Located in Flushing, Queens, Kupferberg Center for the Arts is a dynamic performing arts venue where world-class artists share the stage with local and regional talent, as well as students and faculty from Queens College. The center’s mission is to provide the community with high-quality, accessible entertainment. Read on for more details on queens-trend.
A Venue for Celebrities
Kupferberg Center for the Arts showcases a wide range of performances year-round, including classical music, pop, and jazz shows, and offers educational programs for families and school groups.
The stage has hosted numerous celebrities, including American singer and actress Natalie Cole; Dan Zanes from The Del Fuegos; comedian, writer, and actor Jerry Seinfeld; British rock musician and singer David Bowie; The Piano Guys; R&B singer and actress Patti LaBelle; and pop performer Johnny Mathis, among others.
Popular Events
The Kupferberg Center for the Arts staff has developed a range of events that are highly popular among the borough’s residents:
- Louis Armstrong’s Wonderful World Festival – a festival celebrating music, art, and food, dedicated to “the King of Jazz” Louis Armstrong, an iconic American jazz musician, trumpeter, and vocalist. The festival is held annually at the site of the 1964 World’s Fair in Flushing Meadows-Corona Park.
- Annual Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration – an event commemorating the American Baptist pastor, civil rights leader, and Nobel Peace Prize laureate who advocated for nonviolent resistance against racism. During the celebration, residents of Queens honor King’s legacy and recognize outstanding work by prominent members of African American communities through live performances.
- Live at the Gantries – a free annual summer concert series featuring emerging local artists held at Gantry Plaza State Park. These concerts combine live music in the open air with stunning waterfront views, celebrating the unique cultures and communities of Queens.
Educational Programs
Kupferberg Center for the Arts serves as an educational hub as well as an entertainment venue. Programs like Accelerating the Arts offer arts education for children and teens (from kindergarten to 12th grade), while extracurricular classes in music, dance, and visual arts under The Mosaic Project focus on hands-on skills, with international artists sharing their expertise with students.
Additionally, the center manages the dance initiative of the City University of New York (CUNY), providing dance groups with rehearsal and performance spaces at CUNY campuses across the city’s five boroughs.
A Center of Diversity
Kupferberg Center for the Arts strives to be an inclusive space for all community members by addressing and eliminating any instances of implicit or explicit bias and promoting social and racial justice. This goal is achieved by:
- Offering diverse programming and performances that give artists from all cultural and national backgrounds a platform to express themselves.
- Engaging artists of various races who actively address social and racial injustices.
- Collaborating with partner arts organizations that also champion social justice within Queens and New York City as a whole.
