explore the music, dance, photography, art and other creative scenes happening throughout our borough.”  

“Resorts World New York City was so excited to spend the month helping shine a spotlight on the vibrant arts and culture scene here in Queens,” said Michelle Stoddart, Vice President of Community Development, Resorts World New York City. “We were proud to take part in the celebration and are already looking forward to next year. In the meantime, we will continue to do our part to expose more of the world to all of the diverse offerings throughout the borough.”

Queens Rising is now looking ahead to the summer of 2023, when it will bring this new annual tradition back for another month of exceptional offerings. Queens Rising has already secured major funding for the 2023 season from the Howard Gilman Foundation to further promote the arts in Queens.

“Our foundation believes in the importance of a thriving and vibrant arts ecosystem in New York City, and Queens Rising’s vision and work is a terrific match with our mission,” said Laura Aden, President and CEO of the Howard Gilman Foundation. “Queens Rising has had an amazing first year, and we’re very proud to support the initiative’s efforts in 2023 as it continues to grow and strengthen the arts community in the fabulous borough of Queens.” 

 

2022 Queens Rising collaborators included: 

A Better Jamaica | AIMI | Allure Art Studio | American Folk Art Museum | APAC | Art House Astoria | Artist for Artist | Art Retail Therapy | Astoria Music Collective | Astoria Park Alliance | Back to the Lab | Bayside Village BID | The Blue Bus Project | Bowne House Historical Society | Center for the Women of New York | The Chocolate Factory | The Church-in-the-Gardens | Culture Lab LIC | Dance Entropy/Green Space | Diverse Streets Initiative  | Dancing Classrooms | Eckerd Connects | FitzgeraldArt | Flushing Town Hall | Forest Hills Choir | Forest Hills Stadium | Friends of Crocheron & John Golden Park | Friends of Maple Grove | The Garage Art Center, Inc. | Glow Community Center | The Godwin-Ternbach Museum | Greater Astoria Historical Society | Indo-American Arts and Cultural Forum | Jamaica Center for Arts and Learning | Juneteeth in Queens | King Manor Museum | Kings County Fiber Festival | Korean Community Services of Metropolitan New York, Inc. | Kupferberg Center for the Arts | LaGuardia Performing Arts Center | Lewis Latimer House Museum | Local Project Art Space | Long Island City Partnership | Louis Armstrong House Museum | Make Music New York | Maspeth Squash | MoMA PS1 | Museum of the Moving Image | Musica Reginae Productions | New York Hall of Science | NYC Department of Transportation | QED | The Queens Borough President’s Office | Queens Botanical Garden | Queens Chamber of Commerce | Queens Economic Development Corporation | Queens Historical Society | Queens Museum | Queens Night Market | Queens Public Library | Queens Symphony Orchestra | Queens Theatre | Queens Tourism Council | Queens Underground International Black and Brown Film Festival and The Artist Market NYC Live | Queens World Film Festival | Queensboro Dance Festival | Queensborough Performing Arts Center | Random Access Music | RISE Rockaway | School of Rock Queens | SEQ Cleanup  | Socrates Sculpture Park | South East Queens Artist Alliance| South Queens Women's March | Thalia Spanish Theatre, Inc. | Theatre Beyond Broadway | Voelker Orth Museum | VP Music Group | Wild Heart Performing Arts Studio | Woodhaven BID | Women in Comics Collective International | Yeh Art Gallery, St. John's University

 

Queens Rising 2022’s lead sponsor is Northwell Health Long Island Jewish Forest Hills. Major support is provided by the Queens Economic Development Corporation, Resorts World NYC, and the Max and Selma Kupferberg Family Foundation. Additional funding is provided by the Queens Borough President's Office, NYC & Co, and individuals in the Queens Rising Planning Committee and Working Groups. Media sponsorship provided by Schneps Media, The Korea Times, El Diario, PIX 11 and Queens Post.  

 

Queens Rising on the web: QueensRising.nyc | #QueensRisingNYC

For more information on Queens Rising, please contact Nora Lyons (nlyons@shorefire.com) or Rebecca Shapiro (rshapiro@shorefire.com)