By Lenroy James
Though the Sept. 11 attacks have brought the economy to a slow grind, the life of arts, business and education in Jamaica continues to flourish due to the effort and attention of a variety of public and private organizations.
Few stand out as noticeably as Cultural Collaborative Jamaica, a dynamic organization uniting Jamaica’s art organizations and local business and educational leaders in order to foster community and economic development in southeast Queens.
Since its formation in 1992, the group has met the demand of the ethnic tastes that exist in Jamaica through the backing of influential groups, political and non-political business networking, the performing arts community, and other cultural organizations.
Housed on the fifth floor of the Jamaica Center for Arts and Learning building at 161-04 Jamaica Avenue, Executive Director Tyra Emerson said the CCJ, even though not as well-funded as she would prefer, strives for excellence.
“Sept. 11 has affected us financially, and like other groups we have become resourceful to remain visible,” said the seven-year CCJ veteran.
Initially funded by an Arts Forward Fund grant, CCJ is now supported by other groups, including the New Community Trust, the New York State Council on the Arts, JP Morgan Chase Foundation, Con Edison, New York Foundation for the Arts, and the Queens Borough President’s Office.
Over the years, the organization has developed a tight bond between other cultural organizations, to the point where there are now 14 groups that collaborate with CCJ. These include eight arts organizations, such as the King Manor Museum and the Greater Jamaica Development Corporation, four educational institutions, such as the Queens Borough Public Library, and two local development organizations representing more than 300 retail and food stores in Jamaica.
Through these unions, CCJ has realized tangible accomplishments, attracting a slew of Fortune 500 corporations to provide monetary and in-kind support to the Jamaica Arts and Music Summer festival, serving as lead participant in the renovation and reuse of the former First Reformed Church in Jamaica as a flex space for a performing arts facility, and creating a bi-monthly coordinated cultural events calendar and mailing list for its members.
CCJ’s programs have also been successful with staging the Martin Luther King Jr. celebration with the Borough President’s Office, Holidays on the Avenue, Jamaica Jazz with the Jamaica Market, and Jamaica Arts and Music Summer festivals with local community and civic organizations and corporations.
JAMS, has evolved into a two-day festival usually featuring the finest in popular and cultural music forms, ethnic food, crafts, workshops and other activities designed to enrich the lives of families and children while promoting community partnerships and tourism within Jamaica. The festival is set up at Jamaica Avenue from Parsons Boulevard to 169th Street, occupying eight blocks. Some notable performers who have graced that stage include Bobby Humphrey, BT Express and Brass Construction, Roy Ayers and Jon Lucien.
CCJ also aids with “Arts in the Park,” designed to meet children’s entertainment needs, which runs for six weeks in the summer. Also, it supports “Holidays on the Avenue.” Staged during the winter holidays, it helps encourage cultural development and appreciation of services offered by members of the collaborative.
CCJ’s drive for improvement and development of downtown Jamaica and it environs is an ongoing process, Emerson said.
“Currently, we have created a tourism brochure and video of local arts and business in Jamaica for tourist operators,” she said.
The area is earmarked for a major promotional thrust with the introduction of the AirTrain, a commuter train providing a direct link from JFK International airport to areas across Queens, including Jamaica, a mere 15-minute trek away.
“Traveling will be easier. People will be able to see the sights and sounds of Jamaica,” she noted.
As the organization approaches its 10th year, Emerson is looking forward to moving to its new location, at 153rd Street, in the heart of Jamaica. The former First Reformed Church, built in Roman revival style in the 18th Century, is being converted into a state-of-the-art, 400-seat performing arts and business center. “We will definitely be looking towards our new home,” said Emerson. “There is the need for such a center in southeast Queens that is easily accessible to transit.”
The new facility will be one of many new developments contributing to the economic renaissance in Jamaica, and bringing renewed economic growth and tourism to the area, one of Queens’ most important commercial hubs, she said.
