Flushing Town Hall's Art Gallery Reopens To The Public This October With New Exhibition, 'Communicating Beyond Words'

On October 15, Flushing Town Hall will open its first indoor exhibition since its gallery closed for pandemic precautions in March 2020. The group show, "Communicating Beyond Words," will run through October 31 and features 12 artists from diverse cultural backgrounds who use letterforms as their visual elements. More than 30 artworks will be on display, including illustration, street art, calligraphy, tattoo art, and paintings.

An opening reception will be held on Friday, October 15 from 6:00 pm - 8:00 pm where visitors can meet the artists. (RSVP required). Flushing Town Hall is asking for a $5 suggested donation, and the exhibition is free for members and students.

With empathy, audiences are invited to recover from the pandemic, be understood, and have a sense of hope beyond words.

"We went through a lot, emotionally and physically, last year and were all affected by the pandemic directly or indirectly. Comfort, resiliency, and healing are needed the most in times like this," says artist and exhibition curator Stephanie S. Lee. "There are many ways to cope with hard times, and often, one artwork is all we need beyond thousands of words. With the healing power of art transcending words, we invite audiences of Queens and the tri-state area who went through tough times to have a sense of hope and resiliency."

Participating Artists include:

• Chavelli Tsui is a designer and lettering artist based in New York. She specializes in letter-driven work that is elegant and eloquent; spirited, yet sumptuous.

• Cui Fei is an artist based in New York. In her ongoing series Tracing the Origin, she uses "Chinese characters" as the subject to explore the relationship between human beings and nature.

• Dina Ruzha is a lettering artist, calligrapher, and illustrator. She illustrates ideas, emotions, moods, and concrete stories. She combines her talents as an illustrator and lettering artist to communicate a message. Based in NYC, she works for clients all over the globe. Her mission is to deliver a message through each picture.

• Jan (Suphitcha) Donsrichan is a Bangkok-born, New York-based interdisciplinary artist and designer. Suphitchan's work is built on using common objects and experiences from daily life to devise narratives that mix reality and fiction.

• John Fekner is a street and multimedia artist, who created hundreds of environmental, social, political, and conceptual works consisting of stenciled words, symbols, dates, and icons painted outdoors around the world.

• Minyoung Sim (Tattooist EQ) is a tattoo artist living and working in South Korea. She has more than 100,000 followers on Instagram and inspires the audience with her creations that combine color, delicacy, and techniques.

• Sebastian Ferreira is an artist based out of Edgewater, NJ. He was born in Venezuela and raised in both Miami/Memphis. His latest works are focused on an amalgam of abstract calligraphy and pop art. He creates intense portraiture in his painting with his love of graffiti and lettering.

• Stephanie S. Lee is an artist and a curator based in New York. In her Munjado, one of the genres in Minhwa that depicts Confucian virtues in the form of letters, she uses both Korean Hangul and English Alphabet with contemporary elements to convey female gender identity and equity.

• Thierry Alet is an artist and founder of Frère Independent, a non-profit association based in New York. 'The Manuscripts' series expresses everyone's natural and exacerbated obsession with existing. This obsession is expressed by the persistence of the writing on African wax fabric but also the psychological character of the chosen sentence.

• Wendy Fung is a calligrapher, lettering artist and graphic designer based in Brooklyn, New York. As an artist specializing in lettering & calligraphy, she empowers brands to tell their story through captivating, visual interpretations of words. She believes lettering can be reflective and engaging.

• Young Shik Kim is an artist based in Seoul, South Korea. Kim's works combine traditional techniques and materials with contemporary forms and soft color palettes. Her painting style - simple and delicate renderings in an amiable tone - was developed over twenty years of practicing and studying traditional Korean Folk Art painting.

• Zen master Hye-Seong is a calligrapher, painter, writer, and tea master who runs Zen Monastery Catskill, New York, and Gum Gang Sa, Busan, South Korea. Zen calligraphy is a full concentration that is devoid of thoughts that distract the mind. Master Hye-Seong believes artworks encourage one's mind toward enlightenment. He believes that each of us should strive for a higher level of spirituality through meditation and contemplation.

In line with the theme of letter art, Stephanie S. Lee is hosting an in-person 'Turn Your Name into Art Workshop' on October 23 at 2PM ET, at which Lee will provide a customized drawing with the participant's name in Korean (Hangeul), in the style of Munjado (a genre of Korean Folk Art). During the 90-minute hands-on workshop, participants will then color in the drawing to finish the artwork. Those interested in attending are asked to register by October 13th to have the drawing of their name converted in Korean. Participants will receive their name design in advance and need to print it out at home and bring it to the workshop, where they will be provided watercolors and brushes to finish their artwork. This workshop is suitable for ages 12 & up and limited to up to 20 participants. The workshop cost is $10/$5 for members.