Garage Art Center is about community Bayside small gallery has big vision

by Mark Lord Chronicle Contributor

It would be difficult to find a better example of the old proverb, “Necessity is the mother of invention,” than the case of Stephanie Lee, a Korean folk artist and founding director of the Garage Art Center in Bayside.

The garage in the venue’s name is literally just that. In fact, it’s Lee’s own garage at her Corporal Kennedy Street residence.

“I convinced my husband to remove all his bicycles and gadgets from the garage, then converted it into a gallery space,” said Lee, who received her BFA and MS degrees from Pratt Institute.

Use of the space for exhibitions is free for artists, as is admission for visitors to the gallery.

which closes for the winter months, is already fully booked until 2028, Lee said.

“Our goal,” she added, “is to continue this journey. We want to create strong community through art together.”

The Garage Art Center is a nonprofit organization. Lee said she has applied for various grants to help keep it going. In addition, Flushing Town Hall and the Queens College Art Center donate space for group exhibitions sponsored by the center.

Lee said the center offers art experiences that benefit the community and supports artists and arts organizations, both locally and internationally.

Exhibits And Talks

Lee, a native of South Korea and a resident of the borough since 2000, explained that “as an artist myself, I’ve always thought the art world treats artists unfairly. Most artists, unless they are famous, have to pay gallery rental fees to exhibit.”

Another problem facing emerging artists, according to Lee, is that “there are limited public spaces and it is very difficult to do solo shows in those venues. So, I decided to open one myself.”

The garage opened as a gallery in 2020, she said. “We did numerous high-quality solo shows, art workshops and art talks, all free and open to the public,” she said.

People seem to love the arrangement, as the exhibition space,

She endeavors to “celebrate the rich diversity of our community and create a space where art can connect, communicate and create solidarity among us all.”

The center’s solo exhibitions “highlight the indepth philosophy of an individual artist,” according to its website, while the occasional group exhibitions “explore compelling things.”

Its education program offers hands-on workshops and art lectures, as well as panel discussions, while its community program makes available guided gallery group visits and onsite group workshops at community centers in Queens and beyond.

The center’s next offering will take place in March 2024, an exhibition by female artists celebrating Women’s History Month. It will take place at the Queens College Art Center. That will be followed by monthly exhibitions at the Garage, including: “Flow- er Talk” by Eunju Kang, April 6 to 28; “Vermicular Calligraphy” by Cui Fei, May 4 to 26; and “Little Red” by Tony Gonzalez, June 1 to 30.

Each exhibit at the Garage comes with a coinciding workshop led by the particular artist.

The Garage Art Center is located at 26-01 Corporal Kennedy St., Bayside. The Queens College Art Center is located in the Benjamin Rosenthal Library, 6th floor, 65-30 Kissena Blvd., Flushing. For further information, visit garageartcenter.org. Q