By Victor Ramos, Raul Ramos, and Shayne Guzman
Tucked in the middle of Jamaica Avenue among the bustling retail stores is the Jamaica Center for Arts and Learning (JCAL). Located in the historic Deeds and Trust Building, built between 1895 and 1913, the Center is a major cultural institution in the heart of the Jamaica community.
On August 8th, JACL presented their Beyond Familiar exhibit as a part of NYC IT GIRL’S “IT WALK”. Not only was the event an art exhibition, but also an artist talk, where five artists were able to speak about their experience with art.
Wanda Best – curator of the event – organized the exhibition and presented it to the public. She is the founder of Art Transforms, which provides arts education in predominantly communities of color. As Best conceptualizes her exhibits, she says that she looks for themes that “will challenge her artists” and for styles that artists of color have not typically explored.
The Beyond Familiar exhibit features Adama Nanguin Coulibaly, Aisha Wilson, Alethia Brown, Celine Mai Seehase, Daphne Busby, Deshea M. Best, Eeesha Suntai, Eric Grandison, Jocelyn Marie Goode, Julia Shaw, Natali Bravo Barbee, Reginald Rousseau, Sev Reverem, The Entropy AKA: Bianca Nandzik, Zahied Tony Mohammed.
As the artists gathered to share their experiences, they recounted stories of challenges and pain that they had experienced and overcome in creating their art. One artist shared how she had been in an abusive relationship for years. Finally, she found the courage to end the relationship and took her children to a shelter so she could feel safe and heal from the trauma. Her art has played a crucial role in her recovery.
The visual arts are just one of the many activities housed at JCAL. The fusion of African-American and Caribbean music, ceramic art, and new Southeast Asian and Bangladeshi cultural experiences brings a liveliness and vitality to the center. From October through May, the center also hosts Thursday Night Jazz. For an affordable $10, community residents can enjoy great jazz performances by famous jazz performers jamming at the center, including legends such as Roy Haynes and Ravi Coltrane.
The Jamaica Center for Arts and Learning was founded in 1974. Over the years, JCAL has undergone a significant evolution. For a period of time, the center seemed to have lost its focus, says Ffrench. A disconnect existed between the center’s work and the community’s interests. Following COVID, however, the leadership under Leonard Jacobs and Courtney Ffrench developed a strategic plan for the organization, according to Ffrench. The first order of business was to survey the community on their interests. The team then worked to better connect with the community and reduce the center’s dependence on grants, aiming to increase sustainability through revenue sources.
The Jamaica Center for Arts and Learning is located at 161-04 Jamaica Ave, Jamaica. It is a great place to share in the art experience and take part in art education.