Queens is the Future

Last updated
The Queens Is The Future mural in Jackson Heights, Queens, by Eve Biddle and Joshua Frankel. Photo by Joshua Frankel. Queens Is The Future.jpg
The Queens Is The Future mural in Jackson Heights, Queens, by Eve Biddle and Joshua Frankel. Photo by Joshua Frankel.

Queens is the Future is a mural created in 2007 by married artists Eve Biddle and Joshua Frankel. It is located on a handball court in the schoolyard of I.S. 145, a public middle school in Jackson Heights, Queens. The mural originally depicted a subway car blasting off of its tracks as though powered by rocket fuel, with the words “Queens is the Future” painted in the upper left corner. It quickly became an iconic image of the borough, inspiring the Municipal Art Society to name their walking tour of neighborhood after the work, as well as appearing in Sports Illustrated , [1] Time Out New York , [2] [3] and a short documentary about the rise of Bronx and Queens Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. [4] [5]

Contents

In January 2015, without consulting the original artists, Sony Pictures altered the mural, inserting Spider-Man into the image, to promote the release of the film The Amazing Spider-Man 2 . [3]

The mural was restored in 2022. [6] [7]

Inspiration

Biddle and Frankel were inspired to create the mural while living in Long Island City, Queens and traveling to Jackson Heights regularly to have lunch with Frankel's mother, a public school teacher there. The elevated 7 train, a subway line, which runs across Roosevelt Avenue and is a distinctive architectural feature of Jackson Heights, was one of the inspirations for the image. Having both grown up in New York City in the 1980s, the artists were influenced by graffiti and other public art they saw as children and young adults including Keith Haring’s iconic Crack is Wack mural, which was also painted on a handball wall.

The phrase “Queens Is The Future” points to Queens’ status as the United States of America's most diverse populous county. [8] Like Queens, America itself is becoming more international, more urban, and less white. [9]

Queens is the Future details

Style

Queens is the Future incorporates graffiti and comic book graphic style with a minimalist color scheme. The banner reading “Queens is the Future” mimics a style of typography found in early 20th century cruise ship and transportation advertising, which utilized the American Modernist “poster portrait” style typified by artists like Charles DeMuth. The low-angle view of the train also evokes a perspective often found in these ads.

Desecration

In January 2015, without consulting the original artists, Sony Pictures altered the mural, inserting Spider-Man into the image, to promote the release of the film The Amazing Spider-Man 2.

In the altered mural, Spider-Man lifts the subway car off the tracks “rescuing” children who've been inserted into the train's windows, a contrast to the original message of the work. The alterations also included the addition of the geographically inaccurate image of the Statue of Liberty, which is not visible from Jackson Heights. The mural was selected by Sony because the character is from Forest Hills, Queens. NYC Service, a city agency, introduced Sony to I.S. 145. The alterations were executed by artist Ibrahim Wann. Actor Andrew Garfield and other cast members appeared at an unveiling of the altered mural at the school, which was attended by students and other neighborhood residents.

Biddle and Frankel understood the students' excitement around this event, but Frankel expressed his disappointment in the mural's repurposing: “They took a work of public art in the community and turned it into an advertisement for the film, and called it community service.” [3]

The mural fell into disrepair soon after it was altered. [6] [7]

Restoration

In 2021, the mural's original design was printed on t-shirts for the Jackson Heights Mile—a one mile run organized by Queens Distance Runners, a local running club, to benefit families displaced by the 8-alarm 89th Street fire which blazed that spring. [6] [7]

In 2022, building on that momentum, the mural was restored, with support from Angelo Baque, Awake NY, Project Queens, NY State Assemblymember Jessica Gonzalez-Rojas, NY State Senator Jessica Ramos, Queens Borough President Donovan Richards, Jackson Heights Beautification Group, Principal Rodriguez and IS 145, and other members of the Jackson Heights community. [6] [7]

The restoration project included the creation of a new community-sourced mural on the reverse side of the wall led by Jackson Heights-based artist, Erick Teran. [6] [7]

The restoration project began with extensive research into materials and methodology so that the restored mural would be able to withstand sun, rain, snow, graffiti, and impacts from regular handball play. Biddle and Frankel visited handball courts with artwork on them across New York City and spoke with the team that restored Keith Haring’s ‘Crack is Wack’ mural, also on a handball court. The materials ultimately selected for the work include primer designed specifically to integrate with concrete, paints used on the hulls of cruise ships, and sealants used on oil rigs. [6] [7]

