Image Detail: The Kofago Institute Incorporated (QAF Arts Access ’26), “Tabanca Ku Sori: The Village That Learned,” 2025, Image Courtesy The Kofago Institute Incorporated
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Queens’ vibrant art scene continues to flourish, as 129 locally based artists, collectives and small nonprofit organizations were announced as recipients of the 2026 Queens Arts Fund (QAF) to help support talented up-and-coming artists and their work, all hailing from the World’s Borough.
The initiative, which included $493,350 in grants, was made possible by The New York Foundation for the Arts (NYFA) and the NYC Department of Cultural Affairs (DCLA) to support artwork and cultural programs that highlight, engage and bolster the ever-growing cultural community of Queens.
Image: Rockaway Chamber Music (QAF Arts Access ’26) concert under the A train tracks, 2025, Image Credit: Stephanie Samoy
“The artists and cultural workers who live, work, and create in neighborhoods across Queens fuel the energy, vibrancy, and cultural offerings of this international borough,” said NYC Cultural Affairs Commissioner Diya Vij. “We’re so proud of this public investment in the work of dozens of individual artists and grassroots arts and cultural organizations, which will give them the resources they need to bring free programming to residents across Queens.”
The Queens Arts Fund awarded projects spanning an assortment of creative outlets, including dance, choreography, playwriting, screenwriting, social practice, music and sound, video and film, as well as textile, installation, multidisciplinary and visual art. Each artwork extends beyond visual appeal and compelling work, creating space for community-building, engagement, art-making, and exploring topics from home and immigration to how our environment shapes our identity, to honoring and celebrating our ancestors and community storytelling. The initiative offers a snapshot of the vibrancy and depth of the borough of Queens and the people who thrive there.
Image Detail: Hoyer-Zev (QAF Arts Access ’26); Rebecca Bird’s “WHITE ELEPHANT,” 2024; tree bed #4, Interactive sculpture; the Fallow Frames Biennial 2024; Courtesy of Hoyer-Zev
“Queens Arts Fund supports and activates the work of artists and organizations across Queens,” said Michael Royce, NYFA’s CEO. “The public component lights up Queens with arts of all disciplines throughout the year, making an already vibrant and bustling borough even more exciting. We’re grateful to our partners at NYC Department of Cultural Affairs for funding this program and investing in the arts in NYC.”
Each selected artist and their work had a strong presence in their community, with their selected projects each having an in-person or virtual component, or a combination of both, and inclusivity and representation of the diversity of Queens were strongly considered for both panelists and recipients for a true representation of the cultural mosaic that comprises the borough.
The Department of Cultural Affairs invests in the city’s artists and small organizations in all five boroughs in partnership with local regrant partners, including NYFA, to support and sustain artists and creatives throughout the city while offering free and affordable arts programs for all New Yorkers to experience.
To view the full list of recipients and panelists or learn more about QAF, visit their website.