Long Island City in Queens

Long Island City in Queens, mostly seen as an unremarkable industrial thoroughfare to La Guardia Airport, has long hidden a handful of attractions alongside its warehouses and diners - the Isamu Noguchi Garden Museum, Socrates Sculpture Park, and P. S. 1 Contemporary Art Center.  But when the museum of Modern Art decided to move its operation to Long Island City while its Manhattan flagship undergoes a major architectural overhaul, the area's image began to shift from mere connecting point to major arts destination.

Long Island City lies in between the dense urban environment of Manhattan and the more suburbs of Long Island.  It's a transitional space - not only in terms of topography but also in terms of what's going on there.  Nearly three years ago, MoMA first created ties with the area when it affiliated with P. S. 1.  Since then, several new art venues have established a presence in Long Island City, and preexisting institutions are attracting renewed attention.  Meanwhile, artists in search of affordable workspaces continues to look to the area.

Although it has never been in industrial decline, with empty loft spaces for artists to move into, like in Williamsburg, more artists have come to Long Island City since P. S. 1 has become more visible and real estate elsewhere has grown more inhospitable.

------- to be continued.