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Season Premiere Announcement:
Riddim Section Presents Bakithi Kumalo
February 28th, 8 pm
153-10 Jamaica Ave
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JCAL's beloved music series is returning with a must-see show from Bakithi Kumalo! Riddim Section is curated by Steven Kroon and presents music from across the diaspora.
The award-winning, multi-instrumentalist Bakithi Kumalo (Bah-Gee-Tee Koo-Ma-Low) is ranked among the top 50 bass players in the world by Bass Player Magazine. With a career spent touring alongside artists including Hugh Masekela, the Grateful Dead, Sting, Stevie Wonder, John Legend, Gloria Estefan, Derek Trucks, Miriam Makeba, and many others, his abilities extend to his solo work as a singer, percussionist, pianist, and songwriter—in addition to his bass playing—presenting a culmination of diverse influences from throughout his life.
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JCAL Art Classes Spring Semester Open House
March 2nd, 12 pm - 3 pm
@ 161-04 Jamaica Avenue
Classes Now Open For Registratiom!
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Join us at JCAL as we kick off our Spring 2024 semester with a day of family-friendly fun!
JCAL Arts Classes Open House will feature workshops with Professional Teaching Artists. Attendees will get a hands-on feel for each of our classes as our teaching artists lead interactive workshops.
Classes include Storytelling, Ceramics, Piano, Acting, Fashion Design, Animation, Voice, Painting and more!
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A Weekend of West African Dance:
Black History Month Presentation
February 23rd + February 24th
Featuring Kofago Dance Ensemble and
FANIKE! African Dance Troupe
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Come and join us for a vibrant celebration of West African dance and culture at the Jamaica Performing Arts Center. This exciting event is a part of our Black History Month festivities and promises to be a weekend filled with rhythm, energy, and joy.
Get your tickets for an explosive performance by Kofago Dance Ensemble and FANIKE! African Dance Troupe!
Members get free access to this event. Become a JCAL member here.
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JCON 2024
February 3rd + February 17th
12 pm - 6 pm
161-04 Jamaica Avenue
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Join us for our first-ever JCon, a free sci-fi/fantasy/horror convention! This event will feature an artist market with a wide range of local vendors, live commissions, workshops, artist talks, and more.
The convention coincides with our newest open-call exhibition Parables of the Unknown: The Art of Sci-Fi, Fantasy, and Horror, curated and conceived by JCAL Program Associate Zachary Frater. The exhibit showcases various ways in which sci-fi, fantasy, and horror influence and inform contemporary art.
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JCAL Reads: My Village and Me
Reading and Discussion Series
March 2nd - April 6th 3 pm - 5 pm
161-04 Jamaica Avenue
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Read and Discuss thought-provoking literature in this popular series! JCAL's popular literary series will return for an engaging six-week run, sponsored by a Humanities New York Vision/Action Grant.
The program addresses the importance of representation in children's literature and aims to inspire a love for reading in children while promoting cultural awareness and empathy. It is a unique opportunity for parents and children to connect and learn through literature. With a total of six sessions, each features captivating children's books authored by individuals from marginalized communities, offering relatable narratives that empower young minds and encourage open dialogue. The benefits of this program extend beyond the reading sessions, as it encourages meaningful conversations at home, and strengthens the bonds between child and caregiver and within our community.
Event Venue: JCAL
Event Dates: 6 Saturdays - March 2nd - April 6th
Event Times: 3pm- 5pm
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Consider Becoming a JCAL Member!
Four Reasons to Join
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Consider becoming a JCAL member! By signing up for our membership, you gain access to discounted events, classes, and more for just $100 a year. Learn more below.
- Free or discounted events and exclusive workshops
- Members get free access to our Adult Education Workshops which include Jewelry Making, Paint and Sip, and more!
- 20% off of JCAL School of the Arts classes
- Members get year-round discounted access to JCAL School of the Arts Classes
- Classes are available for both kids and adults
- Discounted Broadway tickets
- Members enjoy $20-$40 tickets for dozens of Broadway shows!
- Deeply discounted parking
- Through a partnership with LAZ Parking, Members pay just $8 for 5-hour parking
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Calling All Artists!
Open Call: Jamaica Flux Workspaces & Windows 2024
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JCAL seeks proposals from visual artists for Jamaica Flux: Workspaces & Windows 2024, a multidisciplinary project focused on site-specific public artworks temporarily installed in a tight, one-mile radius of Jamaica Avenue and Parsons Boulevard in Jamaica, Queens. Projects that meaningfully explore the area’s diverse cultural geography and utilize dialogue and deep collaboration with local businesses, organizations, and/or public sites within the community, are particularly welcome.
Each of the six artists selected for Jamaica Flux will receive a minimum of $1,000. A published catalog will be produced and distributed on- and offline following the exhibition in late-summer 2024. Projects will be selected by the artistic leadership of JCAL, and overseen by a dedicated Project Manager.
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Thursday Night Jazz Presents: Ravi Coltrane
February 8th, 2024 8 pm
153-10 Jamaica Avenue
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Join us for this special presentation of Thursday Night Jazz featuring Ravi Coltrane. Coltrane is a critically acclaimed Grammy-nominated saxophonist, bandleader, and composer. Over the course of a twenty-plus-year career, Mr. Coltrane has worked as a sideman to many, recorded noteworthy albums for himself and others, and founded a prominent independent record label, RKM. | |
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Photo of the Week
Opening Reception:
Parables of the Unknown: The Art of Sci-Fi, Fantasy, and Horror
| Stay tuned for the official documentation of this exhibition and reception! For now, check out the exhibition's curator Zachary Frater being interviewed by NY1! | |
Video of the Week:
Thursday Night Jazz Recap Featuring Michael Rodriguez
| In case you missed it, here's a recap of our recent Thursday Night Jazz event. Be sure to subscribe to our channel for more content! | |
Artists: Let NYC Be Your Canvas
Apply for the City Canvas program by January 31, 2024
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Last week, NYC Cultural Affairs, in partnership with the NYC Department of Buildings, announced our new, permanent City Canvas program, which expands opportunities for artists and building owners to install public artwork on temporary construction sheds, fences, and scaffolding.
The City Canvas launch includes an open call for artists to submit expressions of interest. Up to ten selected artists will receive an honorarium of $1,000 and have their work included in a portfolio that building owners can select from to display; artists will have the opportunity to negotiate with building owners to receive additional licensing fees if their artwork is selected for use.
| 2025 Jerome Hill Artist Fellowship Application Now Open | |
Jerome Hill Artist Fellowships support early career Minnesota- and New York City-based generative artists who take creative risks in exploring, expanding, imagining, or re-imagining creative practices and experiences; reclaiming or reviving traditional forms in original ways; and/or questioning, challenging, or disrupting cultural norms.
Support is directed to early career artists, which Jerome Foundation defines as within the 2nd–10th year as a generative artist.
Fellows receive $60,000 over three consecutive years ($20,000 each year) to support time and expenses for the creation of new work, artistic development, and/or professional artistic career development.
| Thank You To Our Sponsors! | | | | |