Legacy

The original mural inspired the Municipal Art Society to name their walking tour “Queens is the Future.” A photograph of the mural appears prominently in a 2015 print edition issue of Time Out New York celebrating Queens as “New York’s hottest borough.” [2] [3] The work also appears in Seth Fein's 2017 experimental documentary film Between Neighborhoods. [10] [11] It is featured in a 2019 mini-documentary about Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who represents Queens and the Bronx, entitled “Before Alexandria Was Known As AOC, There Was A Movement That Recruited Her To Run.” [12] New York State Senator Jessica Ramos, who represents Jackson Heights, featured a photograph of herself standing in front of the mural prominently on her website. [13] A recent book, All the Queens Houses, by Rafael Herrin-Ferri, included an introductory essay by Joseph Heathcott which was named after the mural and uses it as a jump-off point for its discussion of the borough. [14] [15]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yorktown Heights, New York</span> Census-designated place in New York, United States

Yorktown Heights is a census-designated place (CDP) in the town of Yorktown in Westchester County, New York, United States. The population was 1,781 at the 2010 census.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jackson Heights, Queens</span> Neighborhood of Queens in New York City

Jackson Heights is a neighborhood in the northwestern part of the borough of Queens in New York City. Jackson Heights is neighbored by North Corona to the east, Elmhurst to the south, Woodside to the west, northern Astoria (Ditmars-Steinway) to the northwest, and East Elmhurst to the north and northeast. Jackson Heights has an ethnically diverse community, with half the population having been foreign-born since the 2000s. The New York Times has called it "the most culturally diverse neighborhood in New York, if not on the planet." According to the 2010 United States Census, the neighborhood has a population of 108,152.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Joe Crowley</span> American politician (born 1962)

Joseph Crowley is a former American politician and consultant who served as U.S. Representative from New York's 14th congressional district from 1999 to 2019. He was defeated by Democratic primary challenger Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez in what was viewed as one of the biggest upsets of the 2018 midterm elections.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cambria Heights, Queens</span> Neighborhood of Queens in New York City

Cambria Heights is a residential neighborhood in the southeastern portion of the New York City borough of Queens. It is bounded by Springfield Boulevard and Francis Lewis Boulevard to the west, the Elmont, Nassau County border on the east, Queens Village to the north, St. Albans to the west, and Montefiore Cemetery and Laurelton, Springfield Gardens and Rosedale to the south. As of 2010, Cambria Heights's population was 18,677. The neighborhood is part of Queens Community Board 13.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">East Elmhurst, Queens</span> Neighborhood of Queens in New York City

East Elmhurst is a residential neighborhood in the northwest section of the New York City borough of Queens. It is bounded to the south by Jackson Heights and Corona, to the north and east by Bowery Bay, and to the west by Woodside and Ditmars Steinway. The area also includes LaGuardia Airport, located on the shore of Flushing Bay, LaGuardia Landing Lights Fields, and Astoria Heights.

George Lee Quiñones is a Puerto Rican artist and actor. Quiñones rose to prominence by creating massive New York City subway car graffiti that carried his moniker "LEE". His style is rooted in popular culture and often with political messages.

New York's 14th congressional district is a congressional district for the United States House of Representatives located in New York City, represented by Democrat Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">5 Pointz</span> Building in Queens, New York

5 Pointz: The Institute of Higher Burnin' or 5Pointz Aerosol Art Center, Inc., mainly referred to as simply 5 Pointz or 5Pointz, was an American mural space at 45-46 Davis Street in Long Island City, Queens, New York City. When the building opened in 1892, it housed the Neptune Meter factory, which built water meters.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tats Cru</span>

Tats Cru, Inc. is a group of Bronx-based graffiti artists turned professional muralists. The current members of Tats Cru are Bio, BG183, Nicer, HOW, and NOSM. Tats Cru were founded by Brim, Bio, BG183 and Nicer.

Fernando Cabrera is an American politician in the Bronx, New York. A Democrat, he formerly represented the 14th district in the New York City Council, including the neighborhoods of Claremont Village, Fordham, Kingsbridge, Marble Hill, Morris Heights, Mount Eden, Mount Hope, and University Heights.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2018 United States House of Representatives elections in New York</span> Elections

The 2018 United States House of Representatives elections in New York were held November 6, 2018 to elect a U.S. Representative from each of New York's 27 congressional districts. The elections coincided with the gubernatorial election, as well as an election to the United States Senate and various state and local elections.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez</span> American politician (born 1989)

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, also known by her initials AOC, is an American politician and activist. She has served as the U.S. representative for New York's 14th congressional district since 2019, as a member of the Democratic Party.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Saikat Chakrabarti</span> American political activist

Saikat Chakrabarti is a political advisor and software engineer. He was formerly chief of staff to Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, the U.S. representative from New York's 14th congressional district representing portions of The Bronx and Queens in New York City.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tiffany Cabán</span> American public defender and politician

Tiffany Cabán is an American attorney, politician, and political organizer who has served as a member of the New York City Council for the 22nd District since the 2021 New York City Council election. She won the Democratic primary for the seat after the incumbent, Democrat Costa Constantinides, retired.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2021 New York City Council election</span> Election held in New York City

