38 The QUEE NS Courier • business • october 3, 2013 for breaking news visit www.queenscourier.com ▶business Celebrate ‘Hollywood in Jamaica’ BY MAGIE HAYES [email protected] Get ready to dress to impress and celebrate the arts at the Jamaica Performing Arts Center (JPAC). The Spectacular Fall Arts Gala will be held Friday, October 11 and promises to be a night of art appreciation and neighborhood pride at JPAC, 153-10 Jamaica Avenue, that will benefit both JPAC and the Jamaica Center for Arts and Learning (JCAL). The evening will honor Borough President Helen Marshall, WASA Architects and the Greater Jamaica Development Corporation (GJDC). Event organizers wanted to thank Marshall for the “support she has given to both JCAL and JPAC,” said Philippa Karteron, event organizer and avid supporter of Jamaica arts “This is our first gala and our first shoutout, thank-you to those who made it possible,” Karteron said. Special guests will feature Percy Ellis Sutton, Keisha Sutton James, Vy Higginson, Hariette Cole, Deborah Gregory and Bernard White. “This is something we had been planning over the years but never came to fruition,’’ said Tonya Cantlo-Cockfield, JCAL Board Chair. Cockfield said Councilmember Leroy Comrie pushed for the fundraiser so JCAL and JPAC could get the exposure they need. With that, Cockfield and her team got to planning, and what is set to emerge will be an “art formal,” black tie event on an evening that will be filled with surprises. “We’re calling it, ‘Hollywood in Jamaica,’” Karteron said. “But the evening is really about Jamaica.” VIP tickets are available for $150. The evening will start with a VIP cocktail reception from 6 to 7 p.m. in the “Noire Gallery” where guests can admire various works of art as well as a live painter. After the VIP reception, those with VIP tickets will be ushered up to the “duplex skybox” where attendees can view the performances to come. The Edge School of the Arts, ESOTA, the Carl Bartlett, Jr. Sextet, Soprano singer Mari- Yan Pringle, Braata Productions, and members of the Vissi Dance Theater will be performing from 7 to 10 p.m. for attendees to enjoy. General admission ticket holders as well as the VIP will enjoy the evening of performances, local vendors, food from the Brownstone and of course artistry. There will be high and low tables, several stages, food and art stations and more. “We want to show artists’ potential, support new and emerging artists as well as those who have a reputation,” Karteron said. “This is a smorgasbord of the arts.” Sponsors of the event are JetBlue, TD Bank, Resorts World Casino, Greater Jamaica Development Corporation, Astoria Federal Savings, RCGA+DM, Health First, EmblemHealth and Brownstone. General admission tickets are $100, and students with identification can purchase $50 tickets. To purchase tickets online, visit web. ovationtix.com/trs/pe/9812569. To become a sponsor, call 718-658-7400. Law group launches new location THE COURIER/Photos by Mike DiBartolomeo The Messer Law Group PLLC hosted an open house/grand opening for its new Fresh Meadows location, 59-07 175th Place, Suite PH. To learn more about their services, call 718-747-7480. Hotel complex coming to Flushing A leading international hotel brand is looking to build a dual-hotel complex in Flushing. Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. announced plans last week to open Four Points by Sheraton Flushing and Element Flushing at 35th Avenue and 114th Street in September 2015. The Four Points hotel will have 178 rooms, a 1,585-square-foot meeting space and dining service, while the adjacent Element hotel will offer 118 rooms. Developers said the Element brand made history in 2008 as the first major hotel brand to mandate LEED standards. The energy-efficient Element will be the second in the city. The two hotels will share a 24-hour fitness center and heated indoor pool. “This exciting, new project will combine our affordable and stylish Four Points brand with our eco-wise Element brand in one location within the vibrant borough of Queens,” said Brian McGuinness, senior vice president of Specialty Select Brands for Starwood. “Travelers will enjoy two fresh options at an affordable price point, within close proximity of numerous New York City attractions,” McGuinness continued. The hotels will be located 10 minutes away from LaGuardia Airport, the company said, and will be near the New York Hall of Science, the American Museum of Moving Image and Queens Botanical Garden.
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