“Art and Soul” by Eva Mallis, one of the artists featured in the Portraits of America group photography exhibition at Flushing Town Hall, on view through Nov. 10.
Photos courtesy Garage Art Center
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Flushing Town Hall is presenting Portraits of America, a group photography exhibition, which will be on view at the arts center in Flushing through Nov. 10. The exhibition will begin with an opening reception this evening from 5 to 7 p.m.
Portraits of America brings together portraits of individuals whose distinct histories, cultural backgrounds and lived experiences reflect the complex and continually evolving idea of American identity.
Ada Smother, photographed by Zachary Schulman.Photos courtesy Garage Art Center
The exhibition is curated by Stephanie S. Lee, a Queens-based visual artist, curator, educator and founder of the Garage Art Center, a nonprofit community arts organization in Bayside.
It features photographers Andreas Rentsch, Eva Mallis, Gina Minielli, Gus Philippas, Jim Richards, Tony Gonzalez and Zachary Shulman, showcasing their distinct approaches to portraiture.
Jaclyn, photographed by Tony Gonzalez.Photos courtesy Garage Art Center
Throughout the display, these artists consider a question that is at once personal and collective: What does it mean to be American today?
Presented in Queens — a borough shaped by generations of migration and cultural coexistence — the exhibition takes on particular resonance. Individual portraits come together to suggest a broader portrait of America that is layered, varied, continually changing and impossible to contain within a single image.
A scrap yard in Austin Texas, photographed by Gus Philippas.Photos courtesy Garage Art Center
Aside from this evening’s opening reception, Flushing Town Hall will host an art workshop on Sunday, Oct. 25, from 2 to 3:30 p.m. led by André Knights. This accompanying public workshop extends the exhibition’s exploration of portraiture, identity and personal expression through a participatory art-making experience.
Flushing Town Hall will also host a closing reception on Tuesday, Nov. 10, from 5 to 7 p.m. presented in conjunction with Portraits of America. The closing reception will feature a panel discussion from 6 to 7 p.m. with participating artists Minielli, Richards, Gonzalez and Shulman.
Kay, photographed by Jim Richards.Photos courtesy Garage Art Center
For more information about Flushing Town Hall’s exhibits and programs, visit FlushingTownHall.org. For more information about art curator Lee and the Garage Art Center, visit StephanieSLee.com or GarageArtCenter.org.