The 2021 New York City Council elections were held on November 2, 2021. The primary elections were held on June 22, 2021. There were several special elections for seats vacated in 2020 and early 2021; these special elections were the first to use ranked-choice voting in city council elections after it was approved by a ballot question in 2019 and the second to use ranked-choice voting since New York City repealed PR-STV in 1945. Due to redistricting after the 2020 Census, candidates also ran for two-year terms instead of four-year terms for the first time, stemming from the New York City Charter overhaul in 1989. Four-year terms will resume in the 2025 election after another two-year election in 2023.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2018 New York's 14th congressional district election</span> Congressional election

The 2018 New York's 14th congressional district election was held on Tuesday, November 6, 2018. The primaries for New York's federal elections were held earlier in the year on June 26. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez defeated incumbent congressman Joe Crowley in the primary, and went on to defeat Republican opponent Anthony Pappas in the general election.

Joshua Frankel is an American contemporary artist and director who makes work in many different media, including animation, film, opera, drawing, printmaking and public art.

Eve Biddle is a contemporary American artist and co-founder and co-director of the arts organization The Wassaic Project. With her husband, Joshua Frankel, she creates public art murals including Queens is the Future and print art for exhibition. She is also a member of the board at Working Assumptions, a foundation dedicated to the intersection of art and family, best known for its photographic depictions of pregnant women at work.

Johanna Toruño is a queer Salvadoran artist. She created The Unapologetic Street Series, a series of posters pasted across New York City that depict messages of queer pride.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alexa Avilés</span> American politician

Alexa Avilés is an American politician, community activist, and non-profit manager from New York City. She is a member of the New York City Council for the 38th district, which covers Sunset Park along Brooklyn's western shoreline, also covering Red Hook, Greenwood Heights, and small parts of Windsor Terrace, Dyker Heights, and Borough Park neighborhoods in western Brooklyn.

References

  1. ↑ Wolff, Alexander (2015-06-29). "A Whole New Ballgame". Sports Illustrated.
  2. 1 2 Varinsky, Dana (2015-01-14). "In this week's issue of Time Out New York, we bow down to Queens". Time Out New York. Retrieved 2020-03-26.
  3. 1 2 3 4 McGrath, Ben (2015-02-19). "Writing on the Wall". The New Yorker.
  4. ↑ "Before Alexandria Was Known As AOC, There Was A Movement That Recruited Her To Run". YouTube .
  5. ↑ Cochrane, Emily (2019-02-23). "Justice Democrats Helped Make Ocasio-Cortez. They're Already Eyeing Their Next Targets". The New York Times.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 6 van Straaten, Laura (2022-07-22). "In Queens, a Storied Mural Is Saved From (Not by) Spider-Man". Hyperallergic. Retrieved 2022-08-15.
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Pau, Kelly (2022-07-19). "The Restored "Queens Is The Future" Mural Speaks to the Power of Public Art". Cool Hunting. Retrieved 2022-08-15.
  8. ↑ Algar, Selim (2019-07-04). "Queens is crowned nation's most diverse large county". New York Post. Retrieved 2020-05-04.
  9. ↑ Tanzi, Alexandre (2018-06-21). "America Is Less White, Getting Older, and More Urban: Census". Bloomberg. Retrieved 2020-05-04.
  10. ↑ "Between Neighborhoods by Seth Fein". Queens World Film Festival. Archived from the original on 2017-11-13. Retrieved 2020-03-26.
  11. ↑ Glick, Joshua (Spring 2018). "Between Neighborhoods". Jump Cut. p. 4. Retrieved 2020-03-26.
  12. ↑ Sarlin, Benjy (2019-01-16). "In new video, Ocasio-Cortez joins progressive effort to oust more incumbent Democrats". NBC News.
  13. ↑ "Vision". Jessica Ramos for State Senate. Archived from the original on 2018-11-02.
  14. ↑ Herrin-Ferri, Rafael (2021). All the Queens Houses. Berlin: JOVIS Verlag GmbH. ISBN   978-3-86859-656-4.
  15. ↑ "Rafael Herrin-Ferri on Instagram: "Slide 1: Opening paragraph of Joseph Heathcott's fantastic introductory essay for the book, titled "Queens is the Future." Slide 2: original mural by Joshua Frankel and Eve Biddle at the corner of Northern Boulevard and 80th Street. #queensisthefuture #allthequeenshouses #jovisverlag #nycmurals #northernboulevard #joshuafrankel #queens #newyorkbooks #theworldsborough #urbanphotography #queensscapes"". Instagram.com. Retrieved 2022-08-17.


40°45′18.6″N73°53′14.8″W / 40.755167°N 73.887444°W / 40.755167; -73.887444

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.