Local fi lmmaker chronicles life on the subway
BY TAMMY SCILEPPI
What adds spice to everyday
life here in Queens? Diversity.
The endless variety of
multi-ethnic everything: eats,
entertainment and shopping
options, cultural festivities and
more, is mind-blowing.
And there are numerous
opportunities for local creatives
to exhibit their creations, along
with support from organizations
that help struggling artists
thrive so they can share their
work with the public.
It also seems that there
those in every community who
are willing to lend someone a
helping hand.
“In Jackson Heights,
diversity is a very special
thing that ripples across that
neighborhood in so many ways,”
said local artist and filmmaker
Jimmy Ferguson, who recently
found out first-hand how helpful
his neighbors could be.
Ferguson recently unveiled
his new, art-mimics-life public
video installation, called
“Between Neighbors: Jackson
Heights,” that focuses on subway
passengers coming and going,
and explores riders’ interactions
commuting on the subway.
You can catch this larger than
life, 65-minute video from 5:30
p.m. to 10:30 p.m. through Feb.
2, on a 70-foot wall above Pollos
A La Brasa Marios on Roosevelt
Avenue, across from the 82nd
Street No. 7 subway platform.
While ArtSite, Queens
Council on the Arts and the
82nd St. Partnership (BID) in
Jackson Heights supported
Ferguson’s dynamic project,
so did the kind owner of that
popular Colombian restaurant.
A key goal of the QCAsupported
program, ArtSite, is
to empower creatives to engage
on a local level, understanding
that they can be a catalyst for
change. One goal is to foster
relationships between artists
and local businesses.
“Jimmy Ferguson is a very
talented artist and we are
thrilled that ArtSite provided
him the opportunity to exhibit
his first public art project. He
dreamed big and made it happen
smoothly and successfully,” said
ArtSite’s Public Art Coordinator,
Marissa Lazar.
After moving from Brooklyn
Jimmy Ferguson’s lens focuses on passengers who stare back.
two years ago, Ferguson, who
had spent much of his adult life
working and living in Latin
America, said he wanted to be
proactive in his new home and
engage with the community.
“I began shooting on the trains
for a short documentary about
a commuter and was stricken
with the conflict of shooting
people in this very public
space that is simultaneously,
and surprisingly, also very
private and intimate,” Ferguson
said. “We spend much time
Courtesy of JWJ Ferguson
negotiating how we engage with
others, i.e. if we watch them, if
we ignore them, etc. By bringing
my camera on the train, this
daily struggle was brought to
a very conscious level for me
that forced me to reconsider the
neighbors around me.
Ferguson said the project
could not have been completed
without the support of Pollos A
La Brasa Marios owner Oscar
Franco, who was extremely
accommodating.
“He was immediately
on board and supported me
throughout. I had to pass
through the restaurant to get
to the roof, and he gave me full
access,” Ferguson said. “Some of
his employees helped me on some
of the bigger tasks (like taking
down an enormous satellite
dish). He drove me to his metal
workers in the area and helped
me mount the huge projector box
to the building. He’s provided
electricity and WiFi for the
duration of the install and helped
me set up a security camera.”
Most of the artist’s film work
to date includes plays in festivals,
theatres, etc., but this is his first
true public art installation. A
while back, he created a public
campaign piece against domestic
violence (#notafan), that played
on jumbotrons in Times Square
and sports venues such as
Madison Square Garden, and in
New York City taxi cabs.
What’s his message?
“Working directly in the
public sphere greatly shaped
my approach. I view my works
less as conveying messages than
posing questions,” Ferguson
said. “There’s a fine line between
the two, but this is my focus.”
CATERING MENU
Buffet Menu Sit Down Dinner
Minimum 40 Guests 3 Hour Function
(Mon.-Sat. 12-3pm or 1-4pm)
Assorted Breads & Rolls
All Unlimited
Large Tossed Salad
Fresh Cooked Turkey and Roast Beef Platter
Potato & Macaroni Salad
Choice of Five Main Dishes
Baked Ziti �� Penne a la Vodka �� Chicken Marsala
Sausage & Peppers �� Eggplant Rollatini
Meatballs �� Chicken Francese �� Shepherd’s Pie
Minimum 25 Guests 3 Hour Function
(Mon.-Sun. 5-10pm)
Assorted Breads & Rolls
House Salad
Choice of Three Main Dishes
Served with Potato & Vegetables
Broiled Filet of Sole �� Chicken Marsala
Penne a la Vodka �� Shrimp Scampi
Chicken Francese �� Spinach Ravioli
Shepherd’s Pie �� 16 oz. Black Angus Certifi ed
Shell Steak $4 extra / per person
�� Buff et Only...........................................................$18.95/pp
�� Dinner with Soft Drinks...................................$21.95/pp
�� Dinner w/ Domestic Tap Beer, Wine & Soda...$23.95/pp
�� Dinner w/ Mixed Drinks, Domestic Beer
(Bottle & Tap) Wine & Soda..............................$26.95/pp
�� Dinner w/ Top Shelf Liquors, Imported &
Domestic Beer (Bottle & Tap), Wine & Soda...$37.95/pp
�� Dinner w/ Domestic Tap Beer, Wine & Soda..$24.95/pp
�� Dinner w/ Mixed Drinks, Domestic Beer
(Bottle & Tap) Wine & Soda................................$27.95/pp
�� Dinner w/ Top Shelf Liquors, Imported &
Domestic Beer (Bottle & Tap), Wine & Soda...$37.95/pp
FRESH COFFEE, BREWED DECAF & TEAS
DESSERT
Chocolate Truffl e Cake
214-22 41st Ave., Bayside, NY 11361 �� 718-224-9898 �� maggiemaysbayside.com
TIMESLEDGER,26 FEB. 1-7, 2019 TIMESLEDGER.COM
/maggiemaysbayside.com
/TIMESLEDGER.COM
