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Mission, History
& Programs
Founded 40 years ago in 1979, the mission of Flushing Town Hall (FTH) is to present multidisciplinary
global arts that engage and educate the global communities of Queens and
New York City in order to foster mutual appreciation. As advocates of arts equity since
founding, we support local, immigrant, national, and international artists, developing
partnerships and collaborations that enhance our eff orts. As a member of New York
City’s Cultural Institutions Group, we serve as stewards of Flushing Town Hall, restoring,
managing and programming the historic 1862 landmark on behalf of the City of New York.
We are committed to arts education and hands-on learning, for the arts-curious,
arts enthusiasts, and professional artists. We serve one of the most diverse
communities in the world, and strive to uphold the legacy of inclusiveness that
has defi ned our community since the Flushing Remonstrance of 1657.
We present traditional and contemporary work in music, dance, puppetry, theater, and
visual arts, celebrating cultures and traditions from all over the globe. Most of those
presentations take place at Flushing Town Hall, a thriving multi-disciplinary arts center
that includes a 308-seat theater, gallery, garden, and rehearsal space. Also central to
the mission is education: FTH brings diverse teaching artists to schools and senior
centers, and presents award-winning, curriculum-based programs, both at Flushing
Town Hall and in schools across New York City. FTH is also a Smithsonian Affi liate.
We have been stewards of Flushing Town Hall (landmark 1862) since 1990, after a
decade of presenting work in venues across the neighborhood. After undertaking
massive renovations, we opened the “Jazz Café” in what is now the art gallery, in
1993, and opened the theater in 1999. FTH's programming has evolved with its
community, with an increased focus on Chinese, Korean, Latin American, South
Asian, and Native American cultural traditions and art forms, as well as crosscultural
programming aimed at bringing multiple communities together.
Flushing Town Hall acknowledges that we are on the traditional land of the
Matinecock People, one of the original tribes of New York, and the fi rst people
of Flushing, Queens, who continue to live and work on this land to this day
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