Opening Reception:
ROOTED
ARTISTS OF LIC
Curated by Tess Howsam and Kenny Greenberg
​April 2, 6-9pm
​Free. RSVP: events.humanitix.com/rooted-lic​
Exhibition on view April 2 - June 1, 2026 during normal gallery hours: Thursday & Friday, 5-9pm, and Saturday & Sunday, 2-9pm
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Long Island City is one of the fastest-growing communities in New York City, with a remarkable 78% growth since 2013. With the recent rezoning, recognizing the neighborhood’s artistic roots has become a vital part of its story. As LIC continues to expand, we cannot forget the artists who established its creative foundation and enabled this thriving community. Artists such as Alanna Heiss (MoMA PS1), Pat DiLillo (5Points), Mark di Suvero (Socrates Sculpture Park), and Isamu Noguchi (Noguchi Museum) are widely cited as artistic leaders who paved the way for the artists and institutions that followed.
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Rooted: The Artists of Long Island City celebrates not only these revered leaders but also the many other artists who contributed to the community’s creative fabric. The exhibition traces LIC’s artistic lineage, from late artists who helped define the neighborhood to contemporary artists continuing this legacy today.
Parker Phillips
Single Release Party
Thu, April 3, 8pm - 10pm
Join Parker Phillips for the release party of “I GOT IT,” the lead single from his upcoming debut visual album BACK TO ME. Following his first-ever EP Awakening (2023), he returns to his gospel roots while pushing forward with an innovative, universal R&B sound.
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“I GOT IT” is a genre-blending song of affirmation and manifestation—fusing dance, electronic, bounce, gospel, and R&B into a bold, high-energy statement. The track features Grammy-nominated engineer Ryan Ansel, background vocals by the powerful Carla G, and the electrifying Robin Fierce (RuPaul’s Drag Race Season 15), with production and mixing by rising star DJ Ricky Belfort.
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This release marks a powerful new chapter for Parker Phillips—where faith, movement, and fashion collide on the dance floor.
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Ben's Animals
A Documentary about Autism, Art, and Advocacy
U.S. Premiere in NYC
Sat, Apr 4, 3pm - 6pm
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Ben's Animals, a heartwarming and visually rich documentary by award-winning filmmaker Evan Beloff. Presented during International Autism Month, this public screening aims to raise awareness of the strengths and needs of autistic individuals while celebrating neurodiversity.
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In addition to the screening, the event will feature a unique live pop-up exhibition and a post-screening reception, offering audiences an immersive and communal experience that extends beyond the film.
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The film follows Ben Lachapelle, a 23-year-old Canadian autistic artist and passionate environmentalist whose imaginative connection to animals becomes a powerful voice for change. Told through a blend of hand-drawn animation, childhood archives, trite storytelling, and personal interviews, the documentary offers a poetic, moving, and joyful portrait of a remarkable young man.
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At its core, Ben's Animals explores creativity, identity, and how art can bridge the gap between isolation and community. It also reflects on the challenges faced by families navigating neurodivergence in a fragmented support system, offering an honest, tender look at the love between a mother and son.
Culture Lab LIC will be closed all day, Sunday, April 5, 2026 for the Easter holiday.
Party Right Here
April 11, 8pm-3am
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Party Right Here is back in The Theater for Volume 16.
Booming bass. Custom visuals. DJs mixing absolute fire. And tons of fog pouring out of that place.
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We'll see you at the rave!
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DJ AURABAND
DOCTA JIMMY
SARINDIPITY
JORDI
DJ M33CH
TALK SHIVI
SAM VALLE B2B
CHOO CHOO
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Free.​
Culture Lab After Dark presents
Nice One! Comedy
​Laughs meet art at Culture Lab LIC, where stand-up comedy takes center stage in a vibrant gallery setting!​
Thanks to our sponsors: Plaxall Inc, TF Cornerstone, Steve Madden, Howard Gilman Foundation, New York State Council on the Arts
Upcoming dates:
Thu, Apr 16, 8pm - 9:30pm
Thu, May 21, 8pm - 9:30pm
Thu, Jun 18, 8pm - 9:30pm
Thu, Jul 16, 8pm - 9:30pm
Thu, Aug 20, 8pm - 9:30pm
Thu, Sep 17, 8pm - 9:30pm
Thu, Oct 15, 8pm - 9:30pm
Thu, Nov 19, 8pm - 9:30pm
Spring Swing-along
with Allegra Levy & Friends
Sat, Apr 18, 3:30 - 4:30pm
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Jazz for Kids! Allegra Levy presents songs from her album, “Songs for You and Me,” the acclaimed singer/songwriter's first foray into jazz for the juvenile set, not only teaches both kids and adults how to say hello in 12 different languages.
