Queens Museum, a home for the highest quality visual arts, educational experiences and exhibitions in Flushing Meadows Corona Park, is celebrating its 50th anniversary, honoring two artists on Thursday, May 12, from 6:30 to 10:30 p.m.
This year, the museum is honoring Korean American artist Christine Sun Kim, whose work, “Time Owes Me Rest Again,” a large-scale mural addressing themes of repetition and time, will be presented this spring on the monumental wall encasing the Panorama of the City of New York. Queens artist Tremaine Emory, a cultural creator, storyteller and director of “Denim Tears,” will also be honored at the gala.
After a challenging two years amid the COVID-19 pandemic, Sally Tallant, executive director of the Queens Museum, says she is looking forward to the celebration.
“Last year, we did a gala but it was a community day and it was outside and had a different atmosphere. For us to come together with not just our supporters but to honor these amazing artists, it’s really exciting and amazing. I think people are ready for it,” Tallant said.
The evening will include a lively cocktail reception with hors d’oeuvres provided by local restaurants, a delicious dinner by Abigail Kirsch, special performances and a paddle raise to support the Queens Museum’s impactful programs. The gala is a crucial cultivation event welcoming new and old friends together to celebrate the work of the museum, which is providing innovative community engagement through deep multilingual community work focused throughout Queens and New York.
Housed in the last remaining building of the 1939 World’s Fair in Flushing Meadows Corona Park, the Queens Museum displays historical artifacts and objects that directly relate to the history of Queens and New York, according to Tallant. The museum also presents exhibitions by contemporary artists from all over the world.
One of the honorees, Kim, who currently lives and works in Germany, produces work that represents the complex realities of Deaf culture. Defining sounds as a multisensory phenomenon whose properties are auditory, visual and spatial, as well as socially determined, much of Kim’s work is invested in scrutinizing cultures that tend to ascribe lesser relevance to signed communication, challenging the implicit authority of spoken over signed language.
Born in Atlanta, Georgia, and raised in Queens, Emory is the founder and creative director of “Denim Tears.” He is a storyteller with a penchant for fashion, music and culture. Emory has produced radio shows and podcasts and envisioned crossovers between contemporary art and creative media outlets under No Vacancy Inn. He has worked with Stüssy, Tom Sachs, Kanye West, Frank Ocean, Andre 3000, Theaster Gates, Serge Becker, Converse, Hank Willis Thomas and Virgil Abloh.
According to Tallant, the event will be a very fitting 50th anniversary party.
“We think about ourselves as a community museum and we want to be defined by and through conversations with the people who are Queens. I hope people will continue to visit us and participate in our programs,” Tallant said.
