
Queens is king tonight at the Jamaica Performing Arts Center as 43 arts organizations and 17 indie artists are honored with nearly a quarter of a million dollars by the Queens Community Arts Fund (QCAF). The QCAF is an award presented by Queens Council on the Arts from a handful of benefactors—New York City Department of Cultural Affairs’ Greater New York Arts Development Fund, the New York State Council on the Arts Decentralization Program, and the JP Morgan Chase Arts Foundation Regrants Program—whose generosity ensures that this borough’s creative voice is heard.
“The Queens artists and organizations that were chosen as 2010 QCAF grant recipients are creating smart, relevant programming that provides the Queens community with opportunities to access diverse and exciting art forms in nearly every neighborhood in the borough,” said Katie Tuss, arts fund coordinator for the QCAF.
Since no artistic expression is too small, the Queens Arts in the Schools Grant will distribute nearly $20,000 to eight Queen’s schools and their cultural partners. Throughout 2010, you can ride the 7 train to the many venues in Queens—including the renovated 1858 landmarked JPAC building—for a yearlong exhibition as this group of 60 demonstrates its disciplines of dance, theater, music, film and media.
Tonight and this year are looking good.
Photo: Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons











Sarah Knapp is a Brooklyn based entrepreneur whose love for the outdoors and community building led her to the October 2013 creation of OutdoorFest. She has a BA in History, is a Wilderness First Responder and a NY state hiking, camp and boating guide. Her proudest achievement to date is reading the Aeneid in Latin.
Allison was one of our first top writers and Chief Editor but is no longer working with offMetro. Allison is a native New Yorker, who has lived in Rome, Tuscany, Melbourne, Toronto and Los Angeles. She frequently contributed travel pieces to Family Travel Forum, using her own children as guinea pigs as they travel the globe. She never missed a chance to sample local delicacies, as her love for travel goes hand-in-hand with her love for food and wine.
Josh Laskin is a freelance travel writer and photographer based in the White Mountains of New Hampshire. When he is not at work or on the road, you can find him in the mountains snowboarding, climbing, hiking, fly fishing, mountain biking, and eating bagel bites.
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Carly Pifer is a freelance writer who has been known to follow whims inspired by romantic movie scenes or colorful street style shots to India, Japan, Tunisia and Argentina. After stints living in Seoul, Boston, Paris and Los Angeles, writing and searching for something intangible, she landed somewhat steadily in Brooklyn and has begun to find inspiration in her more immediate surroundings.
Kate E. O’Hara is a New York based freelance writer and photographer who loves all things food—especially the people who make it and market it. Her writing aims to capture the essence of the food experience; the stories that go well beyond a plate of ingredients. In addition to her love of food, Kate is also known to have a hankering for red wine and craft beer. You can also find Kate on Instagram