From bedtime and bath time to boogers and boo-boos, she and her all-star big band make it all sing… and swing!“
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"Allegra Levy sounds like a female version of Mr. Rogers on this cozy album of cozy songs for tykes … Completely charming, life-affirming, and inviting. Won’t you be her neighbor?” - Jazz Weekly
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Music with Shana:
Musicraftory
April 19, 4 - 5pm
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MusicCraftory with Shana is where music meets story and art!
Kids sing, play instruments, move with parachutes, and create crafts—all while building early learning skills through fun, active play.
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MusicCraftory is an interactive, multi-sensory experience where music, movement, story, and art come together. Children sing, play instruments, move with props like parachutes and scarves, and create simple crafts inspired by the story of the day.
Each class gently supports pre-academic skills such as listening, turn-taking, sequencing, language development, and following directions—all through joyful play and imagination.
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​Please note that filming/photography will be taking place for promotional and archival purposes. The photographs and recordings made are likely to appear on Culture Lab LIC and Music with Shana's website or social media.
SpeakEasier Language Exchange
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SpeakEasier was created in 2024 by Daniela Cantillo to celebrate and foster multilingualism in New York City. In early 2025, SpeakEasier partnered with Culture Lab LIC to bring to life the monthly SpeakEasier Language Exchange, where intermediate-to-advanced target speakers of Arabic, French, Farsi, and Spanish come together to practice their speaking skills through engaging conversation.
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Meet ups will be held on the fourth Saturday of every month.
Follow SpeakEasier on Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook, and for language practice tips and insights right to your inbox, sign up for the newsletter here!
April 25, 2026
May 23, 2026
June 27, 2026
July 25, 2026
August 22, 2026
September 26, 2026
October 24, 2026
November 28, 2026
NYC Plant Market
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NYC Plant Market is more than a marketplace for plants. It’s a movement to reconnect New Yorkers with nature.
We bring together local plant shops, independent growers, and small nurseries across the city for a once-a-month curated community market that celebrates urban greening. From rare aroids, beginner houseplants, to handmade ceramic planters, we cultivate not just plants, but a green urban community. Our mission is to make green living accessible, sustainable, and rooted in local culture.
Whether you are a beginner or practically Mother Nature, this plant market is for you. Come join the party and learn a thing or two about nature and plants from the community that loves them.
Free entry, but donations are encouraged and highly appreciated.
NYC Plant Market is a project of Corse Design in collaboration with Culture Lab LIC.
2026 Schedule:
• April 19
• May 24
• June 21
• July 19
• August 23
• September 20
• October 18
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The Cabaret Burlesque
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Join The Cabaret Burlesque, by Nathalie Marrable, for an evening that will transport audiences into a world where elegance and provocation intertwine, creating a mesmerizing tapestry of passion and connection. Designed to expertly showcase the seductive, crisp art of Parisian strip tease, this event will push the boundaries of traditional burlesque performance, infusing it with a contemporary twist that celebrates individuality, self-expression, and storytelling. All flavors of audience are invited, whether eager to get tied up onstage or desiring a voyeuristic night as a spectator.
Attendees can expect 90 minutes of seamless performances showcasing Parisian burlesque with a sprinkle of music and comedy acts, all incorporating play between performers and onlookers. Classic French tunes and driving contemporary hits will accompany impressive choreography that highlights the finesse, expertise, and strength of its performers. This exclusive event promises to be an extraordinary night of entertainment, where audiences can interact with the artistry of striptease, be inspired by the performers' courage and vulnerability, and celebrate their own stories of allure.
