SunnysideArtists Fine Art Fair IX 2016
June 10, 2018 By Staff Report
Sunnyside residents will have the opportunity to come out and support local artists today while enjoying a free glass of wine in the process.
The annual Queen of Angels Art Fair, which is presented by Sunnyside Artists, will be held at the Queen of Angels Parish Hall located at 44-04 Skillman Ave until 4:30 pm.
The family friendly event is rain or shine.
The fair will showcase the work of 30 local new and returning artists, with each artist having a table to display and sell his or her work. The artwork will include ceramics, oil paintings, acrylic paintings, sculptures, photography and drawings, according to Patricia Dorfman, founder of Sunnyside Artists.
A free glass of wine from Lowery Liquors will be given to individuals who purchase a piece of artwork.
The first annual Art Fair took place in 2007 with just five artists and 75 attendees. In recent years, the event has drawn between 800 and 1,000 attendees throughout the course of the day.
Dorfman believes this is a great way for local artists to get their name out and sell their work. She added that it is also a fun time for everyone in attendance.
Firefly, a bistro cafe which opened on 45-12 43rd Ave earlier this year, will sell breakfast and food items until supplies last.
The raffles, which help finance the fair, include a beauty gift certificate from Anka Drevea, an hour of training with Tricia Somma, the “trainer’s trainer” and soccer league coach. Other local businesses have donated gift certificates of similar value.
Attendees will also receive a free, original art pin which will provide them discounts at different Sunnyside restaurant and bars during the upcoming five-week Sunnyside Artists juried show (list of participating businesses to be announced).
Sunnyside Artists does not make a profit from the event. However, a percentage of the proceeds from raffles, the lunch and the artist table fees go toward local food pantries, with the remainder going toward advertising the event and expenses.
Among exhibitors are Betty Ann Hogan, a Sunnyside Artists “George L. Lengemann Prize” winner in the “Feast” juried show, returns with air work set in Sunnyside, with her booth manned by former winner Mary Caulfield. Casey Concelmo, also a past prize winner, will be tabling as well.
First place winner of the past Sunnyside Artists juried show “My Father,” Amanda Barker, will return with original works.
Other exhibitors include Gareth Fletcher, Bruce Sharpe, Alexio Gessa, Blanca Narvaez, Tristian Goik, Meliksah Soyturk, Peter Killeen, Sheila Ross, Tony Andrea, Swann Smith, Arlene Fiorella, Meliksah Soyturk, Nuty Donikian, Kristy Castellano, Sophia Manousos, Phyllis Brachtman and Joy Vileniskis
For more information, readers are asked to contact Manny Gomez at 718-909-4806, or e-mail SunnysideArtists@gmail.com.
Event flyer
Featured Events
17 Comments
The crafts fair takes place in the fall; Sunday was the fine art fair.
We did indeed get word out late, but got a good turn out for locals artists, all of whom live nearby. Some are established, a few famous, some are emerging. We sent some examples of work to be shown, which would have let readers judge. It was a wonderful day and I am grateful to be able to be a part of it.
__________
SunnysideArtists is not the Chamber of Commerce. I am no longer with the Chamber, resigning in order to work on other interests. I began volunteering long to help Luke Adams, now gone, but we are in a new era.
A newer, younger, dynamic group is in charge of the Chamber. As an independent group since 1947, able to advocate freely, the organization has been responsible for many achievements we take for granted, just a few being: parking under the elevated, the post office, cleaner air, sidewalk cafes, the creation of the BID. Its past officers were the village elders who created this wonderful place to live. The chamber has the best-written bylaws I have ever come across. The organization offers inexpensive membership open to all, not just businesses. The organization is always a creature of its current members. If you wish it to change its direction, join it!
__________
I urge everyone to risk using your name when posting here. One does garner a lot of negative responses, but it is the best way to change minds if you wish to do so.
When a comment gets an overwhelming number of positives or negatives, there is usually a claque at work, or those clearing their cache and re-voting – so no need to worry about massive numbers of thumbs down.
