FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM DECEMBER 22, 2016 • THE QUEENS COURIER 23 LIC artist and teacher showcases his handmade recycled works at local warehouse Whitestone native publishes book on cemetery histories BY SUZANNE MONTEVERDI smonteverdi@qns.com @smont76 One author with roots in Whitestone wants more people to see the beauty in the borough’s cemeteries. “Th e history we have in Queens — I’m not sure many people are aware of it,” Alexandra Mosca said, “and cemeteries are outdoor museums.” Mosca grew up in the Beechhurst area of Whitestone and attended Bayside High School. She then attended Queensborough Community College and Queens College where she studied English and history. It was an aft er-school job Mosca took on during high school that solidifi ed her other career choice: funeral directing. “Aft er working at the funeral home and then going through college, I became interested in it,” Mosca said. Mosca has served as funeral director at her business Hellenic Funeral Home in Elmhurst since 1983. Her writing and a funeral directing careers have melded together smoothly. “It was just such a natural progression,” Mosca said. “I would go home and look up, ‘who are these people?’ Oft en, stories that come out of a cemetery you would never know otherwise.” Mosca’s fi rst book, a memoir titled “Grave Undertakings: Mortician by Day, Model by Night,” was published in 2003 and explores the mortician’s trade and what it is like to be a woman operating in the male-dominated industry, as well as her time as a model. Her third and latest book, “Gardens of Stone: The Cemeteries of New York City from Colonial Times to the Present,” was published this October. It begins with an early history of cemeteries found in Manhattan and then branches out, detailing the history of cemeteries in the outer boroughs. “Th e book is an overview of some of the most notable New York City cemeteries,” Mosca said. “I also tried to bring out some history of cemeteries people are not familiar with.” Queens’ rich history is well-documented in its cemeteries. St. John Cemetery in Middle Village is home to politicians Governor Mario Cuomo and Geraldine Ferraro, as well as famous mobsters Charles “Lucky” Luciano and John Gotti, Mosca explained. It also features many grand memorials, including awe-inspiring fi gures of crosses and angels. At All Faiths Cemetery, also in Middle Village, those eternally resting there include Fred Trump — President-elect Donald Trump’s father — and Cord Meyer, president and founder of the Cord Meyer development company. Within Flushing Cemetery is the grave of famed jazz musicians Louis Armstrong, whose headstone is adorned with a trumpet. “Sometime what happens is you’re walking through these places and you see a name and it really evokes a memory in history,” Mosca said. But for Mosca, the ordinary person laid to rest is just as interesting as the famed. “Cemeteries, historians, tour guides: we keep the memory of these people alive,” Mosca said. Mosca’s favorite Queens burial ground is Woodside’s Calvary Cemetery, which is the fi rst major cemetery established outside of Manhattan. “Th e history goes back to the 1800s,” Mosca said. “I love its old architecture; the grand architecture.” Mosca’s book “Gardens of Stone: Th e Cemeteries of New York City from Colonial Times to the Present” can be purchased on Amazon, Barnes and Noble and through other retail outlets. “Th e response for the book been really good,” Mosca said. “I hear from historians from time to time. I really researched for this book — because when you’re writing about history, you don’t want to make a mistake.” Photos provided by Alexandra Mosca BY ANGELA MATUA amatua@qns.com @AngelaMatua A Long Island City nonprofi t that allowed teachers to pick up free school supplies at its warehouse this summer is also the material source for a new art exhibit that is inspired by jazz. Michael Kelly Williams, an artist and public school educator for 30 years, used recycled materials found at Materials for the Arts (MFTA). Th e nonprofi t, which is operated by the Department of Cultural Aff airs, with support from the Department of Sanitation and Department of Education (DOE), provides free materials to teachers — from binders to paper and computer chairs. His solo exhibition “Found and Funky” debuted on Dec. 15 at the warehouse located at 33-00 Northern Blvd. Williams spent four months scavenging the 35,000-square-foot facility that has more than 40 aisles of materials. Th e exhibition includes mixed media and assemblage works and will be on view until April 8. “Found” represents the “affi rmation in discovering new objects” while the term “Funky” is used to “pay homage to a popular jazz term meant to convey praise of an art piece having achieved its highest form.” Williams includes references to popular jazz musicians throughout the exhibit including Eric Dolphy, John Coltrane, Th elonious Monk and Pheeroan akLaff . “My work expresses who I am, and I feel I’m working out of various traditions,” Williams said in a statement. “Th ere is a strong folk art tradition in my hometown of Detroit utilizing found objects. Stylistically there is now a synthesis of all I have studied. I am reaching for a unique vision in my work yet one that is linked in tradition. My reoccurring themes are music, myth, spirituality and poetry.” Kelly used a range of materials for his work including cowrie shells, a fi lm canister and cables. His piece “We See,” which was named aft er a Th elonious Monk song, is mounted on a wooden ophthalmologist sign. Th e arrangement of materials “cohere into an interpretation of Monk’s ancient, rhythmical sensibility as well as a dissonant elements and a wry sense of humor.” Th e MFTA artist residency program gives artists production assistance, free studio space and materials for the warehouse. Williams’ work has been shown in galleries across the United States and countries such as China and Morocco. To view more of his work, visit michaelkellywilliams.com. Photos by Michael Kelly Williams Artist Michael Kelly Williams used recycled materials for his exhibition in Long Island City.
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