Jeffrey Leder Gallery is pleased to present a Selected Group Exhibition of thirteen Long Island City Artists that are as diverse as the neighborhood they come from. Some of the artists depict scenes from Long Island City; yet for others the influence may not be as obvious. Though not initially curated to do so, this exhibit can serve as an exploration into what affect, if any, working in this community has had on its artists. Chosen from among the approximately 1,400 artists that work here, these thirteen offer a wide spectrum of mediums from drawing to painting to sculpture. Jeffrey Leder Gallery has a special affinity for Long Island City artists, with over half of those represented working within a few blocks of the space.

The artists in this show include many familiar names that have exhibited at the gallery in the past, such as Violet Baxter, Sharon Florin, Orestes Gonzalez, Arthur Hammer, Donna Levinstone, Demetrius Manouselis, Pietrapiana, Alexis Portilla and Ellen Schneiderman. Other artists being shown at Jeffrey Leder Gallery for the first time include Yves Dezawy, Karen Dimit, Kristy Schopper, and Susanna Starr.

Coinciding with the opening of this show is the LIC Arts Open, a celebration of the thriving arts community in Long Island City, Queens that is home to MoMA’s PS1 contemporary art center, The Noguchi Museum, the Socrates Sculpture Park, and the greatest concentration of art in NYC outside of Manhattan. The festival will take place on May 14 – 22, 2011 and will be open to the public. It will feature myriad cultural activities and events, including Artists Open Studios with hundreds of artists participating; special exhibitions and gallery shows; musical, theater, dance and comedy performances by local talents; walking tours, food tastings, community outreach involving a children’s art contest judged by our Co-Sponsor, Councilman Van Bramer, and much more.

The LIC Arts Open is organized by the LIC Arts Open organization, a collaboration of arts entities, businesses and individuals who seek to bring Long Island City’s diverse artistic presence to the attention of arts lovers of New York and beyond.