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Queens Council honors art lovers at 40th gala

By Nathan Duke

Danny Simmons, the brother of hip-hop producer Russell Simmons; City Councilman Leroy Comrie (D-St. Albans), the Queens Council delegation chairman; and Diane McNulty, executive director of community affairs and media relations at The Times, were honored at the fund-raiser for their dedication to the arts in Queens.Cindy Hsu, a “CBS 2 News at Noon” co-anchor, hosted the event, which took place at Long Island City's Metropolitan Building. Queens Council on the Arts Executive Director Hoong Yee Lee Krakauer said the council raised $50,000 at last year's fund-raiser and that she hoped it would raise more at this year's event.Although Manhattan, often considered the arts capitol of the United States, is just a few miles away, Krakauer said Queens has developed its own reputation as an arts-heavy area in recent years.”I am extremely proud of the arts community we have supported over the past 40 years and how the wealth of cultural and artistic offerings they provide throughout the borough have illuminated our lives,” she said.The evening hosted a silent auction at which attendees could take home paintings by honoree Danny Simmons or actress Rosie O'Donnell; director's seats to a popular Broadway production; tickets to visit Def Poetry Jam; tickets to see R&B group Ashford and Simpson at the Colden Center; or autographed copies of the fifth season of “The Sopranos.”McNulty was introduced by Catherine Mathis, vice president of corporate communications at The New York Times.”With the Times, she has been instrumental in partnering with organizations that promote the arts,” Mathis said.Danny Simmons, a painter, was introduced by Joseph “Reverend Run” Simmons, his brother and co-founder of hip hop pioneers Run-DMC. Simmons said arts in New York City are in dire straits and need wider support.”We are in the middle of a great crisis,” he said. “There is no studio space for artists – they can no longer afford to live and work here. They fled from SoHo to Brooklyn to Long Island City to Philadelphia. Arts are shrinking in New York City.”Comrie was introduced by Queens Borough President Helen Marshall.The council, which was formed in 1966 in an effort to support, promote and develop the arts in Queens County, received praise in letters by Mayor Michael Bloomberg and U.S. Sen. Hillary Clinton (D- NY), who said it has been the premiere arts service organization in the borough since it was formed.Reach reporter Nathan Duke by e-mail at news@timesledger.com or by phone at 718-229-0300, Ext. 156.