__________
SunnysideArtists always appreciate any coverage at any time from the Sunnysidepost! Thank you to staffers working on the weekend to post the nice article which went up! Past coverage from SP, we know from exit surveys, is extremely important in promoting the event.
___________
To get on SAorg mailing list, email SunnysideArtists@gmail.com. Sunnyside Artists gives some artists “scholarships.” None of the Board or the 24 volunteers who work to mount the fine art fair and the crafts fair are paid, and some of us stay up for 48 hours to produce it. We give not less than $350 from table fees to local food pantries from each event. We return all fees to those not accepted. The aim is not just local art excellence, but a fun and festive event which involves the community in a non-pretentious way. We do not seek grants or show in real estate for sale.
___________
We welcome all with free admission and other inducements, as a way to introduce local artists to local supporters. Queen of Angels Church hosts as a community outreach, spends its own money in doing so, does not censor work, and is gracious to all. More about Sunday’s event will appear not this week, but next, in the Woodside Herald. Sunnyside Artists’ next event, to be announced after the board decides, will be juried and involves street art, open to all.
___________
Sunnyside Artists also co-sponsors Boulevard Film Festival, now in its third year this July. Entries went from under a hundred to this year over 1300. Two of its past exhibitors got national distribution. You will be hearing more soon!
I am stunned by all the thumbs down responses to this very well written, articulate post that does nothing but outline all of what SA and the Chamber does in Sunnyside. To hold a grudge against a person or persons (and the entire Artists group) because of unrelated work against the very divisive bike lanes is shortsighted and immature.
Thank you Pat and Manny for all of your work on this event and so many others in Sunnyside. It’s been greatly appreciated by so many of us!
Thanks Wendy B , for writing just what I was thinking and thanks to Pat and Manny for all their hard work. Two great Sunnysiders .
Thanks Wendy B , for writing just what I was thinking and thanks to Pat and Manny for all their hard work. Two great Sunnysiders .
Was there an article about this a few days before? I mean, day of is kind of short notice.
It was extremely late. I left my house at 8:45 that morning to volunteer at the fair and didn’t see any SP story. They usually run it a week before. Guess the ridiculous bike lanes have already started hurting business on Skillman, SP was too busy covering it to put in the run-up.
The key details about this event were not submitted to this publication until late Friday. Colleagues of mine had to work on the ‘weekend’ to get anything up at all.
Fair enough.
I certainly won’t be attending anything organized by Patricia Dorfman/Manny Gomez. They are bad actors in our community. It’s time for new leadership at the Sunnyside Chamber.
Spurious, extraneous and bilious. Yuk. You are unpleasant, unwelcome and unnecessary here. Go in peace, but, go. Please.
You wouldn’t say that to my face, would you? In my considered opinion, based on about a decade of observation and collaboration, Ms. Dorfman and Mr. Gomez can do more for this community in two weeks than most people can even think of doing in two decades. They are capable of making things happen with private support from long-term members of the community, and have done so for years with no TV cameras or peanut gallery from distant parts of the borough because they do not do it in order to burnish their reputations and get a bigger better job somewhere else. They do it for the right reasons. And, they brush off the venemouscomments of ignorant people like ducks brush off water because they know how shallow and uninformed the source is. They protect the grassroots that have kept this community alive through thick and thin way before any Manhattan developer slavering over it could tie his Buster Browns. You don’t know how ashamed you should be, but I do.
It would seem they are paying a huge price for putting so many resources into organizing for something other than artists, other than their members. There may be an organized boycott against the chamber members!! That’s a huge negative for their leadership role moving forward. For shame.
What are you talking about?
One free glass of wine isn’t enough to buy any of the crap being sold at that fair. Maybe if I had a few glasses I wouldn’t know what I was buying!
Not an art lover, obviously.
I am an art lover. That’s why I didn’t go. That’s garbage.
What a mean spirit you have.