Fri, May 15, 8pm - 9:30pm
Sat, May 16, 8pm - 9:30pm
Fri, May 22, 8pm - 9:30pm
Sat, May 23, 8pm - 9:30pm
Fri, May 29, 8pm - 9:30pm
Sat, May 30, 8pm - 9:30pm
Showgirl Sunday: Cocktails at Church
Sun, Jun 7, 4pm - 6:30pm
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Showgirl Sunday: Cocktails at Church
An Exclusive Debut of Les Belles de Paris
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Step into a chic Parisian afternoon of glamour, champagne, and feathers at Showgirl Sunday: Cocktails at Church—an elegant cabaret experience celebrating the debut of Les Belles de Paris. Produced by The Cabaret Burlesque in collaboration with Culture Lab LIC, this special event invites guests to indulge in a stylish soirée inspired by the romance and flair of a Sunday brunch in Paris.
Les Belles de Paris is a New York City–based performative showgirl company under the direction of Nathalie Marrable. Blending classic Parisian showgirl technique with modern theatrical elegance, this dazzling ensemble will transport audiences to the grand cabarets of Europe. Influenced by Marrable’s experience performing and choreographing in France and Germany, the evening promises a playful, immersive celebration of fashion, flair, and feather fans, as well as some cheeky guests!
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Guests are invited to dress to impress in the theme “Sunday Brunch in Paris” and enjoy cocktails before the show begins.
Join us for an unforgettable afternoon of glamour, laughter, and Parisian charm.
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Weapons of Mass Seduction
June 11-21
Under an even more Trump-than-Trump president — the bombastic Karen Blare — the United States is waging a “culture war” against its new enemy: woke Canada. Determined to win the fight without casualties (or headlines), Blare demands a new kind of non-lethal weapon. Her loyal but dim-witted General Fardmann has the perfect idea: resurrect the long-rumored “Gay Bomb.”
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To make it work, they must thaw out Professor. Victor Vexx — a brilliant, genderfluid chemical weapons scientist frozen since the summer of love in 67 — and assign CIA agent Valerie Steele to keep them in check.
But as Vexx sets their sights on sparking a queer revolution from within, Blare’s administration prepares to test the bomb on a small conservative Southern town. When the plan leaks, chaos erupts. Glitter flies, loyalties shift, and the battle lines between repression and liberation blur in an explosion of camp, color, and chemical warfare.
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This piece detonates a glittery critique of military machismo, political hypocrisy, and homophobia — flipping the script so that queer people aren’t the victims of the system, but the ones who joyfully, fabulously, and furiously blow it up from the inside.
Open Call
Queens: The Art of Drag & NYC
Submission Deadline: 11:59pm EST, May 1
Exhibition on view: June 5 - August 2
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Queens: The Art of Drag & NYC celebrates drag as one of the most dynamic, political, and imaginative art forms of our time. Through photography, portraiture, costume, video, installation, and performance ephemera, this exhibition spotlights the craft, discipline, and creative labor behind transformation.
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Rooted in a lineage that is deeply intertwined with New York City’s cultural history, the exhibition honors drag’s evolution across decades of queer nightlife, ballroom houses, cabaret stages, underground clubs, and activist movements.
From Harlem’s pioneering drag balls of the early 20th century, to the queer liberation spearheaded in Greenwich Village, to the legendary clubs of the East Village and Brooklyn that continue to shape global drag aesthetics, New York has long been a crucible for drag innovation. Its artists, houses, and communities have defined styles, sparked revolutions, and demonstrated the power of drag as both resistance and reinvention.
Open Call
Form & Function
The Art of Graphic Design
Submission Deadline: 11:59pm EST, August 31
Exhibition on view: October 1 - Nov 1, 2026
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Graphic design, often relegated to a commercial or functional category, is a practice rich with visual innovation, conceptual depth, and emotional resonance. "Form & Function" will present a curated selection of graphic design works that transcend their immediate commercial purpose, demonstrating mastery of composition, color, typography, and image-making on par with fine art.
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The show appeals to a broad audience such as design professionals, art enthusiasts, and the general public by engaging with a medium they encounter daily. It will stimulate debate, draw new demographics to the gallery, and position the organization as a thought leader in contemporary visual culture. We seek to definitively argue that when driven by aesthetic intent, conceptual rigor, and expressive freedom, graphic design is undeniably art.
