By Bill Parry
The 6th annual LIC Arts Open started Wednesday and continues through the weekend with more than 250 artists opening their studios to the public between noon and 6 p.m. throughout the Court Square and Hunters Point districts.
The founder of the borough’s largest arts festival, Richard Mazda, is hoping for large crowds that send a “gentle message” to developers that the arts community is the heart and soul of the neighborhood, which should not get lost in the ongoing real estate boom.
“It’s remarkable how much artists have contributed to Long Island City over the last several decades and in the midst of all this development the artists can be forgotten,” Mazda said. “We want the public to come out in large numbers and show us the love and maybe some of these forward thinking developers will take note. Instead of thinking I’ve got to get these people out of their studio space to create more residential, they’ll realize that the arts community was here long before the gold rush.”
Mazda, who owns the Secret Theatre on 23rd Street, cited plans filed last Friday by Stawski Partners for a 66-story tower at 43-30 24th St., that will include 921 rental units with 17,000-square-feet of first floor retail space.
“Maybe those developers will notice the arts community can be useful for them and maybe some of that retail space can be used as artist space with a sweetheart deal on the rent,” he said. “I’m not anti-business, not by any means, I just think that potentially it could be very good for them.”
Visitors to the free festival can take in the work of more than 500 artists at 65 venues and spaces, including the The Falchi and The Factory LIC buildings on 47th Avenue behind LaGuardia Community College. Over 100 artists will be on display in six spaces in the two commercial buildings.
“Those buildings are fascinating revivals of giant furniture warehouses,” Mazda said. “There are other exhibitions at Resobox Gallery, The Paper Factory hotel, Flux Factory and many other locations.”
He said many of the open studios during the weekend are concentrated in the Court Square area, and the rooftop deck at the Diego Salazar Art Studios at 43-32 22nd St. makes a good base of operations.
“We’ll have live jazz and other performances on this gorgeous roof deck right at the center of all that is happening,” Mazda said.
For more information a 36-page publication is available on line at licar
Reach reporter Bill Parry by e-mail at bparr
