By Stephen Stirling
The lively two-hour discussion at the Amerasia Bank Gallery on Main Street carried a tone of cautious optimism as participants discussed what contemporary art's place in Flushing would ultimately turn out to be. They shared both excitement for the future and a firm understanding of problems facing museums and galleries in Queens. Tom Finkelpearl, executive director of the Queens Museum of Art, moderated the event. He was joined by F&T Group Vice President for Planning and Architecture Howard Hsu, Director of Queens College's Godwin-Ternbach Museum Amy Winter and Queensboro Community College Gallery Director Faustino Quintanilla as well as several local college professors and artists. Though few issues found resolution, a variety of issues facing the area were discussed, including striking a balance between luring the more influential Manhattan and Brooklyn art communities to Queens while still catering to local residents. The potential gentrification of the Flushing area through increased development and how to appeal to a broad and diverse audience while maintaining the artistic integrity of exhibits were also discussed.While he acknowledged that accessibility to his museum is a chief concern, Finkelpearl pointed to bridging cultural gaps across the borough's extremely diverse landscape as a priority for the success of the arts in Flushing and all of Queens. “We have to want to get to know each other and we don't necessarily always want to get to know each other,” Finkelpearl said. “There's not enough intra-community networking on a personal level.”He said the Queens Museum of Art has been working to show the diversity of Queens through its exhibits, but often has trouble attracting large audiences across cultural lines. Brooklyn-based artist Chee Wang Ng agreed that addressing diversity is important, but said more should also be done to encourage artists to come to Flushing and present their work.”Art doesn't happen overnight. You have to attract artists to an area with programming,” Ng said. “We have to be enticed to want to come and stay here. It's the programming that's going to bring people in.”Finkelpearl and the Godwin-Ternbach Museum director also discussed the challenge of forming alliances between museums within the borough while still maintaining ties to better funded organizations in Manhattan and Brooklyn. As the discussion came to a close, Finkelpearl acknowledged that several issues remain and encouraged attendees to exchange information so the dialogue could be continued in the future. Reach reporter Stephen Stirling by e-mail at news@timesledger.com or by phone at 718-229-0300, Ext. 138.
