Join us for the opening day of artist installations at Queens Library‘s Central, LeFrak City, and Flushing branches presented as part of Queens International 2018: Volumes, followed by a reception at Terraza 7. Shuttle bus service is available between library branches, see below for registration!

Since it began in 2002, the Queens Museum’s Queens International has highlighted the work of artists in Queens in a major exhibition approximately every two years. Through a partnership with the Queens Library, Queens International 2018: Volumes (QI 2018) marks the first time that the International has a presence outside of the Queens Museum, with collaborative programming and artworks installed in three branches: LeFrak, Flushing and Central.

Artists in QI 2018 connect to many historical and current meanings of the exhibition title, Volumes. Their works respond to the entire Museum and select Queens Library branches, inviting visitors to ask questions about the systems that produce knowledge and their effects. How do we become who we are? What aspects of the past were constructed because of libraries and museums? What limits and possibilities do they present in the ways we relate to space, time, and the virtual world, today? QI 2018 artist interventions are largely non-monumental, positioned rather for speculation and dialog with these sites, its publics, and beyond.

11:00am: Welcome remarks by Dennis Walcott, President & CEO, Queens Library

11:30am-12:30pm: QI 2018 artist Patrick Killoran, joined by Nelson (Yusheng) Lu, Director, Central Library, introduces his installation at Central, followed by Q+A
Technology has dramatically affected the way we search for information, to the point where “research” and “search” have become “googling.” Indeed, the Internet has replaced libraries as the preferred resource for information. As physical spaces, however, libraries continue be places for the in-person and social exchange of knowledge. After months of observing the activity of the Central branch, Jackson Heights-based artist Patrick Killoran has developed, Passage (2018), a site-specific intervention that focuses on the library as a place where the idea of “searching” is embodied through social interaction and spatial discovery. In this spirit, Killoran invites visitors and library users for a unique experience of inquiry. The project will run from November 10, 2018 – February 24, 2019.

1:00-2:30pm
LeFrak City Branch
98-30 57th Ave, Corona

1:00pm: The People’s Guide to the Queens International Writing Workshop, Meeting Room
The People’s Guide to the Queens International is a collaborative art project organized by Brian Droitcour and Christine Wong Yap. The People’s Guide invites the public to write reviews of artworks at Queens Library branches and Queens Museum on the premise that anyone can be an art critic. Join this writing workshop in response to the installation Fel Santos: I of Newtown at LeFrak City, open to everyone, including children and teens.

1:30-2:30pm: QI 2018 artists Paolo Javier and David Mason introduce their installation at LeFrak City, followed by Q+A
Poet Paolo Javier (former Queens Poet Laureate, 2010-14) and musician David Mason (also known as Listening Center) present Fel Santos: I of Newtown, a multimedia installation for the LeFrak branch that explores the sound poetry and elusive identity of Woodside poet Fel Santos. Expanding the practice of sound poetry, Fel Santos’ work draws from his immigrant Pilipinx history, encounters with the occult, and his mother’s own private language. Spanning film, video, sound poetry, and music, Fel Santos: I of Newtown shares the abundant intimacy and innovation of language and communication that is unique to multilingual speakers and postcolonial cultures. The project will run from November 10, 2018 – February 24, 2019 and will be activated with public programs at the LeFrak branch and the Queens Museum.

 

3:30-4:30pm
Flushing Branch
41-17 Main Street, Flushing

2:00-3:30pm: Family Art Workshop: Journey of the Honeybee

3:30-4:30pm: QI 2018 artist Mo Kong introduces his installation at Flushing, followed by Q+A
Mo Kong’s installation in the Flushing branch investigates the designation of the “American” honey bee—which actually originates from Italy—to address issues of migration that affect current international political relations and communities around Queens. Kong, who was born in ShanXi, China, researched the migration patterns of bees and the business of importing and branding of Chinese honey in the United States. Kong uses imagery from his research process to explore ideas of community, selfhood, and belonging. The project will run from November 10, 2018 – December 8, 2018. A related installation by Kong will be on view at the Queens Museum through February 24, 2019.

Notes on Access: Terraza 7’s music performance space is located on a second floor mezzanine and does not have an elevator. Performances can also be heard and seen below, from the wheelchair accessible bar area on the main floor. The bathrooms are gender-neutral but not ADA-accessible, though arrangements can be made nearby with notice. If you have specific questions about access, please write at least three days before the event and we will make every effort to accommodate you.