JCAL's Next Festival + Major Announcement
Making Moves Dance Festival
September 18 - September 20, 7 pm
153-10 Jamaica Avenue
Witness the power of movement and celebrate diverse cultures through dance! JCAL’s Making Moves Dance Festival is taking place at 153-10 Jamaica Avenue. The event is 7 pm each day.
Opening receptions will begin at 6:30 pm. Get ready to be captivated by this extraordinary three-day dance extravaganza, showcasing the talents of artists from various cultural backgrounds.
Become a JCAL Member today for free access to events like Making Moves Dance Festival.
Making Moves Artist Highlight: Forza Dance
Forza Dance is a New York City-based, women-led contemporary dance company presenting original works.
Through culturally rich, socially relevant, and physically dynamic choreography, Forza creates immersive performance experiences.
Summer Arts Camp
August 18-27
161-04 Jamaica Avenue
Join us for an exciting 2-week Summer Arts Camp at JCAL!
From August 18 to August 27, students will meet every Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday from 9:00 am to 1:30 pm for a fully immersive creative experience. Campers will rotate between classes in piano, visual arts, and theater each day, working with our professional teaching artists to get creative in the arts!
Designed for learners between 4 and 12 years old, grouped by age (4–6, 7–9, and 10–12).
Each day, students rotate through three dynamic workshops in music, drama, and visual arts, led by JCAL’s professional teaching artists. This hands-on program encourages exploration, creativity, and self-expression, giving young artists the chance to try new disciplines, build confidence, and bring their ideas to life.
Perfect for curious and creative minds, this camp offers a fun and enriching artistic adventure they won’t forget!
JCAL Arts Classes
Fall Semester
Open House
September 12, 12 pm
Classes Begin September 26
JCAL Arts Classes are back for the Fall Semester! Join us on Saturday, September 12, from 12:00pm-3:00pm as we kick off our Arts Classes summer semester.
This event will feature open studios with JCAL's Teaching Artists, where attendees will get a feel for classes through demos, hands-on activities, and an opportunity to chat with teaching artists and staff.
We're offering the following classes this semester: Piano, Music Improvisation & Expression, Drawing and Painting, Figure Drawing, Cartooning, Comics, and Animation and Acting.
Become a JCAL Member today for discounted access to events like JCAL Arts Classes!
JCAL Membership is Back!
Free Access To Concerts, Workshops + More!
JCAL is pleased to announce the relaunch of JCAL's Membership program! Our year-long Membership provides free or deeply discounted entry to our events, classes, and workshops.
JCAL Members can access beloved monthly programs like Thursday Night Jazz and Riddim Section, free entry to our major festivals, and much more!
JCAL Members are also entitled to substantial discounts on classes and workshops.
With our Fall semester of Arts Classes now open for registration, the time to become a member is now!
You Can Have That Chair This One Is Taken
Exhibition Opening Reception
September 18, 6pm
161-04 Jamaica Avenue
Don't miss the opening reception for this exhibition! You Can Have That Chair, This One is Taken is a group show curated and conceived by Jesus Caicedo.
Artist statement: This one's intimate. Emotional. It's a multi-sensory experience about space, identity, nourishment, and the art of becoming. Loosely inspired by Babette's Feast, it goes beyond the dinner table. It's about unlearning, growing backwards to grow better, and honoring the moment you're in - the chair you've earned through healing, mistakes and, just showing up.
Each room will be alive filled with scent, sound, visuals, food. It's art you walk through, sit with the taste. I call it urban foraging a method of creating that pulls from your surrounding with care and intention. That philosophy is in my cooking, my life, and now this show. It's personal. Honest. Nothing wasted, nothing fake. And yeah - This chair? It's taken.
Season Premiere!
Thursday Night Jazz Presents:
Roy Hargrove Big Band
October 8, 8pm
153-10 Jamaica Avenue
Join us for a fantastic show to kick off the Thursday Night Jazz season, headlined by The Roy Hargrove Big Band!
As with everything Roy, his broad musical range is evident in his big band. Mr. Bruce Williams, lead alto and big band member from 1997 until Mr. Hargrove’s death in 2018, leads the band on stage.
The repertoire currently consists of arrangements Roy himself played with the band, which include audience favorites like Roy Allan, Public eye and September in the rain, other staples of the show like Conservation (B. Watson) and Requiem (F. Lacy), as well as well known standards and some of his favorite compositions by his mentors John Hicks and Larry Willis.
Become a JCAL Member today for free access to events like Thursday Night Jazz.
Video of the Week: JCAL Teaching Artists at PS 33
Check today's video of the week, featuring JCAL Teaching Artist Eric Blak. Eric created a mural with PS 33 students as a part of the CASA program.
Join us for our upcoming Fall Classes to work with our professional teaching artists!
Photos of the Week: JCAL Staff Hosts Tour and Panel
For Bloomberg Arts Interns
Calling All Artists!
MTA Arts & Design is seeking artists for new commissions at Parsons Blvd, Briarwood, and Jamaica-179 St stations. All artistic mediums will be considered, and finalists will develop a site-specific proposal, if selected. Artists interested in being considered must apply online by submitting up to 20 images, bio, CV, brief artist statement, and application form to https://mtaarts.submittable.com/submit.
Submissions must be complete by 11:59pm on Friday, August 14 in order to be considered. All inquiries should be directed to arts@mtahq.org.