LIC Arts Open
May 16, 2019 By Shane O’Brien
This weekend the Long Island City Arts Open will be in full swing for the ninth successive year in celebration of the neighborhood’s most talented artists.
Taking place across multiple venues, scores of galleries will be open to the public this weekend, where residents can view art, converse with dozens of artists and get a feel for their lifestyle.
This year’s LIC Arts Open is organized by a group of volunteers whose aim is to shine a light on those who keep the cultural heart of the area alive and vibrant.
The four-day festival began on May 15, but most artist studios will only be open this weekend starting at noon.
Kicking off the “open studios” segment of the festival will be ‘Ars Longa, Vita Brevis’ at 43-01 21st St., featuring artists from multiple mediums including painting, photography, sculpture and installations. This exhibition takes place on Friday, May 17 from 6 p.m. -9 p.m. and will be open to visitors this weekend.
This year’s festival will see the continued relationship between Long Island City-based artists and the plastics manufacturing company Plaxall. Works of art, which will be showcased at the Plaxall Gallery, will include items created using a process called thermoforming, a process invented by the company’s found Louis Pfohl.
The Plaxall Gallery, located at 5-25 46th Ave., will also play host to an event Saturday night which will be accompanied by live music and performances on the main stage. The event will take place from 9.30-11 p.m. and there will be food and drinks on offer.
For more information on the festival, visit the LIC Arts Open website.
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10 Comments
Always a great time.
mr. photo-op himself JVB will be there that is for sure.
Lots of talented people working in LIC/Astoria. It will be a great weekend to come out and support our local artists.
I hope they’re making more pink bubblegum sculptures.
MRLIC, that was not made by an LIC artist but one from Brooklyn. There are many very talented artists that work in LIC, so before you judge, why don’t you go and support the local art scene by going to the open studios. It’s a battle for these artists to stay in neighborhood since many of the spaces are being lost to over development and escalating prices for studio space.
We have nothing to do with that. That was a Brooklyn artist that was foisted upon us. Most lic artists have no love for the piece
It’s not that fact that he was from Brooklyn that is objectionable, it’s that the city in an opaque process paid way too much for some nasty piece of garbage from a connected insider.
Rumor has it the artist behind the pink bubble gum sculpture is a close friend of JVB.
Not a rumor.FACT
absolutely. JVB, bike lanes, immigrants, socialists all were to blame for the sculpture. The only people I trust are real estate developers.