Summer Events At JCAL: Our Full Lineup Of Upcoming Events
June 17, 2026
It's a busy time at JCAL! We're preparing to present our Juneteenth programming, our annual Pride event, a major Jazz festival, and so much more!
This week, we're pleased to announce a new offering: Summer Arts Camp. 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, affordable, creative experience.
Also, here's a reminder that our JCAL Arts Classes summer semester is open for registration, and the free open house is right around the corner.
Check out our lineup below!
Juneteenth at JCAL
Film Screening + Exhibition Opening
June 19
We're celebrating Juneteenth with a classic film screening and a new exhibition! First, at 6 pm, we're holding an opening reception for Under a Plantain Tree: Notes on Liberation, curated by Dr. Margarita Lila Rosa. The reception will start at 6 pm, at 161-04 Jamaica Avenue.
Meanwhile, at Jamaica Performing Arts Center (153-10 Jamaica Avenue), we're presenting a retrospective screening of The Inkwell. The screening will include an exclusive pre-recorded interview with Director Matty Rich and JCAL's Tyrel Hunt. A post-screening discussion with York College's Dr. Patricia Haggler will also take place.
RSVP to both events below!
Introducing: 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.
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 Summer Semester
Open For Registration
Classes Run July 11 - August 15
Free Open House June 27
JCAL Arts Classes Summer Semester is now open for registration, and we'd love for you to join us. The summer semester runs from July 11 - August 15 and will feature a free open house with demos of classes on June 27.
Learn more below!
Riddim Section Finale: Mark Adams & The Ubiquity Band
June 24, 8pm
Jamaica Performing Arts Center
(153-10 Jamaica Avenue)
Don't miss the season final of our Riddim Section series featuring Mark Adams & The Ubiquity Band!
Adams is a composer and musical director who has performed with legends such as Roy Ayers, Hugh Masekela, Lela Hathaway, Erykah Badu, Mary J. Blige, Queen Latifah and more. Adams also debuted as on Broadway in the musical ‘Five Guys Named Moe’ and ‘The Color Purple’.
JCAL Pride Presents: Be You
June 25, 7pm
153-10 Jamaica Avenue
Join us for a night of entertainment, visual arts, and fashion for our Pride Month Celebration, Be You.
In celebration of Pride month, we are putting on a spectacular networking and arts showcase, Be You. Join us for a night full of music, dancing, visual arts, and fashion. Be You provides a platform for the LGBTQ+ Jamaica area community through the expression of visual and performing arts talents.
The festivities will include a performance by the soulful singer, talented ballroom performer, and rapper Infinite Coles.
Be You is curated by Randy Houston.
ARTWorks Artist Fellowship Open Call
$5,000 Stipend
Deadline July 13
JCAL invites New York City-based visual artists to apply for its Artist Fellowship Training Seminar Series (ARTWorks), a six-month Fellowship that focuses on career sustainability and amplifies the work of emerging, underrepresented visual artists. While all New York City-based visual artists may apply, priority will be given to Queens-based BIIPOC artists.
During ARTWorks, six artists will regard their practice as a small business, identify entrepreneurial and professional goals, and generate a long-term plan to accomplish them.
Each Fellow in the ARTWorks program receives $5,000, paid out over the course of the program. Fellows are also eligible for free studio space at JCAL, comprised of about 550 square feet, on an as-available basis.
Meet The Playwright Lab Open Call
$2,400 Stipend
Deadline July 13
JCAL is pleased to open its application portal for the 6th annual Meet the Playwright (MTP) program, now expanded into an 8-month MTP Lab for professional development and showcasing new, unpublished, unproduced plays by a four-member cohort.
While MTP prioritizes Queens-based writers identifying as BIIPOC, any NYC-based BIIPOC playwright may apply. Applicants will be selected by a peer jury comprised of playwrights, creative professionals, and cultural leaders representing the diversity of NYC’s theater community.
Downtown Jamaica Riddim &
Jazz Festival Presents:
The Branford Marsalis Quartet
July 25, 6 pm
Rufus King Park (150-29 Jamaica Avenue)
Join us for The Downtown Jamaica Riddim & Jazz Festival, headlined by the iconic Branford Marsalis Quartet! This free concert will present the Grammy-winning band on July 25, 6 pm at Rufus King Park.
About The Branford Marsalis Quartet: New Orleans-born Branford Marsalis is an award-winning saxophonist, band leader, featured classical soloist, and a film and Broadway composer. In the process, he has become a multi award-winning artist with three Grammys, a citation by the National Endowment for the Arts as a Jazz Master and an avatar of contemporary artistic excellence.
Downtown Jamaica Riddim &
Jazz Festival Presents:
Dennis Collins and Steven Kroon
July 24, 7 pm
Jamaica Performing Arts Center
(153-10 Jamaica Avenue)
The Downtown Jamaica Riddim & Jazz Festival will kick off with performances headlined by Riddim Section favorites, Dennis Collins and Steven Kroon. Expect an evening of incredible live music by these two acclaimed artists.
About Dennis Collins: It has been said that the smooth, soulful voice of singer Dennis Collins, goes straight to the heart of all who hear him. Dennis has recorded and performed with artists such as James Brown, Stevie Wonder, Bob Dylan, Roberta Flack, Smokey Robinson, Aretha Franklin, Whitney Houston, Diana Ross, David Bowie, Beyoncé, Alicia Keys, Jon Batiste, and many others.
About Steven Kroon: Steven Kroon has worked with such notables as Luther Vandross, Ron Carter , Aretha Franklin, Lady Gaga and much more. He's played on an array of television shows from the Tonight Show to David Letterman, Jay Leno, as well as the Grammy’s. His band is a high-energy electrifying Latin Jazz Sextet. Their musicality consists of Jazz with the blend of Afro Cuban and Brazilian music.
Queens Get The Cup
World Cup Viewing Event
Collaborative Art Installation at 12:30 pm
Match Kick Off at 3:00 pm
153-10 Jamaica Avenue
We're presenting a free World Cup viewing experience, and a community art activity at this event! At Queens Get The Cup, you can design your own custom button pins and contribute to a vibrant community art wall pre-game, then join us for the World Cup Final!
Gather with friends, family, and soccer fans from across the borough for this free community screening, and art activity.