FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM APRIL 8, 2022 • THE QUEENS COURIER 42
Pig Beach BBQ will bring pitmasters together in Astoria
Flux Factory launches open call for artists for project at Gotham Point in Hunters Point South
BY BILL PARRY
BPARRY@SCHNEPSMEDIA.COM
@QNS
When Flux Factory announced in November
it would stay rooted in Long Island City with the
purchase of the building it rented for years, the
artist-led nonprofi t organization also revealed
that it would expand to a second location on the
Hunters Point waterfront in the new Gotham
Point development that is nearing completion at
the crux of Newtown Creek and the East River.
Now, Flux Factory and Gotham Organization
have launched an open call for artists to work
on Flux’s inaugural project at their new permanent
satellite location, known as “Flux IV.”
Th e new Flux IV space will include a gallery
and workspace for artists across 3,000 square
feet on the ground fl oor of Gotham Point, the
newest residential tower along the Hunters
Point waterfront.
Titled “Going Places, Doing Stuff : Newtown
Creek Edition,” the project is a nod to
the beloved original 2008 Flux Factory series
“Going Places, Doing Stuff” that brought
buses full of participants to unknown locations
and experiences designed by artists. Flux
Factory is accepting proposals for performances,
artworks, itineraries, nautical vessels,
historical tours, workshops and other
shared experiences.
“‘Going Places Doing Stuff: Newtown
Creeks Edition’ is a very special project for
us at Flux Factory and Gotham Point, as it
will be the fi rst of many exhibitions at our
new permanent home,” Flux Factory Executive
Director Nat Roe said. “Th is project is a
homecoming for our community since we
were founded in the ’90s on the East River
waterfront and have worked with dozens of
artists over the decades who use New York
City’s waterways and green spaces as a point
of departure for creativity.”
Flux Factory lost its initial home in Williamsburg,
Brooklyn, in 2002 and moved to
43rd Street in Sunnyside. Th ey were displaced
through eminent domain in 2009 and moved
to their current location, an old greeting card
factory located at 39-31 29th St. in Dutch Kills.
Th e exhibition at the satellite location
at Gotham Point will run from late spring
into summer and will feature an event series
of artworks, performances and creative
interventions.
Flux Factory launches an open call for artists to work on its inaugural project at their new permanent space at
Gotham Point in Long Island City.
“When developing Gotham Point, we were
initially inspired by the surrounding environment
the nexus of Newtown Creek and the
East River,” said Bryan Kelly, president of development
at Gotham Organization. “We are so
proud to be working together with Flux Factory
and believe local artists will feel the same sense
Photo courtesy of Handel Architects
of inspiration from the nature of Hunters Point
South to add to the already vibrant community
of Long Island City.”
Artists may submit proposals until noon on
April 15. All accepted applicants will receive a
stipend ranging from $200 to $700 corresponding
to the project’s scope.
BY BILL PARRY
BPARRY@SCHNEPSMEDIA.COM
@QNS
Dozens of nationally recognized pitmasters
from as far away as Alabama and Tennessee will
reunite in Astoria at Pig Beach BBQ’s new location
for a full-day meat smokin’ extravaganza reunion
for the fi rst time since the start of the COVID-19
pandemic.
Th e all-day “swine around” event is being organized
by Pig Beach partners Matt Abdoo, Shane
McBride and Rob Shawger in honor of their late
friend, Pig Beach Executive Chef Jeff Michner,
who died suddenly in 2018 at age 36, leaving
behind his wife Sara, newborn daughter Hayes
and twin sister Meghan, who is married to Abdoo.
All proceeds from the April 30 event, which
is expected to draw hundreds, will benefit
the Jeff Michner Foundation, which supports
families managing loss and grief and provides
scholarships to graduating high school students
with a love for cooking and golf, two of Michner’s
passions in life.
“Jeff was more than a friend; he was family,”
Abdoo said. “When we created this benefi t in 2019,
pitmasters from all across the country, some who
had only known Jeff for a short time, fl ew in to
honor him and make the event as meaningful
and successful as possible. Th is year’s benefi t will
feature twice as many pitmasters, and will be held
in our new 28,000-square-foot Queens location
which holds a lot more people.”
Pig Beach BBQ opened in Astoria last October
in the former Studio Square location
at 35-33 36th St., just down the street from
the Kaufman Astoria Studios. McBride is an
Astoria resident with more than two decades
of experience.
“Jeff had an all-in mentality with everything he
did, and the support we’ve felt from the barbecue
community, the way they’ve continued to go all in
to honor him, is just a testament to who Jeff was
and how much he was truly loved; it has been a
crucial part of the fundraiser’s success,” McBride
said. “It’s always been our goal to take Jeff with us
wherever Pig Beach goes, and honor him the best
way we can. Our dream is to grow this benefi t
into a truly iconic annual event, similar to the Big
Apple Block Party.”
Pig Beach held its fi rst Jeff Michner BBQ benefi t
at its original location in Gowanus, Brooklyn,
in 2019. Th e sold-out event drew thousands of
barbecue fans, pitmasters and chefs, and raised
over $50,000. While the pandemic put the event
on hold in 2020 and 2021, it returns with 25
indoor and outdoor food stations and cocktails
by the city’s top mixologists and live musical
performances.
Th e event will also feature a silent auction and
raffl e prizes. VIP tickets are going for $200 and
include early access beginning at 11 a.m. through
4 p.m. and VIP lounge access and gift bag. General
admission is $100 and includes all food and drink
from noon to 4 p.m. Kids under 12 are free.
“Continuing to hold this benefi t is extremely
important to us at Pig Beach, not only to honor
Jeff ’s legacy but to show his daughter who he was
as she continues to grow up,” Abdoo said. “We are
so grateful to our entire BBQ family, including
Old Hickory Pits and Cutting Edge Firewood,
whose support and generosity is helping us make
this year’s event bigger than ever.”
For more information and to purchase tickets,
visit pigbeachnyc.com/store/event/jmf-bbqbenefi t.
Photos by Eric Vitale Photography
From left: Pig Beach BBQ partners Rob Shawgle, Matt Abdoo and Shane McBride are bringing pitmasters from
across the country for a benefi t event in Astoria.
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