Jamaica Avenue Subject Of Exhibit At JCAL

The works of many different artists can now be seen in various locations along Jamaica Avenue as part of the Jamaica Center for Arts and Learning’s current exhibition “Jamaica Flux: Workspaces & Windows 2007.”
The exhibition is “a contemporary public art project which includes the commission, creation, and exhibition of 25 multi-disciplinary, site-specific artworks.” The exhibition along Jamaica Avenue will run through November 17 and can be seen at places such as banks, stores, restaurants, street corners, phone booths and parks. It also includes some performance-based works.
There will also be a companion exhibition of “Jamaica Flux” at the Jamaica Center for Arts and Learning (JCAL) gallery through January 12. The pieces in the gallery illustrate the process that the various artists went through to create their works.
“Jamaica Flux” was first held in 2004. JCAL Curator Heng-Gil Han said that right after its first installation, they began making plans for the current one.
Han first selected the artists and then took them on a walking tour to help them select the site for their pieces. All artists were encouraged to spend time in the community before coming up with their proposals. After the proposals had been submitted, Han approached the various business owners to try to get approval for using their sites for the artwork.
Many people are involved in this particular exhibition, including curators, artists, scholars and other members of the community. Han said that the artists represent a mixture of both established artists as well as emerging ones. Many of the artists are from the boroughs, although there are a couple of international artists.
One of the issues that Han says “Jamaica Flux” helps to raise is why art has to be seen in a gallery. He said that the exhibition helps make art a part of daily life by taking it outside of the gallery. He also said that by placing a piece of art where it has to compete with other things, it provides a real test to see what the real value of it is.
Han said that the artists address several different themes within their works. However, they are all about the community of Jamaica.
Han said that they have already begun planning for a future installation of “Jamaica Flux: Workspaces & Windows” that will most likely take place in 2009.
Every Saturday through November 12, there will be performances with various artists from noon to 4 p.m. related to the exhibition. There will also be exhibition tours from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m., although interested parties must RSVP in advance for them.
The Jamaica Center for Arts and Learning is located at 161-04 Jamaica Avenue. For more information, call 718-658-7400 or visit www.jcal.org.