The last weekend of summer welcomed artists to showcase their best craft in the heart of Kew Gardens.
On Saturday, Sept. 20, hundreds of neighbors observed homemade creations at the outdoor patio of Austin’s Ale House for the 13th annual Kew Gardens Community Arts Day (KGCAD), an annual celebration of the Queens arts scene. Across from Lefferts Boulevard, the Kew Gardens Cinema also joined the festivities, lending a stage to local musicians in front of the Rodney Dangerfield mural.
Co-founded by Carol Lacks and Anthony Mavilia, the event featured a myriad of artworks, live music performances, a sidewalk chalk art festival and other creative activities, reflecting the community’s collaborative spirit.
Located at 82-70 Austin St., the festival welcomed 35 artists and their vibrant collections to a sun-clad afternoon of artistic expression. While many were from Kew Gardens, others hailed from different corners of New York City, underscoring the area’s flourishing arts scene. Nestled in Central Queens, the picturesque neighborhood is an inviting area for visionaries, ranging from illustrators to jewelry crafters.
Jennifer Lambert, the co-founder of the Woodhaven Mural Project (WMP), is a fourth-year participant at the KGCAD, bringing her eclectic mix of 11421-inspired products to “put Woodhaven on the map.” Representing the Woodhaven Art Circle, she recognized the significance of a local arts scene. Lambert described her fellow vendors as a “family” that deepens community ties.
Her appearance comes at the heels of the WMP’s next mural at the underpass of Myrtle Avenue, titled “Flora and Fauna of Forest Park,” in conjunction with Heather Dunn, an adjunct professor at St. John’s University, and her students. Additionally, “Trust the Journey in Queens,” a mural slated for development at the underpass of Jamaica Avenue and 98th Street, is in the works.
Alexandria Lopez, a Kew Gardens-based illustrator, creates her visual artworks as a homage to her beloved neighborhood. With over 10 years of experience, the third-year participant creates what she calls “whimsical illustrations” of people and places she has visited, drawing from her background as a general education teacher. Lopez has also been drawing historical houses in Kew Gardens and Richmond Hill with ink in roughly 4×4 and 5×5 inch portraits.
Lopez expressed her appreciation to Mavilia and Lacks for cultivating an arts space in the storied neighborhood. “I’m very grateful for them to give us this space and time for us local artists who just want to share our creativity with the community,” Lopez said. She debuted one of her art pieces in the Comics in the City exhibit at Flushing Town Hall on Saturday, Sept. 27.
Michael Lennon, the owner of Pointy Pen Cards, a collection of greeting cards and art prints, has been featured at the KGCAD for the past three years. He first heard about the community festival from Lacks, one of the event’s co-founders. Lennon believed that Kew Gardens was the perfect location to cultivate a local arts scene. “Especially today, everybody that you speak with is so interested in art and so willing to support [each other],” Lennon shared.
Mavilia, one of the organizers of the KGCAD, described how much of a pleasure it is to see the arts scene heavily promoted in Kew Gardens.
“Back in 2020 during [the COVID-19 pandemic], Carol [Lacks] and I put out a call for artists to send work to us, and we got so many pieces coming in [for] a banner program on Lefferts [Boulevard], and that was really popular.”
Over the past decade, Mavilia and Lacks have provided a much-needed space for artisans. Mavilia noted the importance of small businesses in Kew Gardens supporting the creative scene, thanking Austin’s Ale House for transforming their outdoor patio into an artisan alleyway for the past two years.
From the perspective of a Kew Gardens resident for 15 years, Mavilia further discussed how a sense of belonging is tied to the need for a sustainable local arts scene in the neighborhood.
“Local neighborhoods are under siege. You know, they’re losing their identity as a specific neighborhood. People are proud of being from Kew Gardens, and having an art exhibit dedicated to Kew Gardens makes them feel that their neighborhood matters. That their neighborhood means something.”
For the past 13 years, the KGCAD has evolved into a thriving community for painters, illustrators, musicians and other creatives to display their artwork to the public, igniting an inspirational incentive for future crafts. Mavilia and Lacks recognize the personal validation that artists feel when their work is sold.
“When they sell [an art piece], [they see] a part of themselves going out there,” Mavilia shared.
To find out more about the KGCAD and other arts events hosted in the neighborhood, click here.
To stay updated on the Woodhaven Mural Project, search @woodhaven.mural.project on Instagram. For further inquiries, reach out to Jennifer Lambert at @jennifer.lambert.11421.
To view more of Lopez’s artwork, visit @ilexilopez. To view more of Lennon’s artwork, visit @pointy_pen_cards.
