By Madina Toure
Flushing Town Hall is holding its first-ever holiday market featuring everything from Christmas earrings to Korean traditional knotting art Sunday.
The market, which be held in the first-floor gallery at Flushing Town Hall, will highlight creations such as inlaid wood boxes and frames, photographs, wire sculptures, collage art, paintings, knitted items, scarves, ceramics and glass jewelry. The market features the works of 24 artists, 23 of whom are from Queens.
The market coincides with the 27th annual Holiday Historic House Tour, which will include Flushing Town Hall and six other historic Queens sites.
“Flushing Town Hall, for many years, has been part of the Flushing Historic House Tour and because we’re an arts council we thought it would be a wonderful way to showcase local artisans and give shoppers who are buying gifts for this holiday season to do one-stop shopping and buy unique handcrafted items made by local artists,” Ellen Kodadek, Flushing Town Hall’s executive director, said.
Flushing Town Hall staff decided to start the holiday market to showcase the work of their artists, Kodadek explained.
“As an arts council, we work with so many local artists and our gift shop for five years now has carried the work of local Queens and Long Island-based artists,” she said. “So we thought, ‘Let’s expand upon the items already for sale in the gift shop and invite more local artists to participate and then do a holiday market.’”
The market will run from 1 p.m.-5 p.m. Admission is free. Flushing Town Hall is at 137-35 Northern Blvd.
In celebration of Flushing Town Hall’s 35th anniversary, the organization has launched the 35 Challenge Grant for which it must raise $35,000 by February to match $35,000 that a benefactor promised them.
Reach reporter Madina Toure by e-mail at mtoure@cnglocal.com or by phone at (718) 260–4566.