New Works Lab 2026
We are proud to announce and congratulate our 2026 New Works Lab Residents (previous Emergence Artist in Residence)!
Lucier&Rose @lucierandrose
notAmuse Theater @notamuse_theater
Jiemin Yang @jiemin.art
Barkha Dance Company @barkha_dance
Culture Lab LIC's New Works Lab is a developmental performing arts program geared toward the support and creation of new work.
​Started in 2021 by former Director of Performing Arts, Tana Sirois, the residency began as a desire to offer free rehearsal and performance space to performing artists. Since its conception the residency has been further developed and led by Artistic Director Tess Howsam expanding the program to include peer review sessions during the artists year and culminating in Culture Lab LIC’s New Works Festival November and December.
Thanks to our sponsors: Plaxall Properties, Steve Madden, TF Cornerstone, Douglaston Development, Paragon LIC, Schuman Properties, SPR Law, Howard Gilman Foundation, New York State Council on the Arts
Culture Lab LIC is One of Boasts Best of LIC
The results are in, and we are thrilled to announce that Culture Lab LIC has been voted a BOAST: Best of Astoria & LIC 2025 Winner!
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We are so excited, proud and grateful to the community for their votes and support!
In the DO & SEE section, we were voted:
• Best Museum
• Best Organization or Cause to Contribute To
• Best Performing Arts Venue
• Best Place for Live Music​
Donate to Culture LAB LIC!
Help us keep the arts accessible, inclusive, and alive in Western Queens.
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Culture Lab isn’t just another venue. We are a year-round home for artists, neighbors, and community groups — hosting exhibitions, concerts, theater, festivals, AA meetings, school partnerships, and cultural celebrations that reflect the full spectrum of our city.
Every dollar we raise goes directly toward the programs and people that make this happen.
This year, our target is ambitious because the need is real. With your support we will:
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• Fund local artist residencies and ensure creators have space and resources to thrive.
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• Keep our community programming free or low-cost, so no one is priced out of culture.
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• Invest in education and partnerships with schools and cultural organizations to amplify underrepresented voices.
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• Strengthen our capacity for growth as we plan for larger spaces and expanded service to Queens and beyond.
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Your gift isn’t just a donation. It’s an investment in equity, creativity, and community. It ensures that Culture Lab LIC continues to be the anchor where art and people meet — where neighbors gather, stories are told, and new ideas take root.
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Let’s show what collective impact looks like. On December 2, stand with us. Click, give — and watch your generosity drive real change.
Become a Member!
Culture Lab LIC is celebrating 5 years & we need you to help us build the next 5!
Thanks to you, in 2024 our mission to bring impactful art to Western Queens has flourished beyond our wildest dreams. Your contributions--whether through donations, volunteer efforts, or simply by spreading the word about our initiatives --have helped us to make a profound difference in the lives of artists and art lovers in our community.
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Your generous support not only fueled our programs but also directly impacted the artists we serve, providing them with invaluable opportunities and resources, and a platform to share their stories, visions, and inspirations with the world.
With your continued support in the coming year, we aim to expand our reach, continue to present local and international artists, and further enrich our community through art.
Here are 3 ways you can help...
Donate so we can continue to present the great art & events you love.
Help us keep our doors open by becoming an Official Sponsor!
Our ART GALLERY is open Thursday & Friday, 5-9pm, and Saturday & Sunday, 2-10pm. Keep your eye on our social media for updates on our upcoming theatre, dance and comedy performances!
As a member of Culture Lab LIC, you directly support dozens of arts, cultural and neighborhood organizations enjoyed by the entire community. As a Thank You for your awesomeness, each of our membership levels offer something for everyone: $2 off drinks, early viewings to monthly exhibitions, artists talks, Culture Lab LIC swag, and discounts to theater, dance, music concerts, and special events. We have an exciting season ahead of us and we cannot wait to share it with you!
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NYC Council Member Julie Won
NYC State Senator Kristen Gonzalez​
Karen Dimit in Loving Memory of Greg Dimit
