Queens Crossing Christmas Public Project 2009-2013 Situated at the corner of Main Street and 39th Avenue in Queens with a beautiful view of local stores, Queens Crossing includes over 110,000 sq. ft. of retail space with more than 10 shops, 8 restaurants, all conveniently served by multiple modes of public transportation. This one-stop shopping center houses a wide selection of fashion boutiques, specialty lifestyle stores, theme restaurants, banquet hall, event space & art gallery. Queens Crossing offers a relaxing and delightful experience for all. Art spans time and space, and blurs geographical boundaries because it allows free expression. This is vital for a diverse society to exist in enlightened harmony: the more we know about how others express themselves, the more we will understand what is important to them. To facilitate this interaction, we have established Crossing Art, where we will host exhibitions, artist roundtables, and other cultural events. Crossing Art represent a group of local, nationwide and international artists, with a focus on Contemporary Art. Located in the heart of Queens, New York, the most culturally diverse area in the US, the gallery is devoted to offering aesthetically and conceptually rich exhibitions, programs and events to visitors of all ages and backgrounds. Avoiding mainstream strictures, Crossing Art opens its doors to new ideas from around the world in its search for novel perspectives. From our New York base, and a sister location in Shanghai, China s most dynamic and open city, we will monitor the pulse of Asian contemporary art.
2009 Home for the Holidays by Benjamin S. Jones Home for the Holidays celebrated the holiday season and the gift of giving during the difficult economic times in 2009. Conceived by artist Benjamin S. Jones, this 14 x 14 x 10 high replica of an American Craftsman Style Bungalow, stood as an archetype of American residential architecture and a symbol of the security and protection provided by home by serving as a home for the artist, Lin Shih Pao s permanent sculpture on Queens Crossing s plaza. Jones gift wrapped Home for the Holidays to present to the community the gift of public art, but also to serve as a participatory gift; one he hoped would invite and encourage community members to participate with the sculpture s message of gift giving by donating to the partner charity, The Salvation Army.
2010 Relight your Recyclables by Lin Shih Pao Crossing Art announced its public Christmas project in 2010 with artist Lin Shih Pao titled Relight your Recyclables. With the help of students and volunteers from the local community and from the public, the tree was built in Flushing Mall for months, with thousands of recycled water bottles and LED lights. Relight your Recyclables was complete as a 28 high tree that was made using over 5,000 recycled water bottles, 10,000 LED lights and a wire armature. A key component of Lin Shih Pao s concept for the project was that the community played active role in its creation.
2011 Radiant Christmas: Pink Gothic by Isaac Aden Artist Isaac Aden s Pink Gothic was a 20-foot tall neon and aluminum sculpture. The pink color represented warmth and happiness. Gothic architecture is most familiar as the architecture of many of the great cathedrals, abbeys and churches of Europe. It is also in a number of civic buildings that the Gothic style was expressed most powerfully, its characteristics lending themselves to appeals to the emotions, whether springing from faith or from civic pride. In 2011, Crossing Art put Gothic architecture and warm neon color together to give the community positive energy.
2012 Holiday Helpers by Jason Krugman Evoking the festive spirit, Holiday Helpers by artist Jason Krugman illuminated the plaza and stood at it s tallest, a staggering 20 feet, to commemorate the thousands of victims effected by Hurricane Sandy and those who offered their continued support in 2012. Holiday Helpers was comprised of a 12-foot high Christmas tree and five various sized life-like forms referred to as Living Objects. As one placed the star on top of the tree, others wrapped décor around the surrounding light fixtures, all offering a helping hand in fostering the upcoming holiday season. Each whimsical Living Object held Hundreds of interior LED lights that radiated through translucent skin creating emotional warmth and beacons of light to imply hope in these trying times.
2013 X-mas X-ing by Mark Salinas XMAS X-ING (Christmas Crossing) was a temporary outdoor holiday sculpture created by Mark Salinas based upon photography of pedestrian crosswalks and other road markings taken while walking in Queens. These flat, urban road markings were translated and assembled into white, green, and red 3D structures revealing a surprising Christmas scenario of pine trees, a ladder, wreaths, ornament bulbs, and snowy picket fences. At its tallest point the structure reached 20.
136-17 39th Ave Flushing, New York, 11354 212.359.4333 info@crossingart.com www.queenscrossing.com www.crossingart.com