A Place that Moves People: Artist Walk with Matthew Jensen (artist) and Friends

03.27.17

Gestures and interactions between people and the future QueensWay are easily overlooked. Most visible flat surfaces have murals, tags, artful graffiti or signage. Several sections of the drab cement walls below the tracks have had colorful makeovers. Some fences and dead ends have a loose corner or hole that makes continuing on foot possible. Someone made and installed a wind chime made out of heavy steel pipes. On the surrounding streets residents tend to potted plants, care for community gardens, decorate their stoops and bay windows, feed birds and show they care in countless little ways.

—Matthew Jensen

Join artist Matthew Jensen, a previous artist-in-residence in the Queens Museum/Artbuilt Studio in the Park (2015), on a unique walk through a long-abandoned rail corridor in Central Queens on April 29, 1-3pm. Get a unique opportunity to get a sneak peek through an artist’s eyes into the QueensWay, a project led by the all-volunteer Friends of the QueensWay (in partnership with The Trust for Public Land) to transform the railway into a 3.5 mile linear park and off-street pedestrian and bike trail.

About the Walk

Along the way, Jensen will discuss his experience walking the full perimeter of the proposed rail corridor Queensway using the current pedestrian pathways. The walk will call special attention to the human traces found along the railway and how these clues might inform the future design and use of the QueensWay. The walk will begin south of Forest Park and end north of the park.

Walk time: approximately 2 hours.  The tour is free but a donation to the Friends is requested.

Notes: Walking shoes, long pants and long sleeves are recommended.

Click here to register.

To see additional QueensWay Photos by Matthew Jensen, visit Book  and  Website

To explore previous artist walks by Matthew Jensen visit this link.

Images all by Matthew Jensen, courtesy the artist